Nov 05

“Threat to Democracy” Is The New Catch Phrase. Double It’s Impact With “Threat To Racist Democracy!” And You’ll Have A Winner!

SWMBO & I Have been marathon watching “Bones” lately (middle of season 5 right now) and I gotta tell ya, she’s more Vulcan than Mr. Spock. Bones, not SWMBO. Bones. Bones is more Vulcan than Spock. Nevermind.

See that “educated guess” for next Monday? First use of the “S” word this year. IF it happens, it’ll be unusually early for us. Not that it would make much difference to SWMBO and I since we’re “retired” and don’t have to get out in the Wx if we don’t want to. Still, We’ve lived in Western WaRshington so long that I prefer snow over rain any day. Cause rain over snow just makes slush and is a bigger mess; if you know what I mean.

Soooooo, went to the Doc today and got a shot in my left knee. Here 8 hours later than pain has mostly gone away until I get up and walk around a bit. Which he told me NOT to do for 24 hours. Been trying to adhere to his advice/mandate but DO have things to do. Who else is going to make the gingerbread cookies?

And my Blood Pressure was 210/120; which got him all excited. Made me promise to get my meds refilled TODAY and start taking them TODAY; Or Else!

Which all ruined Date Day. Not only wasn’t I able to go walk Home Depot and WinCo (since I was ordered NOT TO) but SWMBO also made the trip to the Naval Hospital Pharmacy and refilled my Rx for me. Guess she didn’t want to deal with the after effects of a brain blow out! But I do appreciate her doing that for me.

And she brought Pizza home with her so we’re going to finish out Season 5 of Bones and have Pizza for dinner. Cool!!

Very wet and windy out. Very. Power has flickered a couple of times.

Here it is Saturday: Went to bed at 2300 last night. Slept for a couple of hours. Woke up to pee. Stayed awake until 0500 or so when I managed to get a couple of hours of in-out-in-out sleep on the couch. I’m tired.

Replanted SWMBO’s roses. Kinda Sorta started my knee aching again.

Setting up that mini-Windows 10 PC I bought and haven’t even turned on in the last 3-4 months as a KODI server and attached it to the big TV in the living room. The Pi was lagging too much on the larger video files. Hate when the voices don’t match the lips movements. So far that PC is working good but slow to browse files. I’ll figure it out. Still need to buy a new NAS though.

Bought our close friends (family) in Utah a medium sized Freeze Dryer from Harvest Right. They took delivery yesterday! Less than a week! I was thinking (hoping?) it would arrive closer to Christmas. I’m pretty sure they’re going to enjoy having & using it. What’s even nicer is being in the position to do something like that no matter how fleeting it’s been. But, one does things for family when one can.

Oh, filled out my ballot last night and will drop it off at the drop-off (duh!) on our way in to town this afternoon. Pretty much a straight Republican ticket for me. Patty Murray is NOT going to drop off the face of the earth unless we help her.

The only things I saw on the ballots I didn’t like were a couple of new taxes passed by our legislators in Olympia that they didn’t get approval from we the people first before passing and implementing. So the votes were to repeal or continue these taxes. Repeal, of course. You want more of my money you need to ask first. Then live by the decision. Then live within your means.

Still, we keep thinking that we live in a REPUBLIC where the government actually works for us instead of ordering us around. Both sides. We really screwed up when we allowed Congress to pass and get their own raises.

But don’t get me started.

Nov 01

I Keep All My Dad Jokes In A Dad-A-Base. Yeah, I Went There! #LGBFJB

One of my favorite movies growing up was “20 Million Miles To Earth,” and, indeed, it is still one of my favorites. However, as an Adult (Well, Older Child) when I watch the movie I have all kinds of questions. Like “Why would a Zoologist, seeing an unknown life form for the very first time, put it in a cage then go to bed for the night?” “WHY, when he finds if much larger the next morning does the Zoologist run off to town?” I’d have still been up from the previous evening studying the thing. No Zoologist worth his/her salt would let something like that out of his/her sight until the Gooberment dragged it out of his/her cold, dead, hands.

But that’s me.

Took SWMBO to Red Lobster for Date Day this past Friday. No, I don’t have to take her to an expensive place to impress her, but, I still like sometimes maybe impressing her. Mostly I just enjoy spending time together. We could eat at Taco Bell (and have) and it’d be just as good for me. So, $75 later we’re both full and ready for our trip to Costco.

Yeah, our “Date Day” is the “Been Married For 36 Years” Date Days. Dinner. Home Depot. WinCo. Home. Couple of episodes of Bones (Season 4 now). Bed. Damn Your Legs Are Cold Where’s The Fookin’ Heat Pad!?

Raised the 2-meter/440 antenna AB7I gave me to about 20 feet off the ground. Works pretty good. Thinking it’ll work better half-way up my tower.

Noticed the Democraps are already screaming about REPUBLICANS stealing the next election. If they’d stop and look in the mirror they’d probably realize that they handed the elections to us. I’m going to be doing my part to create a “red” wave the likes having never been seen before for the mid-term elections. Not looking forward to all the lawsuits challenging the elections though. Just gonna slow the inevitable down, y’all. Guess we’ll get to see who the “election deniers” really are.

Trying to make my chili from freeze-dried ingredients and am not impressed with the outcome so far. Almost tastes okay but watery. Weak. I may have to reconstitute some of my chili I made last year. Figure out the differences. Oh, making the chili for the Church Trunk-n-treat of something tonight. If I have to I’ll dump 10 cans of Nallie’s in a big pot … (And maybe even open the cans first.)

I ain’t proud.

Wx sucks. Been wet and windy. Going to get wetter. Maybe windier.

Reading that the Democraps are planning to finally “bring President Trump to justice” soon after the midterm elections but before the next Presidential election. Again? Y’all should realize that the more y’all go after President Trump the more you make people like me decide to vote for him even if he grew horns and a tail and smelled like sulfur all the time.

Can’t think of anything worse than Democrat’s “Justice.” Think I’d rather just give my balls to the Spanish Inquisition. If I could ever get them back from my ex’s lawyers.

Oh, the Chili Halloween thing went okay. At the end of the evening my pot was the “emptiest” of all the pots on the table save 1. So, it may not have been good, but it was eatable. And everyone that tried a freeze-dried milk dud liked them.

I tend to tune out anyone claiming “it’s the end of our Democracy.” Y’all need to go back to school. Or maybe they’re trying out the ol’ “if you say it loud enough long enough it becomes true” schtick. Which does seem to work with the weak minded. Which seems to be most American’s these days. Free-Range Tax Payers that we are.

Forgot to post this last night. Got busy with Ham Radio stuff and just sitting and talking with SWMBO. Welcome to November. Rain all week and Lowland snow is predicted anytime now. Morning walks are getting more fun what with the wind blowing up my poncho and all.

 

Oct 23

Ok. I’m Done. Mostly. All The “Gotta Get This Crap Done Cause Summer Is Ending” Jobs Are Done.

So, except for “touch ups” or emergencies I’m pretty much done for the next couple of years. Soon as I replant those two rose bushes for SWMBO. Oh, and move the sycamore trees that have been growing in my raised bed these past 3 years. But then I’m done.

Until it really starts raining. Then I’ll find out how well I actually graded some parts of the path and the main driveway.

Which it finally started doing yesterday. Raining. Which, I hate to say, we really need right about now. Not a lot of rain, yet, but that’ll happen. And it won’t take long for me to get absolutely sick of it. Like 2 days. Maybe.

Did y’all ever know that smart-ass in Junior High that would do things like write about the Fokker airplanes and go out of his way to mention that Mother Fokker would cook dinner for their Fokker kids but not let them eat until Father Fokker came home?

Yeah, that was me.

Let’s see: Friday before last (so, just over a week ago) SWMBO finally found a cat she wanted so we put $100 in gas in the truck and made a 278.5 mile round trip to up near Bellingham to get a Maine-Coon Mix ($200 adoption “donation”). Cat has only 1 eye because of some super-eye infection and it’s right eye had to be removed. SWMBO asked me what I would name a one-eyed cat? So, (Best Pirate voice please) Eye Matey joined our family. Although we mostly just call him Matey.

And Wiz (our Dog) has been in a jealous snit since. Luckily, in just over a week, he’s kinda sorta settled down and only butts in when you just look at the cat. At least he’s down to growling only if he thinks that big, hulking, menacing, affection stealing POS 3.2lb hunk of feline is going to steal the rawhide bone he’s chewing on. Or (horrors!) sniff his food bowl. But we can leave them both together if/when we need to made a run to the store or Date Day. Wiz hasn’t eaten Matey yet. Yet.

I have my doubts about the “Maine Coon mix” claim for this cat. ALL The Maine Coon Cat factories we talked with were adamant that 1) you be a GOOD home (as defined by the moral, religious, and political beliefs of the interviewer), and 2) All Maine Coon Cats WILL BE “fixed” before leaving the factory. Part of the “adoption” costs. So how does one get a Maine Coon Mix? Rogue Maine Coon Cat Mix Breeders? Did someone fix a “fixed” cat? Spontaneous re-fix-iation? It’s a mystery to not be investigated by me. Was just wondering.

Matey’s paws may be a little big for a kitten his size; but he still looks like a run-of-the-mill tabby to me. Time will tell. Important thing is SWMBO finally got her a cat. She IS a “cat person” and future “Cat Lady.” Me? I’m just happy “they” already box-trained the thing and it is adamant about using it.

Otherwise pretty much SSDD around here. Cold enough that I needed gloves on our walk this morning.

Trying to figure out where to park my truck outside so I can park the tractor (and rider mower) in the garage that I’m trying to convert into a wood shop so that I can use the tractor to make a way out if/when it snows enough to need it. Also starting my “Winter” projects cause I don’t want to sit and watch tv/movies all day. (Which I can’t do even if I’m “laid up” or sick anyway.)

Ran some butter through the freeze dryer last week. Learned that you REALLY don’t want to run butter through the freeze dryer. Got all over everything (everything) and took half an hour and two pails of hot water to clean it up. So, gotta find another way to store butter long term. Otherwise the thing is working well and I need more shelves in the basement.

Fun to experiment though. At least the Salisbury Steaks turned out well.

Got a new (to me) 2-meter/440 antenna that I need to put on my tower to replace the 2-meter only antenna I’ve been using. Helped the guys put up a new antenna at our repeater site last week. By “help” I mean I stayed out of the damned way and passed tools/water up the rope to the guys actually doing the work. I know my place and my abilities.

So, hopefully, I’ll “see” y’all on the air!

#LGBFJB