%%USERNAME%%    %%ACCWORDS%% %%ONOFF%% |
 |
My thoughts released; a mind set free |
|
These pages contain my thoughts, from meandering ideas and persuasions to deep cerebrations and serious mentations. Why, for what purpose? To release my mind and set creativity free. Somewhere inside the constraints of my mind dwells a writer, a poet, an artist who paints with words. In here I release those constraints and set the artist free. Perhaps, lost somewhere in the depths of thought, is a story or a poem, waiting to be written. 
|
| It's Christmas Eve and everybody is settled in for the evening here. The two teens are in the older girl's room enjoying their gifts and watching something on television, Max (our new Husky pup) is sound asleep as is my wife and I'm spending a little bit of the eve with you. We started a tradition of opening gifts early on Christmas Eve day since we go to my wife's relatives on Christmas. I won't comment on my thoughts about that, except for the fact that my Mother-in-law is getting up in years and we never know which will be her last Christmas so I do it for her. Anyway, I was going to blite about something and now have completely forgotten what. It could be something with my advancing years or the fact that Max has disrupted my erratic sleep schedule, but I blame it on the Bulleit. Actually, I should blame it on my eldest adopted granddaughter who gifted me a nice bourbon glass that reads, "Old Lives Matter." She thought she was ordering a shot glass, but it holds a nice eight ounces or better. I figured I should show her my appreciation by using it, so I shot it with Bulleit and ice. It works nicely. But, I'm almost out of Bulleits, so I reckon it's time for bed... |
| Saturday we picked up a new puppy; an eight-week-old husky. It was quite late when we got home with him, so he had a short introduction to the rest of the family, a bite to eat, and a drink of water, then it was time for bed. He did pretty well for his first night in a new home, once we figured out how to keep him feeling secure. We made up a soft bed for him in a laundry basket and I put my t-shirt I had been wearing in with him, then placed it beside my side of the bed. It did the trick and he slept through the night. Yesterday, being his first day, was kind of an orientation for the little fellow. He played with the kids, explored the house, and got to go outside a couple of times. It was below zero and he has never been outside, so it was very limited. He would sniff around a bit, but as soon as his little feet got cold he would try to sit on my foot and verbally tell me he wanted back in. He slept in his bed again last night, waking whenever I got up to use the bathroom but never making any fuss. This morning we got up at six, while I got dressed, my wife took Max out and he made some yellow snow. Once back in, he tried to poop on his puppy pad and got most if it on it. We did get larger pads, so he should do better. He played with the kids a bit before school and helped Jasper wrap a present. He figured out quickly that wrapping a gift on the floor with a puppy in the house is rather difficult. After they left for school, Max and I went back out for a bit. He explored around a bit, played in the snow a bit, then wanted back in. He let me know verbally and by sitting on my foot. After we came back in, he settled down for a nap and I managed to get a little done in here while I waited for him to wake up and start Canine Kindergarten. Yes, his training has begun. He knows his name and comes to it the first time about 90% of the time. He discovered the joys of bacon and sat on my feet the entire time I was cooking it. Yes, I did give him a few small bites. Then, after breakfast, he enjoyed the bacon but his breakfast was Kibbles and Bits, we went back outside and I showed him how to navigate the three steps down to the patio. (Up till that point, he had been carried up and down.) He did pretty well, but it's good we have a thick mat at the bottom; he fell off the last step twice, but he's got it down now. I also had to show him, twice, how to go up the steps. On his first try he ended up under the steps, the second try his legs didn't quite reach enough, but now he gives a little jump and climbs them like a pro. He has also gone to the bathroom outside most of the day, so far. The first "accident" was my fault, I took too long in putting my coat on. He almost peed on the pad, but like most guys, his aim isn't the best. The second time he peed inside was while I was cooking liver and again did not get him outside quickly enough. The rest of today will be more training him to his name and more outside potty practice. My wife will be home about 3:30, the kids shortly after, and Max will be done with his "school" at about the same time. Why? Because then it's playtime and interactions with the rest of the family. Tomorrow we work some more on outside potty training and getting him used to a leash. Oh, and of course, he will have continued practice at learning what "No" means. |
| I posted yesterday afternoon: "We are going to look at a Goldendoodle, eight weeks old. Not certain about getting him, but I figure once I see him and hold him, I won't be leaving without him...". Later I posted about our new family addition, Pludo, -- a Husky. How did this happen? What changed? Why? Just settle down and hold tight, I'll explain it all in just a few minutes. But first I need to go see what he's up to... Okay, sorry about that. False alarm, he's sleeping between the chairs. Here's the scoop. After Hannah unexpectedly became ill and passed, we discussed getting another dog. We have always had dogs in our families, and since we've been together, so it was weird not having a four-legged family member around. For me, it was worse; I became the stay-at-home parent of two adopted and troubled children, and Hannah was by my side almost all the time. We watched online ads and local postings for the proper puppy, but every time we found some, they were already taken. Yesterday, we received a message that yet another litter we were looking into had all been taken. However, another ad caught my eye, Goldendoodles. They were about three hours away. We called and the lady said she had one male left, eight weeks old, and we could drive over and look at him anytime after seven. We arrived about seven-thirty, and she had the puppy in the house ready for us to look at; it wasn't a Goldendoodle. She had a litter of Goldendoodles, but they were already gone. What she had was one eight-week-old husky male. I was a bit upset about being deceived, especially after that long of a drive on winter roads. I did learn the Huskies were listed through the same site, but I still think it was a conspiracy. My wife, of course, had picked up the puppy. It was squirmy but comfortable being held, and he was very cute. He kept looking at me and squirming, so she handed him over and asked, "Do you want to hold him?" I knew this was another conspiracy, and I wasn't given much of a choice as she placed him in my arms. He instantly worked his head up under my chin and snuggled in for a minute, then proceeded to give me a gaggle of puppy kisses before biting onto my goatee with his front teeth and tugging. I held him for a few minutes as we discussed wanting a Goldendoodle, not a Husky. I set him down on the floor but he literally tried to climb up my leg again. When that didn't work, he proceeded to latch onto my pant leg and refused to let go until I picked him back up. Was he also in on this conspiracy? I asked to see the parents; The father was a Husky, but a bit small for his breed. The mother was very thin from having and nursing ten puppies, a bit skitterish, but friendly enough. Only, she was of medium height, her colors were a bit off, and both my wife and I instantly asked if she was a wolf. The woman never did really answer but changed the subject to how quickly the other puppies found homes. This guy has one ear that droops and one that stands erect, which I find to be very adorable, he is a bit timid and less energetic than his siblings, and just never seemed to "take" to anyone. The puppies were born in a barn and lived there until they found homes. They did get handled and were around a poodle and some cats, but I learned most of this guy's life was spent in two cattle stalls, one with hay for sleeping and feeding, the other for a potty with wood chips in it. The barn was dimly lit and heated just enough to prevent freezing. It also sounded like he would soon be on his way to the shelter. Of course, he and I kind of "clicked" so I told my wife I was taking him out to the vehicle and she could take care of the rest. He grumbled a bit as we drove, but did very well for his first ride. We stopped at a Walmart to get a few things; I waited in the vehicle with him. We had a basket with a blanket along for him, but he continuously tried to climb out and sit on me, so I took my coat off and placed it over the blanket. He snuggle into it and was content all the way home. He enjoyed our two teens and all the attention they doted on him, he explored the house a bit but mostly stayed very close to me. He went out with me this morning and made some yellow snow (it's below zero, so it's difficult to train him to go out when his little feet get cold instantly, so we are also training him to use a puppy pad). He seems to have adjusted very well, but he's had no training and I have my hands full; he seems to learn very quickly, which brings up the next question of his name. We discussed names last night and whittled the list down to two, Max or Pluto. The kids liked both but picked Pluto, but they were pronouncing it Pludo, so we altered the spelling. My wife and I, however, like Maximilian (we'll just call him Max). Now, I ask you, "What's his name, Pludo or Max?" I need to know so I can start training him... |
| It's starting out to be quite a week! Or, perhaps it's a continuation of last week that ended up being quite a week. I suppose that's the best place to start, with last week. For some, it's likely nothing at all, but for me, being very introverted, the best week is one where everyone's at school or work and I have the house to myself for most of the day. That was the case for me last week, until Thursday when my wife had to take a couple of days off because she was sick which interrupted my quiet time to write. Then, the weekend and our two teenagers were home, and the peace and quiet were replaced with chaos and noise. I maintained my sanity focusing on the week ahead when things would return to normal. There was one hitch, my wife had a medical appointment on Tuesday in Fargo ND. But, she would leave work to drive over, so it really didn't affect me. I should add, it's just a follow-up to have a few tests done to make sure everything is okay. But, Sunday the boiler malfunctioned and I had to call the landlord. He notified the heating service he uses to come on Monday to fix it. But, there was no set time on Monday so it was a waiting game. The day started fine, but he was calling before noon to see if they had shown up and fixed the boiler. They had not, so he called them and then called me back. Then they called, and a bit later called again; there was no writing with all the interruptions and waiting. They never did show up. Tuesday arrived with our first bad winter storm! My wife left for work, but she dislikes driving in crappy weather, and we were getting a crap-load of crappy weather. So, she left work at about eleven to come home and have me drive her to Fargo for her appointment. My morning was calling the heating place to try and get someone out to fix the boiler, and waiting for them to call back, and kind of a repeat of Monday. Also, with the weather being crap, school let out early, so I soon had two teens back home and soon after, my wife. I had already loaded up the Yukon with some winter survival gear so we could be safe on our drive, and shortly after, headed to Fargo. The first half-hour wasn't bad. It was sleeting, but the roads were good. Soon, however, they were covered in slush and ice. We had left early and given ourselves extra time; we made it in time for the appointment only to learn that they had canceled it. Yes, upon arriving and entering the parking ramp, she received a notification that her appointment was canceled due to the bad weather. The drive back home was a nightmare. We had heavy snow backed with forty-mile-per-hour winds drifting it across the ice-covered highway. With few trees, visibility was greatly reduced, sometimes to the point of not being able to see past the hood of the Yukon, but we arrived back home safe and stressed. Later that evening we received notice that school would start two hours late today. Trying to be optimistic, I told myself that I would have a few more hours of peace before waking the kids up for school. But, the heating people had not arrived, and now I'm waiting for them to show up to fix the boiler. Also, the school sent notice that there is no school today, so I have two teens home until tomorrow. It's not looking good for a quiet day to write, but I'm still being optimistic. If it gets too chaotic in the house, I have a crap load of snow to clean up. I also have to figure out how to get into the vehicles; my wife's car was in the garage, which only makes sense as she has to drive to work. So my car and the Yukon sat out and collected about a quarter of an inch of ice on them. Once I figure out how to get the doors open, I can park them, first one then the other, in the garage with the torpedo heater going until they unthaw and dry off. After getting into the vehicles and getting them de-iced, then shoveling snow I may be able to get a chance to check out Dabble Book Writing Software. It's kind of costly, so I want to try it first. The problem is, there's only a week to try it and I don't want to start my free trial until I have the quiet to see how it works... |
| I've been thinking about getting more serious about writing. I need to write, it's in my blood and in my soul, but currently and for the past few years, I have not been writing enough. Why? Interruptions and distractions. They have plagued me for years, but recently they have manifested into a kind of writer's block. Understand that I am very introverted; I enjoy being introverted, but it does create some obstacles. When I write I become lost in my work, it is my escape from life and all the voices in my head. Yes, I'm one of those people who cannot shut off my thinking, except when I'm writing or reading. Distractions yank me out of this place I refuge in, and unlike so many others, I cannot close them out. If they're short and minor I can re-escape, but if they are constant or require much time, I find it frustrating and difficult to get back into my work or story. My problem is I don't have a sanctuary to write in. You can call it whatever you desire, but I prefer the term, "Haven Hut". I need a place I can go and get away from distractions and interruptions, a place I can focus on writing. I've tried a spare room within the house, but it's no good, someone will either knock until I stop and inquire about their needs, or they will come in and just stand there, waiting for me to stop and inquire about their needs. I have also tried libraries, coffee shops, and other places, but again, I get interrupted, I have had total strangers stop by and ask me what I'm writing, or just ask some silly question as to why I'm so absorbed in what I'm doing... "Duh! I was absorbed until you came over and interrupted me!" Of course, I don't say it, or anything rude; they mean no harm, but really, can't you see that I'm busy? Anyway, my wife and I were discussing my writing. She is a constant promoter of my writing and getting my work published. (She is also one of the distractions, and knows this.) Her idea was, to write as a job, set regular hours, and approach it the same as if I worked outside the home. I agreed it sounded like a grand plan, but I explained the problem of distractions. Most days, she and the kids are gone either to work or school. But the days the kids are home disrupts this routine, holidays, sick days, and snow days are quite frequent. Also, our neighbor, and friend, likes to visit randomly and will stay for hours drinking coffee and talking. We discussed some options, but with money as it is, there is no possible way to rent an office. Also, any space for rent would likely be six or more miles away, and in the winter, I would prefer not to drive any more than I have to. I told her it would be nice if we had a hardshell camper I could use instead of our pop-up. She agreed that would be a solution, and if it's not our camping camper, I could set it up as a space specifically for writing. Problem solved! Well, it would be if we had such a camper to convert over to my writing haven. But, the price of campers has gone through the ceiling in our area. The only affordable options require a crap-load of work. So, now we wait, we look, and we hope to find a good deal on a small camper that we can afford to purchase and set up for my Haven Hut. |
| This song reminds me of years past when we would travel to my Grandma’s for Christmas. It was about a six-hour drive depending on road conditions. We lived in northern Minnesota, and she was in South Dakota. Most years the drive was good, the roads clear, and the weather nice; cold, but nice. One year, however, we had very little snow and she had none. Before we left, Mom called her to let her know we were leaving. Grandma informed her that there was no snow, it was going to be a brown Christmas. I remember after Mom hung up, she turned to Dad, “Ella started to cry because there’s no snow.” “There’s still three days till Christmas, I’m sure she’ll have snow by Christmas morning.” Mom told us kids to join hands and say a prayer. “Father, we ask, you see us safely to South Dakota, and could we please have a white Christmas?” The weather was a bit windy and damp, with snow forecast for later that evening. But we had an early start and should have missed out on any inclement weather. However, when we crossed into North Dakota, the snow started; heavy snow with gusting winds blowing it around. As we headed south, our speed continuously decreased as a result of slippery, snow-covered roads, and very limited visibility. Dad pushed on and soon we reached the sign that read, Welcome to South Dakota. In fact, we almost took out the sign as we slid sideways and then backwards into the ditch. The song, White Christmas, was playing on the radio! Nobody was injured, but the car was stuck, and we were miles from any town. Luckily a trucker came along and Dad was able to flag him down. He had a strap long enough to reach us and pull us out. Before we got back on the road, Dad gave the driver twenty dollars for helping us but he wouldn’t take it. While Dad was trying to pay him, a snowplow went by. We followed it all the way to the town Grandma lived in. Whenever I hear the song, I remember our “White Christmas”. |
| Well, it's Monday morning, a good time for me... Usually. Weekends are tough for me as a writer, or for that matter, whatever other role I'm trying to fill. Hell, they can even be rough for reading and or watching the television. Why? It would be easy to just blame others, but I know that's not correct. In truth, it's me. I am very introverted and do my best alone. Well, not all alone, I have always had a canine companion by my side which most of the time has worked well; we seem to understand each other and share some kind of primal bond. My wife has referred to me as a true dog whisperer. But, again I digress. What makes weekends rough is people. I have a wife and currently two teens sharing my home. Most days during the week, they are at work and school, so the house is mine from seven-thirty to three-thirty. But on days when there is no school, or no work, or both, I have to share it. That means, there is noise and commotion. Now, I've known many people who can read and or do other tasks through all kinds of chaos, and it doesn't bother them in the least. For me, however, it's extremely difficult to filter out these interruptions. I can to some degree, but not if it's persistent. For example, if I'm trying to read or write especially, even someone watching television in the same room will interfere and make it very difficult. Music playing will also distract me. The struggle is real. But, it goes beyond difficult. I have tried various ways of filtering out distractions. I've set my desk so I cannot see the flickering of the television, I've invested in sound-dampening earplugs, I've set up in different rooms, etc... But, even after explaining why I can't be disturbed and removing all distractions, one teen or the other will stand over me, watching me until I stop and ask, "What do you need?" "Well I know you are writing (reading, watching a show, or whatever I'm engrossed in) but can I...." Sometimes the younger teen will just stand there and not even say anything when I ask. I have come to understand this is her way of letting me know she just wants to sit on my lap and be held. My wife, who quite often tells me I need to get back into my writing, will do much the same if she is home. Shortly after I get started, she will interrupt, "I know you're writing and I don't want to distract you, but I have a quick question." Or something similar. Of course, none of these family members are introverted, so they do not understand. Also, it has something to do with focus and concentration. If I just sit around and do nothing, or fill my time with some meaningless tasks, they are fine; they will do their own thing, and hours, sometimes most of the day, will pass without any interactions with me. But as soon as I get lost in something, which is how I do most things, they will sense it and materialize out of thin air around me... __-__-__-__ So, I started writing about how this Monday was not a good Monday; most Mondays are great, everyone's back to school and work so I have peace and quiet. But, today my youngest teen is home recovering from a forty-eight-hour bug. She's feeling good but still needs a day to rest and fully recover. I got a late start with my typical weekday routine since she woke early. Finally, she was off to take a shower, then chill in her room. I logged in, looked about, then decided to write my blog entry while I had the opportunity. About halfway in, she was out of the shower and standing next to me, waiting. As I explained, that usually indicates she wants to sit on my lap for a bit. I set my computer down, she plopped down and cuddled a bit, then asked if she could have pancakes. "Sure, but you'll have to make them." She loves to cook and seldom needs any assistance with pancakes. Today, however, she needed a lot. In fact, I ended up in the kitchen making her pancakes while she watched. Once they were done, she was off to her room to eat and watch some TV. I sat back down with a cup of coffee to finish, but I barely was able to finish a paragraph before she was out again, asking for something to drink. By the time I did get back to my blog, I ended up off-topic! Oh no! She's back... |
| "It's Friday?" That was my first thought when I saw Weekly Goals in the Newsfeed. "Crap, I better go post my results," was my second. I set a goal to blite at least twice a week on Monday, and luckily already had both written so I could post that I had achieved my goal. In fact, I was thinking about making a blog entry earlier, but I wasn't sure what to write about. So, while I pondered this I worked on a poem for Express It In Eight and was about to see if I could whip out a Flash Fiction entry. Luckily, I scrolled through the Newsfeed and saw the Weekly Goal post that said it was Friday. "FRIDAY!" I just spent an entire day thinking it was Thursday. How does that happen? I should have known better. I just wrote a poem about time and life for Express It In Eight and then discovered I was off an entire day.  Like Leaves Floating We're leaves in a river It’s constantly flowing Floating with current Wherever it’s going Ahead is uncharted Memories of past Living each day Praying they last. |
| As many already know, I'm not normal, this entry just proves that theory correct. But I digress. Sipping coffee this morning as I strolled down Notification Lane and up Newsfeed Street, I had some odd and unexplainable thoughts of Mother Goose's Poetry. Actually, it was one poem in particular that intruded my thoughts: Little boy blue, Come blow your horn, The sheep's in the meadow, The cow's in the corn. But where is the boy Who looks after the sheep? He's under a haystack, Fast asleep. Now, as a child, I kind of believed this hype, but as I got older I saw some discrepancies within the story as well as it not being written correctly. One thing is the grammar, The Sheep's in the meadow; is there only one sheep? Does it own the meadow? Does the same apply to the cow? If I were Mother Goose, I would have written: Hey, Little Boy Blue (a name) Come and blow your horn there are sheep in the meadow, There are cows in the corn. But, it's poetry, you can write it any damned way you want, right? Therefore, I overlooked that, figuring my writing is my style, and your writing is your style. However, it doesn't explain why he was under the haystack sleeping. I mean, if he was tired he should have returned to bed. Maybe he wasn't supposed to be napping, so he headed to the hay pile to catch a few z's unobserved. But, wouldn't he be on the pile of hay? I can't see sleeping under it; I've handled enough hay to know it's scratchy and makes you itch, it's also dusty and makes you sneeze, a lot! I'm not believing he crawled under a big pile of hay to sleep. I believe, he was in fact, up in the haymow with alternative motives. With this in mind, let's see what was really transpiring... Hey, Little Boy Blue Come and blow your horn there are sheep in the meadow, There are cows in the corn. So where is that boy Who looks after the sheep? Why he's up in the haymow With Little Bo Peep! That explains everything. Little Bo Peep lost her sheep because they were in the meadow with Little Boy Blue's sheep. She likely let them in so she could sneak off to see him. In fact, my sources have disclosed, they conspired this plot together when they snuck off to meet behind the outhouse at church on Sunday. One last thing to consider. Why was he supposed to blow his horn? One loud blast on that battered brass instrument would have cows and sheep stampeding all over God's green earth! Perhaps I should have titled this, The Mother Goose Conspiracies (I have more). |
| It's Monday and things are going well. I logged in this morning and read my Notifications; thank you to everyone who has interacted and filled my Notifications so nicely. I also read through the Newsfeed and found some interesting things to read, some to comment on, and a lot of things to "Like". I was happy to see that Lilith of House Martell   is back and we had a "Question of the Day!"  this morning. It's crazy, but a morning just doesn't seem complete without one.I also entered a goal in "Weekly Goals" again this week. Goals are important, but should not be made impulsively. If a goal is well thought out, it is a form of motivation and reward when the goal is met. But if a goal is not well thought out, it is demotivating and disappointing when it is not. At least, that's my opinion. I know, many would write or say, "In my humble opinion." Seems to me, if they were that humble, they wouldn't be stating their opinions so much. (I do realize, however, that some of those people are truly humble.)I don't post in "Weekly Goals" very often, but if I see a goal I should set, it seems like a nice way to share it with others. Posting goals in itself aids in one being held accountable for that goal, or at least it does for me.Last week, I set a goal of logging in every day. This is something I need to do simply because I get busy or distracted and procrastinate logging in. First, it's a day or two, then a week, or even a month. (Months) Why? I enjoy the site and spending time here with everyone, or at least almost everyone. So why put off something I enjoy? I blame my upbringing; "first comes work, then comes play" has been instilled in me since I was old enough to do any form of work. This week I addressed my bliting (blog writing). Yes, I made up my own term for writing in my blog. Hey, I'm a writer, I can do that. Anyway, as I looked back through my blog, I was disappointed at how inconsistent my bliting has been. Originally, I had all intentions of bliting every day. However, to do that, I need something worthy of sharing for each entry or it's just a lot of argle-bargle that not only bores others but drives them away from my blog. (Picture someone seeing this and making the sign of the cross)
I enjoy blogging when I have something to write about, and I hope some of my readers enjoy what I've written. But with weekly and monthly gaps, I also lose people's interest. Therefore it seemed like a good idea to set a goal for writing in here, or bliting, as it's come to be known. How often? As often as I have something worth writing. I, at first, thought of blogging at least once a week. But, that did not seem like much of a challenge, and we should try and challenge ourselves a bit. So, I decided to provide bliting here at least twice a week. That's my goal, two entries per week. However, if and when there is more blog-worthy content in my life, I'll share it here with additional bliting. Do you have any goals to share? |
| We had planned a different Thanksgiving this year, instead of going over to my sister-in-law's like we usually do, we decided to do a mini-vacation. We decided to visit the port city of Duluth and tour Bentleyville (https://www.bentleyvilleusa.org/visitor-guide/). We booked a room overlooking Lake Superior within walking distance for Thursday night. The plan; have our Thanksgiving dinner on Wednesday night, get a fairly early start on Thursday and drive to Duluth, check into our hotel, walk over to Bentleyville, then return and order pizza. That was the plan... Things went afoul Wednesday! It was a beautiful day and the snow was melting, but by late afternoon, it was below freezing again. Unknown to me, the steps had been coated with ice, and I slipped on the top on, bounced down them, and landed hard on the concrete patio. It took a couple of minutes to regain my senses and my breath. It took another minute to move various body parts to see if there were any that had broken. None seemed to be at the time, but when I rolled from my back to my stomach, I felt a wave of nausea wash over me. I lay there another minute waiting for this to pass, then tried to get up. I could not, it was too icy... I managed to crawl over to the edge of the open porch and get hold of the decking, then with some difficulty, pull myself up onto my knees. I was up high enough now to rest my upper body on the deck floor and roll onto the porch. Luckily, I have a chair out there that I used to get up to my feet and drag my hurting body into the house. Everyone came rushing to see how badly I was injured and my wife was asking if I needed to go to the emergency room. I had her assist me to my recliner, telling her I just needed to sit for a minute and determine how badly I had injured myself. She also said she would call and cancel our hotel reservations. The kids looked devastated but did not say anything except ask what they could do for me. I did not have the heart to disappoint them and cancel our mini-vacation, besides it didn't seem like anything too serious. I informed them that the trip was still on, pending whether I could get out of bed the next morning or not. Humor always helps a situation and they jumped aboard with a bit of humor in return, "We'll get you out of bed in the morning, don't you worry about that!" In truth, I could barely get myself into bed, did not sleep much at all, and was hurting much worse than I was going to let on to them. But with enough OTC pain meds, I managed to move pretty well and we headed out. There was quite a bit of pain driving, there was a lot of pain getting in and out of the vehicle, and walking was painful as was standing or sitting. After we returned to the hotel, I walked around in the pool; the cool water felt good. Then I soaked in the hot tub which really helped ease the pain for a while. The hotel mattress was firm and comfortable and I slept through the night. Oh, being Thanksgiving, we could not find anything open that delivered, but the hotel front desk checked around and found an Old Chicago just a few blocks away that was open until midnight, so after the pool and hot tub we drove over and enjoyed a very wonderful dinner. The next day we checked out and headed over to Superior Wisconsin and did a bit of sightseeing. We toured a turn of the center mansion and visited the last whale-back ship, the USS Meteor, as well as some other historic sites. By late afternoon it was time for dinner at Perkins, then the long drive home. I was still in a lot of pain and there was no way to hide it, but I refused to let it ruin our fun and we all enjoyed the outing. In fact, it has been requested that we do this every year as our new Thanksgiving tradition. As for me, I haven't moved much from my chair today. Both arms are bruised up, my entire back is black and blue, and I may have a cracked humerus (bad name, there's nothing funny about cracking this thing), and it's very likely I have once again busted my tailbone. |
| It's been a tough week for us; re-adjusting to a home without Hannah will take quite some time. But, everyone seems to be moving forward and dealing with the loss in healthy ways. That's something to be thankful for. Yes, even with Hannah's passing unexpectantly last Friday, there is so much to be thankful for. The key, I guess, is in the attitude we choose to use as we look at the world and our lives. I lost one of my best friends six days ago, and sure to some she may just be a dog, but to me, she was a friendly and loyal companion, family member, and a huge part of my life for the last ten years. I could go into a deep depression, focusing on my grief, but instead, I try to focus on the positive aspects and the wonderful times we shared. I choose to be happy, even in grief! I was with her in her time of need. When we stopped by the shelter ten years ago, a guy was taking a one-year-old dog out of the building. He wasn't being gentle with her; she pulled and resisted him all the way. When she saw me, she tried to come over, but he yanked hard on her leash, she yelped, and I got pissed. The story, one day, will be written, but for now, let's keep it short I have to get ready to head out o a four-hour road trip. He was taking her to be put down, she was anemic, full of parasites, and quite near to death on her own. I paid the fee to adopt her, well half price since it wasn't likely she would through the week. We nursed her back to health instead and had ten years to share with her. That's something to give thanks for. Her health failed quickly, but she did not seem to be in pain or suffering and she passed during the night in her sleep. That's something to be thankful for. I was able to be with her through that last night, petting her and comforting her right up to her last breath. That's something to be thankful for. Today, my family and I have a road trip planned instead of the traditional family get-together. We will go visit a Christmas village, stay overnight at a hotel, and return tomorrow, possibly setting a new Thanksgiving tradition. Even as I write this post I think of so much more to be thankful for, not just today, but every day. We all have something we can be thankful for, we just have to look, and as for one day set aside to give thanks? Well, I'm thankful someone thought it was important enough to make it a holiday so we can have time together, but one day of thanks kind of comes up short. Maybe we should rename the day to Pilgrim's Day or New Beginning Day and go back to being thankful every day... |
| My last entry on Thursday was about my return and waiting for a diagnosis on Hannah, my canine companion. I was waiting to hear what the vet had to say after her visit on Friday morning. She had been feeling well, as far as her actions and interactions, not showing any signs of discomfort. Her problem was, she would not eat very much; she showed interest in food, but would only eat a small portion at a time. She had also begun to drink more water than usual and her abdomen was getting larger. Except for the loss of appetite, she almost appeared to be pregnant, although that was very unlikely. On Thursday, she refused to eat anything and seemed to have some motor function problems. She was a bit unsteady on her feet, and she needed help getting into the car; We knew she was in need of some professional help and called the vet. He wasn't taking new patients, but when we explained her condition he said he would give her a check-up on Friday at 8:30 in the morning. As the day progressed, she continued to show more signs of weakness and instability and stopped drinking any water. However, she would eat snow when she went out and seemed to want to go out whenever she felt thirsty. She still did not seem to be in any discomfort and tried to perform her regular activities, but she was unsteady on her feet and by late afternoon could not get into or out of the car, she had difficulty balancing, and now needed help to go up or down the three steps going outside. By evening she was having difficulties getting up and moving, her legs just seemed to not support her and she had to have help moving from one place to another or she would stumble and fall. I still held out hope that the vet would find a cure, but I also faced the fact that she was likely not going to be with us much longer. I talked to our two children and explained this to them, so they could spend as much time with her as possible. By 10:00 that night, she was unable to stand or move, however, she still did not show any signs of pain or discomfort. In fact, she would try to stand and fluff up her bed: she did this by pawing at her blanket with her front feet, usually until she had a tangled mess. Now, however, she would tip over or her hind end would just collapse back down. She also continued to try and go anyplace I went, as she has always done. I knew she was nearing her end and was doubtful she would make it to her scheduled appointment. Even more difficult to think about was if she started to show any signs of pain and the likelihood that her vet visit would be for having her put to sleep to end any suffering that seemed likely to come. My wife made up a softer bed for her next to the couch and slept there beside her, offering comfort and security. Hannah did seem to be comfortable, secure, and at peace, as she would sleep. I sat up with her, watching her ready to go to her anytime she showed any signs of discomfort, fear, or restlessness. She could no longer get up, but she would still lift her head a bit and look over to see if I was still sitting beside her. I would, at these times, get out of my chair and lie beside her, petting and comforting her. Still, no sign of pain, but when she did this, I could see the fear in her eyes. Since she could no longer go out to eat snow, I brought it in for her and let her keep her mouth and through moist. I found I had to scoop a bit in my hand and put it to her muzzle, she could no longer see the bowl. But, she would relax to my touch and voice, fall back asleep, and seem very comfortable and peaceful for about a half hour or so and then we would repeat this through the night. At a little after 3:00 in the morning, she again woke and was looking toward me, but she could not raise her head any longer. I again went to her and comforted her with both touch and soothing words. She closed her eyes, her breathing slowed, and she seemed to return to sleep. But as soon as I stopped caressing her neck she would open her eyes again. So, as I spoke softly to her so she would know I was still close by, I made room beside her and lie down and resumed rubbing her neck and shoulders as I talked with her. She closed her eyes and seemed to drift off to sleep, but I did not stop comforting her. For the next hour, she slept and even snored a bit as I rubbed her shoulders and neck and talked with her. Shortly after 4:00 a.m., her breathing became short raspy breaths and she would convulse a bit. I found by increasing the pressure of my hand she would calm a bit, her breathing would slow again and she seemed peaceful. But, her breathing was still rasping in her lungs and her body was tenser. We continued lying together, me talking softly by her ear and caressing her as her breaths became shorter and shallower. She would tense more, then relax as I increased pressure and massaged her more than caressed. At about 4:25, she had a convulsion and then went still, the tenseness in her muscles was gone and she was very still; her only movement was the slight rise and fall of her chest. I still massaged her neck and shoulders as those breaths became shallower and slower until at 4:35, she let out her last... my faithful friend was gone. My heart was heavy with loss, but at the same time, I gave thanks that she was able to spend her last night at home, was not in pain or suffering, and I was able to be there with her. For ten years she has been faithfully at my side; I'm so thankful that for that one night, I could faithfully be there by hers. |
| Here I am, back from a couple of months' separation. I looked through the newsfeed, posted a message there, then went through months of backed-up mail. I was surprised by all the wonderful emails I had missed over the summer as well as some terrific reviews. I decided I should make a short entry here since it's been about half of forever since I wrote anything. I thought about writing about my summer, all the good and bad, happy and sad that has transpired, but hey, I want you to return and read more of my blog entries, so I decided it was better not to bore you with all of that. I also thought about writing about Hannah, my dog, and friend since 2013. Her health is failing and she is deteriorating quickly. She sees the vet tomorrow morning, but as today has progressed, I have little faith that anything can be done for her; still, I cling to hope. I will write about her, but not here, and not today. I will wait for the diagnosis tomorrow and see what choices are available. |
| So --- it's been a couple of weeks, and yesterday I posted in my Keto blog, so I thought I should make an entry here today to keep things balanced. As I stated in my Keto blog, it's been kind of a crazy month and I haven't had a lot of time to spend in WdC, hence the delay in writing. Speaking of "Hence," does it drive anyone else bonkers when people use the term? I don't know why, but I cringe whenever I hear someone say, "hence". But, I digress from the subject. Wait, what is the subject? I don't think I've actually disclosed one, but instead have just been rambling. I guess the subject is this month. If it is this month; there may have been a huge conspiracy that removed April and stuck us with a second March. Over at "Invalid Item" , there was a question about March and the sayings related. One of them, In like a Lion was popular. It means, if you have been existing under a rock, that if March comes in like a lion (nasty weather) it will go out like a lamb (mellow weather) and of course, the opposite is also true.March, here anyway, came in like a lamb, very mellow. It also ended like a lion, but not a huge beast, more like a lion cub. At least that's how I thought at the end of March. Now I wonder, did that little rascal refuse to leave? Another saying my mom liked, "April showers bring May flowers." Only, we didn't get any April showers so does that mean no May flowers? It did rain a few times, but it didn't last long. It may have started as rain, but it soon changed over to snow, and it snowed often. It would warm just enough to melt most of the snow and make a lot of mud and slop, giving false hopes of spring. Then it would turn colder and snow again. Not light fluffy snow, but heavy, wet snow, and a lot each time. What does April snow bring? Mud, slop, and a lot of standing water since the frost hasn't even dispersed yet. But today things changed. We are still melting off the last snow that started on Easter, then turned nice on Monday so that most of it melted, then snowed like a butt-hurt-baboon on Tuesday. I think we got over a foot of the wet, heavy, and sloppy crap! Yesterday it melted a lot of it, turning most of our driveway into something much like quicksand and saturating the yard to the point of needing rubber boots to walk across the sodden sod. But instead of turning colder and snowing again, as it has all month, it started raining this morning. It's supposed to rain off and on, all day, but by late afternoon or early evening, depending on where you stand and which direction you face which one you use, we are supposed to have thunderstorms. April showers have finally arrived. Sure, it's going to make more mud and muck, but at least it will drive the frost out so the water can soak in. Yes, it seems that April has finally arrived. I was convinced that when we changed the clocks and sprung forward we had disrupted the time/space continuum and displaced April while extending March. Wait, mayhaps we did! |
| This isn't really a rant, but just a way to get something off my mind that's bothering me. After we moved into this area, we didn't know anything about local businesses; where to get good deals, good work, and who to avoid. So, when it came time to have the oil changed in the car, we had no idea where a reputable garage was. We asked the landlord, who recommended two local garages that he uses. We set up an appointment and took the car for an oil change and general servicing. When we picked it up, we found out that the front struts were getting bad and would need to be changed, everything else was fine. It wasn't anything pressing, so we decided to wait until fall when we had the snow tires put on. Everything seemed fine. About a month later, I took my pickup in for an oil change and service, I also needed to have the transmission fluid and filter changed. Everything worked fine, but the color was off, and when the temperature dropped below zero, I had to let the truck warm up to operating temperature or it didn't shift quite right. While the truck was in, they noticed that it also needed a brake job, so I had them do the brakes at the same time. When it was done, I brought it home, but it wasn't shifting right. I checked the transmission fluid and had to add two quarts to fill it up. I also noticed that the brake fluid was low, so I topped that off. Since it was just serviced, I began to wonder why any of the fluids were low, so I checked the antifreeze, and that also was low. I also had to put in a new air filter! Now, I began wondering why they didn't fill any of the fluids. Also, the entire time I have owned the truck, it's never lost any fluids, so why was the antifreeze low? Let's skip ahead a few months, to late fall, early winter. With snow on the ground, it was easy to see that the truck now has a small transmission leak, a small antifreeze leak, and instead of it shifting better, it has gotten worse after taking it in to be serviced. We took the car in to have snow tires put on and the struts changed, assuming they were actually bad since it drove and handled fine. While changing the struts, they discovered that it also needed the front stabilizers changed. I went back and looked with them, and sure enough, they were both loose and needed to be replaced. Why had we not noticed this while driving it? They were able to get the parts and do the job right away, but between labor and parts, it was over a grand. When they finished, they informed us that the rear shocks would soon need changing, but they could wait for spring when the snow tires came off. I now began to wonder if the shocks were bad or if every time they have the vehicle they'll find a new problem. Anyway, we skip ahead another month. When driving the car, if we hit a big bump, something in the rear driverside would clunk. Also, when the temperature dropped below zero, the engine wouldn't turn over very well, the battery needed to be replaced. Since it was time for another oil change, we set up an appointment to have the oil changed, the battery replaced, and to have them find and fix the clunking. They changed the oil, put in a new battery, and informed me that the clunking was the rear shocks. They didn't have time to change them right then, and I was told it wasn't anything to worry about. They would change them when we took the snow tires off. By spring, the clunking had gotten a lot worse, and then one day while driving I noticed the rear end shift just a little as I was driving. I put it up on the jack and looked at the shocks. They seemed to be fine, relatively new, and they were tight, no clunking. I then looked at the rear stabilizers and saw that they were in need of replacing, just like in the front. Did they even look to see what was wrong? This could have been a disaster since the two parts that were clunking also hold the entire rear axle to the frame. I also pondered why these problems all started after having the car in for an oil change. By now, of course, we know more people, and they all agree that the garage we used was not any good. It's always nice to have someone tell you, "Don't go there," after the fact. I asked around and quite a few people recommended a different garage, so I took the car in to see what kind of price it would be to get the rear end fixed. He was honest and down-to-earth. He put the car up on the lift and checked with me, to see what was involved, and quoted me a price of $450.00 if there were no unseen problems. I set up an appointment since he had to order the parts and they wouldn't arrive for at least a day, two at the latest. I then called the other place that I did not trust to work on a bicycle anymore and explained what was going on with the car. I also told them what I had found wrong, and asked what it would cost to have it fixed. First, they would need to set up a time to look at it, which would cost $60.00, but they would subtract that off the final cost of the repairs. They also said that their records showed it needed new shocks as well. I didn't tell them another mechanic had told me the shocks were still in great shape. Anyway, the total cost for shocks, bushings, and labor would run at least $1200.00 the same as the front, if everything went well. Over twice the cost for parts and for labor. I now understand the place is a rip-off, and I firmly believe they did something to cause the problems. I cannot prove it, but I'm convinced. So back to the car. I took it in on Thursday and he worked on it through the day. Nothing went right! Of course, he showed me how the mounting bolts had broken from being rusted and what it took to get things apart. He also showed me how he would have to weld new nuts onto the frame since the old ones had broken off. But, what he didn't tell me was that it would now cost a lot more. In fact, he said that if he had the right hardware to reinstall, I wouldn't even have to pay for the new parts. The only downside was that he would need to keep the car for another day to finish the repairs. It was understandable since it was almost quitting time and the back axle was half removed. Friday he called. He had fully removed the rear axle to use the press to put the new parts in. At that time, he found that both rear coil springs had busted loose because of the axle shifting. He had already ordered the parts, in hopes of getting them the same day, but it was too late, they will not be here until Monday. I agreed with him that it would be best to replace them right away. As he said, it's already pulled apart, so it won't cost me anything for labor, just the cost of the springs, which he said would be the same as his cost since he had missed this. In fact, he hasn't said anything at all about it costing more than the original quote, which included a high side if he needed to replace shocks, springs, and the bushings. If everything went smoothly, $450.00, and if everything needed replacing $600.00. It's a pain being down to one vehicle, but Monday the car will be done. He would neither confirm nor denied that something was done to cause the damage, but he did say that it wasn't normal for the front and rear stabilizers to go bad, they tend to only need replacing if damaged in an accident. In fact, in over twenty years of servicing vehicles, he has never had to change them. Confirmation enough for me. Monday I'll find out how much more the cost will be, but from all the conversations with the mechanic, the only cost increase he has stated was the price of the springs. Oh, and he also informed me that the damage was severe enough that had we not stopped driving the car until we found out what was wrong, we could have easily lost the rear axle while driving. |
| In our last episode, we looked at how things went from semi-serene to constant chaos; stay tuned to see how things are progressing... It's been almost a week since my last entry, so I guess this page is an indication that things have mellowed a bit. But, they haven't mellowed much, trust you me! Where we left off was track, vehicle problems, and a lot to do around the place. Track is still going, and will keep going until school is out, possibly a bit longer. Yes, I know, I'm the parent, I should know when it stops. But, two weeks in, and I still have not gotten a schedule. In fact, our track star who now is doing either discus or shock-put instead of sprinting informed us that practice ended between five and five-thirty, depending on the weather. This was also confirmed by a handful of other students via their parents waiting to pick them up. The coach told me, when I asked, that it would be between four-thirty and five, depending on how quickly they changed after practice. He also informed me that once it was nicer out, they would practice outside until five. So, I started waiting at four-thirty. They were practicing outside, the runners running around the school, uptown, and anywhere they wanted to run. I even found a small group behind the supermarket having a smoke break. The coach was working with a few of them in the gym and I politely asked him again, as it was almost five now, what time I should pick up our student. He informed me that they were done between four-thirty and six, depending on the weather. No, I didn't say anything! I didn't have to, a half dozen other parents had come in and they went off on the guy. Now, practice is done at five, or so it was decided before a full-out brawl erupted in the gym. We will see. It turned colder, so not a lot to do outside, but it has provided me time to go through the car we bought when our's broke. It's an older Buick my mother-in-law sold us and has been kept up well, or at least that's the story. I know she took good care of it, but her boyfriend drove it on occasion, and I think some other family members may have taken it out without her knowledge. I assume this because of food, candy wrappers, cigarette ashes and butts, and food/beverage spills in the front and back seats of the car. Since mom-in-law doesn't smoke, or drive for that matter, and since the car has been parked in her garage since last November, I have to suspect someone else has driven it. It's been good so far, great mileage, comfortable, rides nice, and once cleaned up, in very good shape. However, it developed a glitch two days ago. First, the Service Engine Light came on, I find nothing wrong, but I had just gone through a car wash, so maybe something got wet. This morning, the Low Coolant light came on, then after about one, maybe two minutes went back off. I've checked all the fluids, they are good. Even so, I checked the coolant again after it had cooled down; it was full. I'm thinking something did, in fact, get wet, but it may also be a faulty connection someplace. Hopefully, it works itself out, but then again, do these things ever work out? I know the last thing I need is another vehicle in need of repairs. I hope to get the HHR fixed this week, then we will have, I hope, two vehicles again. That makes room for me to take the pickup in and have the transmission checked and get an estimate of what that's going to cost. With camping season coming up quickly, I need the truck to pull the camper and haul camping/kayaking stuff. But, I suspect it may be a bit before I have it fixed, and it's also possible it will cost more than I want to stick into it. So, we are also looking at purchasing a new vehicle. This week isn't good for looking, however, because my wife decided she would work some overtime. Yea, the extra money will be nice, but with only one vehicle and her now having to be at work by five in the morning, it's almost impossible for me to get up and give her a ride and still be up at night to get the kids off to bed. Let's remember, with the colder weather we have right now, I have not been able to get everything done outside that needs doing, but it's going to be warmer by tomorrow and through the next ten days, or so the Weather Bug tells me. So, as you can see, things may have mellowed a bit, but it's just a little bit. I should update my Keto blog, but who's got the time? |
| I haven't been around much since last week. Saturday, we had a birthday party for our niece in a small town hall. Since it was on my wife's side of the family, we have learned that if something starts at four, they are usually starting by three or three-thirty. So, we got a few things done around the house and set out for our hour drive to the party, arriving right at three. Saturday proved to be the exception to the previously stated fact, and hardly anyone was there. In fact, so many guests were late, they didn't start until five, instead of four. Since we had plans for that day, we had originally planned on leaving by six. Still possible, but instead of them starting the Sweet-Sixteen party, all the adults spent about an hour socializing and visiting. Please note, they all live within a half-hour drive and visit quite frequently. To make things worse for us, my brother-in-law decided he wanted to park his SUV on the grass away from everyone else. We all parked on the paved parking area, but he drove past it and parked in the grass. With the snow melting, the ground was soft and he buried the front end, up to the bumper, in mud. Being stuck, he needed someone to help push him out. No one had a tow strap, so I and another tried our best to push him back out. We gained a foot and almost had him clear of the muck, but needed him to pull forward a bit and gain some momentum going back while we pushed. He did come forward, but before we could start pushing, stuck it in reverse and floored it, driving the tires even deeper and splattering us with mud. He got pissed and started bellowing and cussing, which we are all used to, but decided it was stuck too bad now, he would need to get a tow truck to pull him out. He stormed off and his wife came over and asked if we thought we could push it out. I said we could try, so she got in, started it, and asked if it would push out easier if she put it in four-wheel drive! Once she engaged the four-wheel drive, she backed right out without any assistance! Pushing the heavy vehicle had my back aching. The fact that the guy didn't even try four-wheel drive had me in a not-so-good mood, and being splattered with mud didn't improve it any. but, I took a few minutes and then rejoined the party, now just getting going. It was for a sweet girl, so why spoil her day? We finally made it out of there about seven and tried to get our plans adjusted. We had thought they would serve something to eat other than cake and junk food, but that was not the case. Since I'm doing Keto and my wife is also on a diet, we had nothing we could eat for sustenance. I did try a small piece of cake that another niece had made, but it was unedible. It was tough, dry, and tasted like plaster! The frosting was even more disgusting, I think it was just shortening and food coloring. Since we had not eaten much all day, we decided to go out for Chinese, the highlight of the day. But, there were limited foods I could eat and stay in Keto, so I ended up going off my regiment. It was good, and I figured I could fast on Sunday and get back into Keto, no problem. That was when it all began! It was late Saturday when we finally got back home. My wife took the clothes from the dryer and was hanging them in our closet when the shelf broke loose and hit her pretty hard on the head. Luckily, she wasn't badly injured. Even so, it made for a very late night for us to get to bed. Sunday I was up early, I don't know why, but I woke at four-fifteen and could not get back to sleep. I worked on the closet mess for a while, and then was going to go to a local hardware store to get parts. But when I started driving, the rear of the car started thumping and would not trail straight. I returned home and ended up jacking it up to see what was wrong. The rear stabilizer was shifting on the rubber grommets that hold it to the frame. I left it parked and jumped in the pickup to get the parts I needed. I pulled onto the highway and noticed it wasn't shifting right! Now, it's an older pickup, and it doesn't shift properly until it gets warmed up but it had now gotten worse. I checked the transmission fluid; full. Now it was looking like we needed a vehicle to use until we could get the car fixed. I was undecided if I would take the truck in or not. My wife talked to her mom, to see if we could borrow her car for a few days. Her mom is getting up there in years and doesn't drive anymore, so it wouldn't put her out. She said she would let us use it, but when we went to pick it up, she wanted to sell it. Well, we had been thinking of getting another vehicle, something we could pull the camper with, and something newer than the pickup. Instead, we are now the happy owners of a 2001 Buick. She bought it in 2003 and has always taken real good care of it. It's in good shape and the price was great. It also gave me time to look more at what it would take to fix our other ca. The repairs are a bit beyond my ability, so I talked to a couple of places and they both gave the same price. Five hundred bucks to change out two twenty-dollar parts. They are pressed in, and it's going to be an all-day job. After getting prices, I picked up the parts I needed to fix the closet, but once I started on that yesterday, I discovered that there was no fixing it, it needed all new hardware, shelf, and brackets. So, I spent the day rebuilding the closet. I have one side, the busted side finished. But, since I could not find anything to match what was originally in there, I now have to do the other side. I was going to work on it today, but instead spent some time with my pickup. After I decided I wanted to write this blog out and if nothing else, just get things off my mind. |
| I wonder if it would do any good to protest? I could easily make up a sign and march back and forth here at home, we live by a highway, or go either direction into town and march up and down Main Street. Perhaps I should drive over to Grand Forks, North Dakota, and protest in front of the National Weather Service Office. Somehow, maybe it's some kind of intuition or something similar, I don't think it will do much good. I'm sure a lot of people would stop and give support, mayhaps a few would join me, but regardless of the number of protestors we accumulate, I don't think it will stop the snow. It's been a battle since late fall, one that I'm not sure I'm winning. I know I'm not losing - yet. I am, however, running out of room to shovel the frigid white crystals, and it's becoming difficult to heave the heavy stuff up onto the piles that are nearly as tall as me. But, it falls, it piles up, and I arm myself with the snow shovel, I scoop, push, throw and pile. Up till the last few days, I thought I was winning, or at least holding my own. But the last few days have seen warmer temperatures, a bit above thawing, with lots of sunshine. Sure, it's nice, but it also is in battle with the snow, melting it off of the roof as well as down the sides of my piles. In retaliation, the snow refuses to surrender to shovel and sun. Instead, it converts itself over to ice and freezes down upon the sidewalks. So now, instead of just the shovel, I find myself also needing an ice-chipper and salt. Again, I thought I was staying a little ahead, but then the forecast changed. More snow tomorrow. More snow throughout the remainder of the week. Where can I throw it? Where can I push it? And, once I do get it shoveled, pushed, and piled, it's going to create even more ice. I'd love to write more, to go on about how soon it will attack in a whole new direction, called mud, but I need to make a sign and try and stop this madness. Should I go with NO SNOW! or my first idea SNOW MORE! |
| Back in November, we ordered a quarter of beef from a locker in a town close by. Our neighbor and friend said they had good, fresh, and local meat, and that he ordered some there a couple of times a year; a quarter beef and a half a hog. Being such a nice guy, he even brought us a few pounds of ground beef to try. It was lean and so much better than the stuff we had been getting in the grocery stores. Our order went in during hunting season, so they wouldn't process the beef until after they had finished processing local game; it was ready the first week of January. What made it nice is they average the weight for a quarter of a beef, but include cuts from the entire half and custom cut anything to one's preference. Today, we went through the freezer since it's getting low, and sure enough, we have almost devoured that quarter already! We have about a dozen pounds of ground beef, a dozen steaks, three roasts, and three packages of stew meat. So, today we ran over to this local town, stopped at the locker, and picked up some meat. Since we have beef, we purchased some of their handmade Polish sausages, German sausages, breakfast sausage, braunschweiger, beef bologna, some pork chops, and smoked pork hocks. In total, we purchased about twenty pounds of fresh, locally grown, and locally processed meat, all for $105.00 We also asked about ordering more beef, curious as to how long it would take to get it. "Two to three weeks." was the answer. We didn't order any yet, we need to get the freezer empty so we have room for it. This time, we will do an entire half, but even with the freezer empty, we won't have room for that much meat. Luckily, most of it will fit, and what doesn't, our neighbor said we could store in his freezer. So, a few more weeks and we should be ready to order, and if the price remains the same, we're looking at about $4.25 a pound, after processing unless we get jerky and sausage, which has a bit higher processing fee per pound. It's all good, except now I don't like the flavor, texture, and added water that comes with commercially processed meat in the supermarkets... |
 Log in to Leave Feedback |
View Portfolio
Visit Notebook
Send Gift Points
Awards
Badges
Send Email
Community Newsfeed
General Discussion
Sponsored Items
Book of Trinkets
Static Items
Books
Groups
Interactive Stories
Audio
Campfire Creatives
Community Notes
Crossword Puzzles
Documents
Folders
Images
In & Outs
Madlibs
Photo Albums
Polls
Product Reviews
Quizzes
Survey Forms
Web Pages
Word Searches
