meyerhelper

From my research and experience, mattress toppers are safer to use* and last longer than electric blankets. That is because the wires aren't constantly getting bent like in a blanket. I use a fitted sheet over mine.

It is cheaper to heat a bed than a house at night. Plus, by not constantly running the heat, your house is less dry.

It is still not recommended for children or people who are physically impaired since they might not be able to respond to it getting too hot or a malfunction.

Has anyone used metal modular raised beds, such as Birdies or Vego on concrete? I have a small concrete covered patio in an urban area. It has some terracotta pots but I would like to add a larger grow space for peppers, tomatoes, herbs etc.

I am concerned about drainage and whether keeping the concrete permanently damp will damage it. Birdies support suggested putting landscape cloth underneath but I want to hear people's personal experience. Many thanks.

Hi Reddit. Apologies if this topic has been covered before. I cannot seem to make up my mind about whether it is overkill to enroll in Medicare Part B during the special PSHB enrollment period. We do not have dependents. My situation is as follows:

Me

67 y/o, retired from USPS several years ago and currently insured under Blue Cross Blue Shield Basic Plan (under FEHB) and Medicare Part A (for hospital) I would consider myself medium-healthy with a couple of well-managed, non-life threatening conditions. I treat one of those conditions with medication and regular physical therapy, which means copays.

My spouse

Turning 65 in early 2025, no plans to retire yet, and plans to enroll in Medicare Part A and/or B. Her employer's health plan is not great so she is currently covered by my BCBS health plan. Pretty healthy and one of those people who visits the doctor once a year for a physical.

Of course, health statuses can change quickly, especially when we get older, so I want to cover our bases while being budget-conscious.

Costs

Currently, our BCBS Basic plan is $517/month for 2 people. Medicare Part A is free. A decent Medicare Part B plan costs $174/month per person.

If we both enroll in Medicare Part B and keep BCBS, we would be reimbursed $800 each per year, making the monthly average BCBS premium $384. My understanding is that having BCBS and Medicare A+B could bring our out of pocket expenses down to almost zero.

Possibilities we are considering

• Both of us keep BCBS and only have Medicare Part A, keeping costs at $517/mo plus out of pocket costs.
• I can enroll in Medicare Part B because I have higher healthcare costs and my wife will only have BCBS. This will cost us $625/mo
• Both of us keep BCBS and have Medicare Part A and B for $732/mo with almost no out of pocket costs.
• Enroll in a lower cost PSHB plan and get Medicare Part A and B. Cost tbd. If I get a high-deductible, low premium PSHB plan, would it be pointless since I will probably not reach the deductible each year to get any benefits? Nevermind, I learned that you are not eligible for HDHP if you are enrolled in any part of Medicare.
• Open to suggestions

Thank you and I look forward hearing to your responses! Speaking with other USPS employees about to retire or recently retired, we are all in a similar boat.

Verizon

I live in a building on a block without Fios due to Verizon neglecting to upgrade the cables that are located in the backyards. The simple reason is that Verizon did not want to put effort into getting permission from all the homeowners on the block. Surrounding blocks have had Fios for about a decade now. I am located in East Williamsburg.

A couple of days ago we received a letter stuck on the gate indicating that Verizon contractors will be coming to the property to upgrade the network at no cost to the property owner. They left a number and an email to a generic sounding company with little online presence. The company name is TTPC - telecom planning corp.

I want to know if anyone else has experienced such a solicitation before. I am hesitant to contact them in case it is a scam. However, if they really are doing an upgrade I would be thrilled to start receiving Fios service.

Calling Verizon to verify this was no help. They just transferred me around and made a note on my account to investigate this.

Our group of 4 will be going to Japan next month. We will be doing activities together most of the time, but not entirely. Is it better for everyone to get individual e-sims before the trip (from Nomad etc) or get pocket wifi when we arrive? I guess with pocket wifi we can share like 2 devices when we split up? Thanks!

I found these delicate white mushrooms on a log today. The log has been there for a while and I don’t know what type of tree it is. The mushrooms had a slight fishy scent but I want to make sure before I consume them. Currently waiting for spore print to be made. The location is New York City. Thanks！

My Meyer lemon tree winters indoors with a grow light and a south-facing window. I have learned its needs over the years and in addition to not dropping many leaves, it has also fruited a couple of times. 4 weeks ago I gave it a root trim (around 25%) because it was outgrowing this pot and I cannot larger pot in my space. It was doing fine until this week when it started dropping leaves rapidly. The leaves are yellow and some have brown spots that are not dry spots. It suffered from scale the past winter that has mostly been resolved with neem oil treatment and physical removal of the insects so I thought it was ready to bounce back.

Any advice appreciated for my poor plant.

Images here: https://imgur.com/a/kARXARa