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My thoughts released; a mind set free |
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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. |
| Again, I find it's getting late, and I still have nothing to write about. What about my day? It's about the same as yesterday; nothing much has changed. This time of year, things tend to stay the same, day after day. I woke up about eight this morning, but stayed in bed hoping to catch a few more minutes of sleep. When that didn't work out, I got up and started coffee. While I waited for the coffee, I scrambled a couple of eggs for my breakfast. After breakfast and a cup of coffee, I logged in here, but moments later, Bellah came out of the bedroom and wanted me to play with her. Shortly after that, Max came out and wanted his back scratched and some loving. Shortly after that, my wife came out; it's usually the same routine. We did a Bible study while we had coffee, then she got in the shower, and I made her lunch. After, we discussed some ideas for this weekend, she has Friday through Sunday off. Friday is the last day and night of the frigid cold, then it's supposed to get warmer less cold. In a week, the forecast is for temperatures to climb above freezing, but we know that can change; we'll hope anyway. I drove her to work again because of the forecasted cold tonight, but so far it's still above zero. Once again, I can say to the National Weather Service, "Lier lier pants on fire." At least this time it was a nicer lie. In about forty-five minutes, I'll load the dogs into the Yukon, and we'll go pick her up. Once back home, we'll relax and talk about her day; mine is the same as yesterday, and if you'd been paying attention, you'd know that already. Just kidding. I did go out and shovel the sidewalks this afternoon. It was pretty cold, and the wind intensified it, but I'm tired of being inside, and the sunshine beckoned to me to come out for a spell. But after half an hour of shoveling, I was cold and ready to come in. Max and Bellah were also ready. I wish I could have recorded Max assisting me with shoveling; he's always there to help. He grabs the shovel with his mouth and helps pull it along. Of course, he pulls it sideways and dumps most of the snow off, but he thinks he's helping. I really do need to learn how to teach him to pull a sled or wagon. I'm sure he'll learn quickly; I'm the one who will have difficulties learning. Oh, and I still need to get back to work on my office and stop procrastinating. See, it's not that I don't have plenty to do, even through the coldest days of winter, I just don't have the motivation to do them. That's what the winter blues do: they rob a person of motivation. I may have to look and see if I can order some through Amazon. Not today, though, maybe tomorrow or the day after. |
| I'll be glad when this cold snap snaps. It's supposed to end Friday and be nicer this weekend, but I heard that before. The cold not only gets some of my aches and pains going, but it also keeps me inside. That, in turn, makes it difficult to write in here because it's the same shit, different day. It's also getting to Max and Bellah; they need more exercise, but with it so cold, they just go out, do their business, and are back at the door. I seriously thought about taking them to the park today, but just putting gas in the vehicle left me chilled, so I returned home. On a positive note, however, I haven't seen any mosquitoes. I know I should be utilizing this time inside and finish getting my office cleaned up, set up, and usable, but the weather also has me demotivated. Maybe it's time to stir the pot and end these mid-winter blues. My wife is off Friday through Sunday, perhaps a road trip is in order. I'll have to talk to her and make sure she doesn't have anything planned. Until then, and pending the end of this cold spell, I'll have to put on some old-time rock 'n' roll and get going on my office. |
| Today I was thinking about how my wife and I can camp out in the winter now that we have a hardshell camper. This thinking also brought back a memory from when I first met my wife, and our first camping experience. It was either late March or early April when we decided to go camping; I cannot remember. I do remember it being an early spring for us in northern Minnesota; the snow was gone, and it was unseasonably warm. I took my future wife out to a spot in the woods, and we set up the tent, gathered some firewood, and set about making our dinner. After we cleaned up and stowed everything, we sat and enjoyed the fire. Soon it was dark, and the temperature dropped. The forecast for the night said clear and mild, but it had clouded up and gotten pretty chilly. Once the fire had burned down, we retired into the tent for the night, snuggling up on our bed that consisted of a waterproof mat and a thick quilt. We covered up with a pile of blankets and soon I was sound asleep. The problem was that the bed and blankets were sufficient for one, but with two of us, they didn't completely cover us. A few hours later, I woke because my partner was shivering and her teeth were chattering; she had caught a bad chill. I knew I had to get her warmed up, but I didn't have any heat source inside the tent. Outside, the wind was blowing, it was snowing, and I knew we wouldn't be able to get a fire going. Even if we did manage to get a fire burning, we had no shelter from the snow coming down and the wind whipping it around. The only other option was the car, so we grabbed a couple of blankets, snuggled in the car, and waited for it to warm up. The weather had turned nasty, so it only made sense to pack everything up and return home. She felt bad that we had to end our camping adventure and was afraid I'd be disappointed. That was the reason she had not woken me up when she started to get cold. We drove to her house and put her into a warm bath with a cup of hot chocolate. It took a while, but eventually she warmed up, and we went to bed sometime just before sunrise. Our first camping adventure together ended with her suffering mild hypothermia. She was afraid I'd be disappointed because we had to pack up in the night and bring her home. I was convinced she'd never want to go camping with me again! That was in 2002, almost twenty-four years ago. Since then, we've upgraded to bigger tents, a pop-up camper, and now a hardshell camper, and we're still going strong! |
| This morning, we met up with Jeff, the person who is selling the camper we are interested in. It's a lot like the HiLo I had purchased and was in the middle of fixing up. But with the diagnosis and treatment of cancer last spring, it was put on hold. My wife and I discussed finishing that project, but with my new outlook on life and how short it can be, I don't want to spend another spring, summer, and fall working on a camper; I want to be out camping in it. She agreed with me, and even though we have the mobile tent, it's just not adequate for our needs anymore. We are both getting up there in age, and it's getting more and more difficult to set up and tear down, not to mention we have to pack a lot of the stuff we take camping before we go, then unpack it when we return; there's not room inside of a pop-up camper to store everything. That was the idea of the HiLo, a camper we could store most everything in year-round. Had life not been interrupted last spring, I likely would have gotten most of the work done, but with the cost of building materials, it could have easily turned into a mobile money pit, not to mention how much work I would have had to put in, and we all know, time is valuable. So, as of today, we own a fifth-wheel camper that is in great shape and doens't need any work done on it. We can load our camping stuff in it and be ready to go anytime. Well, once we get physical possession of it. It's currently in storage for the winter, and the doors to the storage facility are likely frozen now, possibly until spring. The guy we purchased it from will deliver it as soon as he can get the doors open, and there's no cost for us to leave it in storage. |
| The "Sumkinder Sausage" turned out great. I cooked up a few patties for my wife and me for lunch, and she agrees that Sumkinder Sausage is a hit. Like normal for me, I did not write down the recipe. Luckily, I had followed one of my older recipes and added a few more spices. After I finished, I put all the spices back into the cupboard and was able to retrieve them to find the additions. This batch will be made into patties sometime after I finish writing this, but next time I want to put some into casings and smoke them. Currently, it's too damned cold to do much of anything outside, but after it warms up near thawing, I can set up my smoking tent and portable pellet smoker again. Speaking of warming up, I sometimes wonder if those people at the National Weather Service ever have their pants catch fire. You know, "Liar, liar, pants on fire..." Once again, they duped us folks by telling us the temperatures were going to be less cold. Actually, they said warmer, but until it climbs above freezing, I feel it's an oxymoron to say it's getting warmer. I even checked the weather this morning before posting that our cold wave was ending tomorrow. A few hours later, and it's all changed, or as The Dude said, "New things have come to light." It's now looking like we have another week of sub-zero temperatures heading our way. We do get a break tomorrow with it reaching 10oF during the day, but it's also forecast to be windy, creating a sub-zero wind chill factor. It's the same today, we finally broke even with the ambient temperature (it's 0oF, but the wind picked up, making it feel like it's still below zero. One more week, then it's supposed to warm up or become less cold; your choice of terms. Of course, that could all change by later this evening. You can't believe the forecast or the people who predict the weather. I hope their pants do catch fire. |
| Yesterday I took a pound of ground beef and a pound of ground pork out of the freezer, thinking I should make some sausage. I hadn't made any since the summer of 2023, so I thought it was about time I did. I recently purchased a silicone mat to put on the counter when butchering meat, and doing things that make a rather large mess, like making sausage. The idea was something that would clean up more easily than the white countertop, as well as protect the countertop from stains. So it was also a chance to try the pad out. I dug through the recipe box and located a couple of sausage recipes my wife and I created quite some years ago. I picked out Breakfast Sausage, but I wanted something more lunch or dinner suited, so I modified the recipe somewhat. After mixing all the spices, salt, and liquids, I worked it into the meat mixture, then let it sit and rest for a spell in a covered bowl while I cleaned up my mess. The pad worked terrific; it cleaned up super easily and protected the counter. After cleaning it up and hanging it over the back of a chair to dry, I tackled my dishes. Once clean-up was finished, I spread the sausage mixture onto some parchment paper on a cookie sheet and set it into the fridge to dry out a bit (I had added a tad too much water to the mixture). While the sausage seasoned and dried, I took the dogs out before the temperature dropped more, shoveled out the front sidewalk and step, then returned inside to wash up and see how the sausage was coming along. It had stiffened up nicely, so I separated a couple of ounces and cooked it up to sample it. While the sample cooked, I put the sausage back into the bowl, covered it, and placed it back into the refrigerator to let the seasoning mellow overnight. Soon, the sample was ready, and I et it. (Yes, et is a real word.) It turned out fantastic. Tomorrow I'll have to decide if I want to make the sausage into patties or if I want to put it into casings and make sausage links. Either way, it's going to be good. The only thing that would make it better is smoking it, but it's much too cold to use my portable pellet stove/smoker. I also needed to designate a name for my modified recipe. I'll call it, "Sumkinder Sausage". |
| Some days it's difficult to think of anything worth writing about. Today is one of them. With the weather being so cold, there's just not much going on. Not that I sit and stare off into space (well, not very often), but most of the things I do to stay occupied aren't worth writing over. It only warmed up to -15oF today, but the sun is shining, and the wind isn't blowing very hard. Tonight is going to be about five degrees colder than last night, dipping as low as -33oF, so I'm still driving my wife back and forth to work. I stopped at Ace Hardware while I was in town and purchased two candleabra light bulbs to put in our electric fireplace. The old ones burned out, and I enjoy turning it on in the evenings and watching the flickering flames, especially when it's cold out like it is now. I also want to start setting up the camper we are purchasing, but not in this cold. The guy we're buying it from did post in the advertisement that he would deliver it if needed; my wife and I are thinking about having him bring it over so we can start getting things ready. Hopefully, he'll still be willing to deliver, but if not, I can take the topper off and put the fifth wheel back in and bring it home. A lot of things pending, and a lot of things I should do. But it's getting on towards dinner time, so maybe tomorrow. |
| The forecasted "extreme cold warning" has arrived. I woke this morning to a beautiful sunrise, twin sun dogs, and no degrees; the digital thermometer indicated it was 0oF. By noon, it was -5oF, and when I took my wife to work at two, it was -20oF. The Yukon was in the garage, plugged in and ready to go. But when I opened the overhead door, the brace that the opener attaches to bent. The door did open and close for me, but I still thought it best to repair it before it failed and caused even more damage. It's one of those unwritten laws that states things will break in the worst cold snap of the winter. Knowing I wouldn't be able to do much to repair it without having heat, I grabbed the kerosene can and brought it with us. After dropping my wife off, I went to the gas station and filled the Yukon up, and then went around back to the kerosene pump and filled up the can. Pumping fuel about froze me to the bone! The temperature had dropped a few more degrees, but I was dressed for the cold. I wasn't, however, expecting it to be so windy. Yes, sustained winds of 17mph with gusts reaching 43 mph have us with a -29 °F windchill factor. After I returned home, I transferred the fuel to my torpedo heater and turned it on, then brought the dogs in. You know it's cold when your Husky beats you to the door (normally, I have to coax him in with treats during the winter). By the time I returned to the garage, it was warm enough to work on fixing the door. I swapped out the damaged brace with the one below it, thinking they were the same. They were almost the same, but the holes were off just enough that the opener wouldn't attach to the door without having to drill new holes. It took a bit longer than anticipated, but the door is fixed. I will have to purchase a new brace in time, but I'll save that job for a day when it's at least above zero. It's currently -26, and it's forecast to keep dropping until it bottoms out at -30 with the winds continuing to blow through the night. It's a great evening to snuggle up in front of the fireplace and read a good book. Although our house doesn't have a fireplace, we do have an electric fireplace that will do just fine. |
| We had a fairly mild January until recently, when the temperature dropped well below freezing, and some days didn't even climb above zero. I'm using the Fahrenheit scale; if it were Celsius, I wouldn't mind at all. When it gets this cold, doing things outside becomes more difficult, especially as I get older. But, at least my sensitivity to the cold from chemo has passed. But, as unpleasant as the cold has been, we are now going into a deep freeze; this is the part of winter I truly dislike. What I'm talking about is the Extreme Cold that's arriving tomorrow; we are now under an "Extreme Cold - Watch" from Thursday afternoon through Sunday. Not only will the temperature drop well below zero, but with the winds, they are warning of dangerously cold wind chills as low as 50 below zero, which could cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 10 minutes. Of course, I know how to dress for this extreme cold, but wearing that many layers makes it difficult to move. It also causes a person to sweat if they exert themselves even a little. And with even a little sweating, the layers lose their insulation, and frostbite becomes a danger despite all the clothing. As well as being dangerous for people, it's also, it's also hard on equipment. Automobile batteries lose power as the temperatures drop, oil becomes extremely thick, grease becomes solid, and things tend to break and fail more easily. Starting a vehicle in below zero temperatures is difficult unless the vehicle has an engine heater. Even if the vehicle starts, traveling in sub-zero temperatures is dangerous, and it's wise to have an emergency travel kit along. We keep our vehicle in the garage, and even though it's unheated, it helps. We also have an engine heater on our main vehicle (my old Dodge Ram does not have an engine heater, so it's not driven if it's below zero). Even with an engine heater, there's the problem that if we go anywhere, there are no outlets to plug the heater into. This isn't serious if the vehicle isn't left for long, or if it's left running. But, leaving the vehicle running costs more in fuel, engine wear, and risks some shady person stealing it. So, even though I'd prefer to just stay at home until we escape the deep freeze, I'm going to be driving my wife to work until the temperature rises again. Why? One reason is no place to plug it in to ensure it will start when she gets done with work at eleven o'clock at night. The other reason is that it's hard on a vehicle to run it for just a few minutes in severe cold weather. It's about a ten-minute drive to her work, and it takes that long for the vehicle to warm up, and it's not enough time for the alternator to recharge the battery after a cold-weather start, even with an engine heater. So, I'll keep it plugged in at home to make it start easier. Then I'll drive her to work and return home. This will provide enough time for the battery to recharge completely and for the vehicle to warm up enough to prevent condensation both inside the vehicle and inside the engine. The forecast indicates the arctic temps will end Sunday afternoon, and hopefully that will be the end of the severe cold, and we can return to our normal freezing temps for another month. By March, the worst of the cold has usually passed, but March is when we get the most snow. |
| Yes, we are going to try to sell the HiLo camper I was working on two summers ago. We had bought it very cheaply and tried to repair the water damage, but it's still in need of a lot of work before it's ready to use. One problem is, it's supposed to rise up for camping and drop down for travel, but the water damage caused one back corner to hang, and despite all my efforts, I could not get it to stay up where it's supposed to be. It does raise and lower now, but it flexes the hell out of the corner, and it's only a matter of time before it's leaking again. We had thoughts of bracing it up and using it like a regular fifth-wheel camper, but the person I purchased it from towed it in the upright position (it was stuck) and told me it was terrible to tow that way. There's also a lot of finishing work to do inside because we had to half-gut it to repair the water damage. With the cost of building materials, it's going to be spendy. Finally, there's the issue of time. I've already spent one summer and fall working on it, and it's likely going to take just as long for me to get it into usable shape. Someone who knows how to do this kind of work could likely have it fixed up and ready to use in a few weeks, but I'm no carpenter, and with my health issues, it takes me a lot longer to do things; some I can no longer do at all. We also have our pop-up, but again, it's become a pretty difficult job for me. The last time we had it out, my wife had to do almost all the setup. Also, we love camping and would go year-round if possible, but a mobile-tent (pop-up) isn't the easiest thing to heat, doesn't have A/C, and requires a lot of loading and unloading. It was great for us when we got it, but now, with health issues, it's not the best. The situation is much like it was when we tent camped and had to move up to the mobile-tent; now it's time to move from that to a hard-shelled camper. It's the natural evolution of a die-hard camper. Yesterday, we went and looked at an older fifth-wheel camper that's for sale about seven miles from us. It's old, 1998, but it's in great shape, and the price is right for us. There's no hurry to move it (it's stored inside for the winter), so we can wait until spring brings warmer weather and the snow's melted to hook onto it and go, or the current owner will deliver it to us, if needed. (I have a fifth-wheel installed in my pickup, but we took it out for the winter and put the topper back on.) All that's left to do now is to pay for it and sign the documents to put it in our name. I'm excited to get it home, load our camping gear, and head for the woods. While we wait, I'm planning on looking into a solar setup for the times we camp remotely, and once it's here, I want to put a rack on the back to haul our kayaks, gear, and, if needed, our generator. With all the unknowns in my life and my recent wake-up call that life's short, I don't want to waste time rebuilding a camper when I could be out camping. Now, I can do that. |
| Yes, holey buckets, as in the song by the late and great Hank Williams Sr. - "My Bucket's Got A Hole In It." I know, most people mean "holy" buckets, but I ask you, how in all of Hades can a bucket be holy? Maybe if it's been washed in and filled with holy water? I don't know. I do know that buckets can and do get holes in them. But, I digress. I do that, you know. As I was saying, "holey buckets, it sure did get late before I got in here." It's been a busy day, but my wife and I did get a lot done. As I blited a few days ago, the meat store sold my fat, and I went off. I didn't yell or cuss, I didn't direct it towards anyone, but I did make it known that I thought the sale of my fat pissed me off. The next day, my wife called the manager and complained to him. He did offer an apology and told her that he would make it right. He did, we got a call that we had ten pounds of freshly trimmed fat ready for pickup. Not only did he get us our fat (that sounds funny), but he also had it sold to us at a discount. The price was $0.99 a pound in the past, but now that they sell their own tallow, it's $2.99 per pound. However, in making it right, we only had to pay $1.50 per pound. One of the tasks I wanted to accomplish today was cutting, grinding, and rendering the fat. We found it renders better if it's ground up like hamburger, so it takes longer to prep, but it cooks down faster and better. Tomorrow we drive over to St. Cloud. Actually, about fifteen miles south, to my oldest son's, to visit for the day. Hopefully the roads are good, we had about three inches of snow and winds gusting to fifty mph today. It's also forecast for temperatures to drop to -6°F tonight and only climb to -2°F. We will come back tomorrow evening so we can be ready for my wife's cousin and wife, who are coming here on Sunday. It's going to be a busy, but enjoyable weekend. However, depending on how late it gets, I don't know if I'll be in here tomorrow or Sunday; we will see. I do know, it's great to have some energy again. I have a long way to recover some of what I lost, and until more time has passed, I don't know how much I'll get back. I'm staying positive, just as I have through all of this. In case you're not familiar with "My Buckets Got A Hole In It", here it is: |
| Yes, these are uncertain times. My wife works today and then has six days off. She didn't take any time off; it just worked out this way in her work rotation. Also, for the first time since last spring, we don't have any medical appointments. The only thing we do have going on is a visit planned to our son's this Saturday, and on Sunday, my wife's cousin and his wife are coming to visit us; weather permitting, of course. We had planned on making some road trips, but where and when are undecided. The forecast is for colder weather, and that also makes traveling uncertain; we don't like traveling far from home when the temperature is in the single digits and below (Fahrenheit). Of course, it would also be enjoyable to just stay home and relax. Six days with no plans, just taking each day as it comes. Nothing for certain, no plans, just being spontaneous. Yes, we are looking at some uncertain times through the next week. |
| We have been purchasing fresh meat from the local meat market for a few years. The price has been competitive, but the quality has been much better. The only exception has been their ground beef, which tends to be slightly cheaper than that found in grocery stores. But all good things must come to an end, and this seems to be true with the local meat market. It started last fall when they began construction to add on. Almost as soon as construction began, prices increased. But getting good, fresh meat was still worth spending a little more. Then, we purchased a chuck roll (a cut sourced from the shoulder region of the cow). Normally, we butcher these into a few roasts, some strips, some stew meat, and the rest we grind into hamburger. This time, however, it wasn't local beef, and it was very tough; too tough to eat. So, today I ended up grinding all of it into hamburger. We also purchase fresh beef fat that we render into tallow for cooking. I had stopped in last week to purchase ten pounds, but they didn't have any on hand. They said they would have more in a day or two, and wanted to know if I wanted to have them hold some for me. "Yes." The guy took down my name and phone number and said he'd call when they had some ready. He did, too. He called yesterday and said they had ten pounds set aside for me. I asked if I could wait until today to pick it up, and he said that would be fine. So, today I drove in to pick it up. But when I asked for the beef fat, I was told they didn't have any left. I pointed out that I had been called and told they were setting ten pounds aside for me. The guy looked at the board full of notes and asked for my name. He looked at the notes, found my order, and went and looked in the back. He returned empty-handed and informed me that someone had sold mine. I was a bit disgruntled and told him so. After all, it's very cold out today, I had driven in specifically to pick it up after being called, and had wasted my time. He didn't even apologize; he just asked if there was anything else he could do for me. My wife and I had discussed ordering a quarter beef from this store, so I asked him if I did order a quarter beef, would I get it all, or would someone sell it? He said, "It has happened." I did notice tubs of tallow in the cooler by the door as I was leaving; one-pound containers for $12.99. |
| There's a song by The Fabulous Thunderbirds, "Tuff Enuff"; I'm sure you've heard it. I thought of this song when I sat down to eat my dinner. My wife's at work, so it's just me and the two dogs, Max and Bellah, home to make and eat dinner. They would probably love helping me cook, but I don't think that would work out very well, so it was up to me to decide what we would eat. I had taken a beef roast out of the freezer yesterday to thaw in the fridge. It was cut from a beef chuck, yes, the whole chuck we had purchased at the local meat store. In butchering out the meat, I had cut a six-pound roast for the weekend, anticipating company. It didn't work out because they had gotten sick, so the big roast went into the freezer. Tonight, I decided to cut some off this roast and cook it up for dinner. I cooked some up for Max and Bellah, set it aside, and then proceeded to work on my dinner. I thought a stir-fry sounded good, so I chopped up some vegetables and sliced some beef. Soon enough, dinner was ready. I sat down and took a chunk of beef out of the medley and popped it into my mouth. I chewed, and chewed, and then chewed some more. It was like chewing on a hunk of rubber. I couldn't get it to break down and had to spit it out. Everything else was good, but the beef was so tough I couldn't eat it. Of course, the dogs didn't care. I don't think they chew half of what they eat. As I stated, as I sat there chewing and knawing on that beef, "Tuff Enuff" popped into my head. A proud member of "WdC SuperPower Reviewers Group"  "Reading soothes the soul, writing sets it free." T.J. |
| My wife called this afternoon from work, but I didn't answer because I didn't recognize the number. It turned out she had forgotten her cell phone at home and had called from her work phone. She left a message letting me know she needed me to bring her phone since she has to use it to clock in and out. I dropped what I was doing, got ready, and drove in. I decided to fill up a couple of water jugs (our water isn't the best for drinking or coffee, so we refill 3 and 5-gallon water bottles) and pick up a few things since I would be in town. I brought the dogs with me since it was another nice day. They love to ride with, but if it's too hot or too cold, they have to stay home. We went to my wife's work first and dropped off her phone. Then I drove over to the store. My first stop was the water fill station, and while I was filling up water bottles, a woman about my age came over and just stood there watching me. I said, "Hi." No answer, she just stood there, no cart, no nothing, just watching me. Next, I went to the meat counter to get some ground beef, and this woman followed me, staying about ten feet behind me. Next was the diary section, and again she followed. I started to walk over toward her, but she turned and hurried away. I returned to my job of gathering a few items, but noticed she was still following. Only now, she was being a bit more discreet. I almost broke out in laughter when I saw her peeking at me from the frozen food aisle. I went to the self-checkout since I only had a few items, and she stood and watched from the pharmacy section. When I would look, she would turn her attention to the shelf. I bagged my items, paid for them, and walked out to my truck. I noticed as I was loading my stuff in the back of the truck that she had also exited the store. I hurried and left while she was walking across the parking lot, and I thought I had lost my tail. But when I stopped at the stoplight, I realized she was in the vehicle right behind me. She stayed right behind me as I drove out of town and headed for home. By this time, I was feeling a bit paranoid and drove past my house and into the next town, where the sheriff's office is located. I turned into the parking lot of the sheriff's office and noticed she followed me. I pulled up just as a deputy walked out and waved him over. I explained to him how this woman was following me and asked if he could find out what she wanted. He said he would, then started walking toward her car. As soon as he did, she baked up and sped off at a pretty high rate of speed. But her luck wasn't good; she almost slammed into a sheriff's vehicle that was turning in. Being blocked now, she started to back up, but got over too far and backed into the snow bank just off the parking lot. She got stuck. They put her in the back of the sheriff's vehicle, and then he came and told me it would be a good time for me to drive home, because she wouldn't be following anyone for a while. He did have me explain everything in detail, got my name, address, and phone number, and then sent me on my way. I received a call about an hour later from the deputy. The woman was being held for stealing a car out of the store parking lot. To my understanding, someone had left their car running while they ran inside, and when she saw I was leaving, she jumped in and "borrowed" it. When asked why she was following me, she said she wasn't. The deputy also told me that she seemed to be confused. |
| That's not quite how my computer or cell phone puts it. They no longer recognize me. I use fingerprint recognition to unlock both my phone and my computer, but for the last two days, my prints have been unrecognizable, or so my devices tell me. I believe them. In fact, it would be more correct for them to inform me that I don't have fingerprints, not typical ones, anyway. When I was working in the sawmill, I lost my fingerprints from handling the rough-cut wood. In the winter, they would come back because I would have to wear gloves to handle the frozen wood, but then spring would arrive, and those cumbersome gloves had to go. Now, I'm not handling rough-cut lumber or anything that should be wearing my prints off, but nonetheless, they are smooth. This is something recent, the last two days. I didn't have any problems on the seventh after my infusion, but by the eighth, I was having difficulties, and by that night, I had to resort to using my PIN. In looking at my finger tips, they are smooth, barely grooved at all. They appear to have been filed or sanded down, either on purpose or by handling rough items. But neither of these are the case. The only thing that could be causing it is the immunotherapy I had on the seventh. There is a risk that my immune system could attack my own body, but the way it was explained was that it would be internal. For example, my kidneys or liver, lungs or heart, it could even be my intestines or stomach; anything. I suppose it could be external as well, but there should be other symptoms, like redness, pain, swelling, etc. This is not the case; other than being worn down, my fingers are doing fine. Well, except for the neuropathy. In fact, I'm feeling pretty good nowadays, except for some abdominal pain. That is another side effect of the immunotherapy, but it's not nearly as bad as it was from the chemo. Just the same, I sent a note off to my doctor explaining the loss of fingerprints and everything else I've explained here. Hopefully, I'll get an answer on Monday. It's too bad I'm inexperienced in crime; this could be advantageous in that line of work. |
| We've had some problems with the squirrels getting into the bird feeders ever since we moved here. This past summer, fall, and into this winter, they have gotten even worse. Instead of just getting into the bird feeders, they are busting them open. We've tried hanging them with the hope that it would keep the feeders safe, but they soon figured out how to slide down the cable and land on the feeders. Next, we purchased baffles (cone-shaped), thinking they would stop the pesky critters. I mean, that's what they're designed for, so it's got to work. It did for a while, but with a bit of time, the squirrels figured out how to slide down onto the cone, lean to one side enough that the cone dips down, then free-fall and grab the edge of the feeder. So, I decided it was time to try something different; I didn't have much choice, as they had recently busted open another feeder, and replacing them was becoming expensive. One option is to purchase an air rifle, shoot some of them, and cook them on the pellet smoker. Squirrels are good eating, and cooked over the wood fire would make them even tastier. But, before I resort to shooting them, I decided to try another approach. After some research, I decided on a shepherd's hook that's about seven feet tall and has a baffle about midway up the post to stop anything from climbing up. I also ordered another bird feeder since all of ours are now broken. Actually, I let my wife pick out a feeder, since it's her hobby to feed them. The problem is, how am I going to get the shepherd's hook into the frozen ground? The solution, build a fire and thaw the ground out where the post is going to go. So, today I decided, since it's another nice day, to do just that. I dug the truck rim (just a round rim with no center, about 18" in diameter and 10" high) out of the shed. Next, I used the ice scraper and shovel to clear the snow away. Once the ground was cleared and the rim in place, I split some wood for kindling and cut up some cardboard (the box the post and feeder came in) to use for a fire starter. I rolled the cardboard up and saturated it with rubbing alcohol, placed the kindling over it, and with little effort had a nice fire going. Since I needed to get a good bed of coals, I've been adding more wood throughout the afternoon. Since I had to tend the fire, I decided to put some more pork chops on the smoker, along with some ribs, since the last batch turned out so good. I set the smoker up in the portable shower that's now a smoking tent, made a pot of coffee, and took the dogs out to romp and play while I tended the fire and the smoker with some hot coffee. The ground is thawed, but the fire is still burning, so I'll wait for it to go down more, then put the feeder pole up before the ground refreezes. The smoker needs to go until at least six to instill a good, deep, smoke flavor. |
| I know I complain about the cold, snowy winters and the hot, humid summers, but it's one of the universal rights of all people to complain about the weather. But all complaining aside, I truly love northern Minnesota. I've lived in other places and, by my own choice, I moved back to Minnesota. But where did it all start? I was born in South Dakota, so by birth I'm a Sodak. Maybe you haven't heard that term; it comes from the old abbreviation for South Dakota, S Dak. I remember having a conversation with a person from Grand Forks, North Dakota, and he jokingly called me a Sodak. I laughed and replied, "Better to be a Sodak than a Nodak." I lived there through kindergarten then moved to Minnesota with my parents after my dad took a job working as a lineman for Minnesota Power. We first lived in a rented cabin in northern Minnesota on Swan Lake. Coming from Dakota, I was captivated by all the lakes and trees. A year later, my parents purchased a house in Nashwauk; a mining town on the Mesabi Iron Range. After high school, I moved to the Twin Cities and worked for a while in a machine shop. The cities were exciting, but too crowded for an introvert. I longed to be back north in the woods. So, I moved back close to the home I grew up in and took a job in a garage in Hibbing. I worked there until my delayed entry into the United States Air Force. I completed basic training in Lackland AFB, Texas, a big change for a northern boy. After basic training, I moved to Aurora AFB, Colorado, to complete my training as an Aircraft Weapons System Specialist. From there, I was transferred to Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota, where I put my training to use on B-52s older than I was. I also did a lot of traveling while in the service, enjoying the opportunities (most of the time) to see new places. After I left the service, I returned to northern Minnesota to be close to my family. I ended up divorced and raising three teenagers on my own, but stayed put so they could finish school in the same district they had always attended. It's also where I met my wife, who also had a couple of daughters attending the same school. After our children graduated, we traveled back to South Dakota to visit my younger brother and decided to stay. But, over the years and a few different jobs, we both missed Minnesota. In time, we decided it was time to return to Minnesota and ended up in St. Cloud. Actually, in Wait Park, which is right next to St. Cloud, a town that soon boasted one of the highest crime rates in the state. Then COVID-19 arrived, and things became even worse. We decided to get the hell out of Dodge. We still didn't know where we would move and kind of just left it to fate. We watched for places to rent in smaller towns and rural areas, but with the state in full lockdown, it was difficult to do much of anything. That is, until we found the listing for the house we live in now. My wife contacted the owner and asked if we could look at it right away, or if we had to wait until after the lockdown was lifted. He answered, "Screw the lockdown, I'm not worried if you're not." We drove for a couple of hours and met him and his wife at the house. After a nice tour and having a few questions answered, we decided we wanted to rent the place. I was eager to get moved since there had been some rioting close to where we lived in Wait Park, so I told him we'd take it. Of course, he wanted to check references first and told us he'd get in touch soon. He did get in touch soon, almost as soon as we had returned home. We started packing and moving the next day, happy to be far away from the riots and the crime. I was back in northern Minnesota, close to the lakes and trees I'd loved all my life. I live in the country, but only six miles from a fair-sized town and about forty miles from a few even bigger towns. We have six lakes within a ten-minute drive, two within walking distance, and two state parks within a forty-minute drive. This song, to me, explain why I love northern Minnesota: |
| Dinner is done. It's done cooking, and I've done et it. I had never heard the term "et" until an elderly person my wife knew decided to try fishing where we had done a fair job of fishing a day earlier. He told her he caught a fish, cleaned it, and then et it. Of course, another elderly Sodak had used the phrase "over yander", which I had never heard before either. As it turns out, et is actually past tense for eat, while "over yander" is just a mispronunciation of "over yonder". Will I still say "over yander"? Mayhaps. But I'm digressing here, which makes me a digressor. I had tossed (not literally) a ham hock, some little potatoes, and some cabbage into the slow cooker for our dinner. My wife had the day off, but had to go in for training today, so it was a good day to slow-cook dinner. It was done when she got home, and it turned out nice. And, since it was also nice outside, sunny and near 50°F, I decided to fire up the pellet smoker and smoke some porkchops. The pork is from a pig we ordered and had processed, so the hocks are smoked, not fatty, and more like ham. The porkchops are also very lean with just a little fat on them. I was surprised at how lean the pork is. I have a portable smoker we got a couple of years ago for Christmas, from my wife and me to my wife and me. We tried it out after we got it, but it didn't work well in the cold winter air. It just doesn't maintain a consistent temperature when it's cold; it cools down too far, then heats up too high. So, I decided to try putting it inside a shelter so we can use it in the winter. I decided to order a portable camping shower to use for a shelter. It's screened on top and has two zippered openings towards the top, and it worked great. It's vented enough that the smoke dispersed well, but it also held the heat in enough that the smoker held a more consistent temperature. The porkchops were smoked at about 250°F for three hours, then I turned them down to 180°F and let them slow-smoke for a couple more hours. They look wonderful, and tomorrow for lunch we'll try them out. It's nice to use the smoker again. With the chemo messing my taste up, and just being sicker than hell all spring, summer, and fall, there wasn't any reason to fire it up. But now that I have my taste back, I'm starting to feel much better, and have a shelter to put it in, I'm looking forward to using it again. |
| It's another hazy, kind of foggy, and sometimes snowy day here; it can't seem to make up its mind. The only thing certain is no sunshine breaking through the gloominess. Even so, my spirits are brighter than yesterday, and I want to put more focus on writing and reading. One thing I want to at least get started on is cleaning my office. It's more of a junk room right now, and even with two desks in there, I'd be hard-pressed to find room to set my coffee down. I think getting my office cleaned up may help me break through some of the writer's block. Currently, I'm sitting back in my recliner with my laptop and subject to multiple interruptions throughout the day. I believe having a space designated just for writing will help, but I know it will take a bit more to overcome the blockage. Another step is to get back into reading. As a kid, I read anything when I wasn't actively engaged in some activity; I loved reading almost as much as I loved exploring the abandoned mining pits that were right outside of town. However, some years ago, life filled my days with so many interruptions and distractions that I became flustered with both writing and reading. In time, the discouragement became rooted and grew into the blockage I suffer today. It's time to change that, even if it means locking myself in my office and putting earplugs in. If I cannot find anything to write about, I'll do a bit of free writing to try and generate ideas to write about. I'm also going to practice a bit of positive meditation to try and drive the dark cloud that's haunted my days and nights since last spring away. I also thought about ordering a solar panel to put a little sunshine in my office, but in reading up on them, I discovered they don't work that way. One would think a solar panel would produce sunlight and heat. You know, a portable source of sunshine. However, it seems the term is misleading; the panel isn't solar at all. It seems they don't produce solar energy, but in fact require sunlight to work. |
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