V.A. Care

Some years ago I registered with the Veteran's Administration "just because" I MAY have been exposed to Agent Orange. Since registering I have been subjected to a semi-annual checkup with them that is pretty thorough. Today was my day to pee in the bottle and have blood samples taken.
Frankly, it is downright freaky what they can tell about your health just by examining the fluids they take.
Today I got poked in both arms. My blood-taker started taking the sample in my right arm, then blew that vein and had to finish taking the necessary sample from my left arm.

My only complaint about this whole procedure?
I feel guilty walking into the facility-
Upright; with no walking aids; and all my extremities intact.

As a Purple Heart recipient I know I am blessed. And that knowledge makes me DOUBLY blessed.

Portable Air Conditioner Update-

Disappointed.
(Might as well start off with the lede.)
TEN THOUSAND BTU's sounds like a lot. But maybe we needed 20K?

When I ordered the unit, (if you're in the dark, drop down several posts until you see the photo of something that looks vaguely similar to R2D2), I thought it was about the same size as our son's unit.
It ain't. His is at least half-again bigger.
And because of that fact, it's sort of like General Custer at the Battle of Little Big Horn-
Hopeless.

Part of the limiting factor is the "exhaust tube". Obviously, the hot air has to be transported OUTSIDE. The tube to accomplish that is an accordion-style plastic tube about 8 feet long. The only place we can position the unit is in our bathroom, blowing TOWARD our bedroom. The tube is not long enough to allow us to place the unit all the way into our bdrm. Also the tube itself, carrying the hot air, gets... HOT.
Imagine that.
So it does an excellent job of cooling the room it is in... the master bath.
The master bedroom? I suppose it might drop the temp there a degree or two.

So IF you have been waiting on this update to determine whether or not to follow our example, some suggestions:
1. Do your research on where you can place the unit, including the positioning and length of the exhaust tube.
2. As we used to say while playing Pinochle in Viet Nam- "Go BIG or stay home!"

When you hear "size is not important", don't believe it.

It's "Just A Dog".

 

Delivering "Meals on Wheels" we have one stop that inevitably pisses me off:
The dog is chained to it's dog house. It's been chained there so long all the grass within the length of the chain is gone exposing bare soil that turns to mud when it rains. Because of that she ALWAYS needs a good bath.
She's being fed and watered, but I think that's the extent of the care she gets from her "owners".
The dog is a sweetie. I'm guessing she's a Samoyed mix. When I pull up in the van to deliver the client's meal she perks up. She knows I'm going to not only pay attention to her, I always give her a Milk Bone treat.
I'm just sad I can only brighten her day on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

I've never understood how anyone can do this to an animal. I've pretty much had dogs and cats ALWAYS in my life. My exposure to them has shown me that they are all individuals with separate personalities. But one thing has pretty much remained constant with them all-
They are loyal and devoted to us. And some of them (the dogs) would willingly give their lives trying to protect us. Seeing this dog chained in the mud breaks my heart.

Our Chihuahua mix "Chico" passed away Sunday night. The post below this one will update you as to why. Losing him was... beyond hard.
Burying him was harder.
While I was present at home he was stuck to me like an extremity.
Getting accustomed to his absence is gonna take a while. Right now I'm seeing him everywhere, anytime something moves near me. Tears come easily.

When they die it hurts like heck.
But the memories of good times and the love he shared are irreplaceable.

To Euthanize?

Last Wednesday I was walking "Chico" our Chihuahua-mix on a leash.
I knew he needed a bathroom break and didn't intend to keep him out long because the ambient temp was HOT. I felt a tug on the leash and turned around to find him lying on his right side on the concrete, motionless. Not breathing.
I quickly grabbed him up and started rubbing his chest. Breathing resumed, but something was still wrong.
He seemed confused, and his rear legs didn't seem to be working properly. I walked him into a shady area near a tree and he tried to hike his leg, gave up on the idea, and peed while standing on all four.

Back in the A/C he acted more normal but behaved as if he was exhausted. I'd seen this kind of behavior before in a former girlfriend's (old) miniature poodle who had frequent epileptic seizures. That dog finally had an event he never recovered from. The rest of the day Chico was listless, and although not interested in food, he did drink water.

Thursday morn, he seemed normal. Sara Jean let him out for his morning "takin' care o' business" and he was fine until his buddy the neighbor's dog showed up. He then repeated the "falling over onto his right side" scary behavior.

This time he didn't recover so quickly. More confusion, and attempts to stand him on all four legs was impossible- his back legs wouldn't support him.

This dog adopted us as an adult so we have NO idea how old he is.
The Vet's best guess is that he's 13 or 14 yrs old. But he's been so spry 'til now we're slapped in the face now knowing age has likely caught up with him. And us.

Now it's Sunday. Eating has resumed, sorta. He drinks every few hours. He can shakily stand and walk on all four but pees while standing. No pooping so far. He "fidgets" constantly.
We are dog lovers. We've been on-and-off in tears knowing what we are facing here... if not right now, certainly in the very near future.
This dog is an extension of my body when I'm not moving-
At my left side when I'm in the recliner; snuggled into the crook of my legs when in bed. I feel his warmth ALL DAY.

We went down this same road with our Lucy some years back. I'm not sure we've fully recovered after all these years from that experience.

Why do we do this to ourselves?
Remind me... what is the definition of insanity? :>(

Our neighbor has a flock of chickens and provides us fresh eggs at a very reasonable price.
We also get, at NO COST, the benefit of knowing when it is about 0400 hours +-.

He had a beautiful Rooster like the one pictured above.
I say HAD, because our neighborhood also abounds in Raccoons, Opossums, Coyotes, and Foxes.
Those critters are devious, and hungry.
The beautiful alarm clock disappeared, but has been replaced by one that looks like "Foghorn Leghorn."
You might need to research that name if you're not near my age.

Bugs In The Bed !

Happening more frequently now-
At 3 A.M. she sits bolt upright in bed.
Her rapid intake of breath tells me she's frightened again.
"What's the matter Honey?"
She's looking at her pillow-
"THERE'S BUGS ALL OVER THE BED!"

I sweep my arm where she's indicating and say, "See, there's nothing there."
"YOU'RE SPREADING THEM ALL OVER!"
"No honey, look. There's nothing there."

Still frightened, she stares down at her pillow for a while, confused.
Eventually the bugs disappear. She lays back down and quickly goes back to sleep.
My heart is pounding.
I lie for over an hour thinking about how I don't like what I see in our future.

"Then Came Bronson"

Wow, was I excited when I found out this series was going to air!
I imagined the show would be similar in scope to "Route 66" with Bronson riding the Harley Sportster all around the country, (I have a bunch of seat time on the Sportster), taking the starring role away from the Corvette in Route 66.
Close. But no cigar.

The problem for me was "attention to detail".
I never saw Buzz and Todd trying to compete with the 'Vette in a World Rally competition!
Bronson not only rode the Sportster on the highway, which it was perfectly suited for, but with it he supposedly competed in Motocross and other similar events-
Enduros. Hare/Scrambles. Hill climbs.
Stupid.
And those of us that truly knew bikes could tell instantly that Bronson no longer was straddling a Harley Sportster!
What a shame... all the producers needed to do to keep the series credible was have Bronson borrow a bike from someone on which to compete at the different locations.

But still, I watched.
And sometimes gagged.

HOLLYWOOD !

Caution-
This is the opinion of an outsider.

Yes, Artificial Intelligence may be a big factor here. But it ain't the only one.
In my lifetime Hollywood has ALWAYS been synonymous with quality movie-making. Now and then, some foreign movie maker would come up with a product that hit the charts here in the U.S..
Infrequently.

Now, our Hollywood studios are trying, apparently, to turn out stuff that won't offend anyone.
"The Little Mermaid" is a hybrid fish/human of color.
"Snow White and the Seven Magical People" is just... sad.
Many experts I respect are willing to talk about how the "Star Wars" series of movies is just... crap;
A "Silk Purse" turned into a Sow's Ear.
And in this environment the people that make movies stop even producing this substandard entertainment.

Other than Artificial Intelligence, there are some BIG factors that might come into play here:
"Bollywood" is now producing entertainment that more people are talking about. And something that I was unaware of until the past weekend-
Nigeria is now an entertainment market that is bursting at the seams.
Who knew?

Much of the stuff we now watch is produced in Canada. You might be surprised to find how much of the stuff you consume has been produced in Vancouver, B.C..
As I said, I'm no expert on these matters. But it seems to me this strike comes at a very dangerous time.

When the "Horseless Carriage" began to be a real thing, the folks making Buggy Whips lost the majority of their market. Time, technology, (and markets) move on.
I think these writers and actors now find themselves living in "Interesting times!"

The Man With The Plan

Yep, it's HOT.
So hot, the world will likely end by August 15th, 2023.
(Or maybe the 16th at the latest.)
But we want to be comfortable until we die and slowly mummify.

Until a couple years ago Big Bubba lived in a suburb of Phoenix, Arizona. Regular readers may remember we once spent a while there and saw 123 degrees F. reported as the high temperature.
Yeah, it's a dry heat.
So is your oven.

His home A/C system couldn't handle that kinda heat. It ran ALL DAY LONG and would not cool his upstairs bedroom to the point he could sleep well. Together we went to Lowe's Home Improvement and I purchased, and together we installed a small window unit to cool his bedroom.
For about a year this worked satisfactorily.
And then KAREN from the Homeowner's Association noticed the unit hanging out his bedroom window... (which took some doing because it was on the side of the home), and wrote to tell him that was against the rules and would have to be removed.

So what now?
How to cool his bedroom to comfortable sleeping temperature without the assistance of a unit that pisses Karen off hanging out his bedroom window?
The answer to that question is shown in the photo above.
That's 10,000 British Thermal Units of cooling power shown there brothers and sisters!
(Make manly grunting noises here.)

It resides in the center of the room being cooled with a hose that exhausts the hot air to the outside of the home mostly without having anything visible for Karen to complain about. If she notices the plate that holds the (nearly invisible) hose in the window, that plate can be easily removed and the window closed while the unit is not in use, then repositioned at night when Karen is home drinking her Cabernet, not irritating her neighbors.

It worked GREAT. The unit was surprisingly affordable; worked FAR better than the window unit; and served the additional purpose of providing White Noise for my son which he needed anyway.
It was so efficient we noticed, since cold air is more dense than warm, that conditioned air from his bedroom actually did a decent job of cooling the downstairs of his home.
Win/win!

So now we are enjoying pretty high temperatures here in the Midwest. Our Air Conditioner here at home now runs virtually all day trying to keep our home comfortable.
So yes I'm old. But this old dog still learns lessons.
We just bought a unit like Big Bubba's for $400. Our plan is to set the whole-house thermostat at about 75-80 degrees and use the unit to cool our upstairs bedroom with hopes we'll see the same results we saw in Arizona to our living area downstairs.
Amazon will deliver the unit in a week.
Stay tuned. I'll letcha know how it works.

Majority Rule

I like to think I'm "normal".
I like to think I'm part of a "majority".
I like to think I make the world a better place for my fellow travelers.

On this Independence Day I'm saddened to realize none of that may be true.

"Showtime."

The video below is about a couple dealing with dementia. Husband Jason is a medically retired Air Force Officer who was involved in an IED incident. His brain injury MAY be part of why he is now experiencing symptoms of dementia. Until recently it was thought his memory problems were caused by "Lewy Body" dementia, the same disease we now think is affecting Sara Jean.
But tests now are casting doubt on Jason's Lewy Body diagnosis so he and wife Leslie, (a Registered Nurse now retired so she can devote 24/7 attention to Jason) are trying to figure out what Jason's problem really is.
In the video you get a solid feeling for the frustrations Leslie feels dealing with the disease. 'Til recently, anytime Leslie turned on the camera Jason "turned on the charm" to appear funny and normal. They call it "Showtime".
...Not so much in this video.

Leslie talks about her loneliness because she's losing her lifetime partner. This, so far, is NOT my problem with Sara Jean. She has always been a "talker". And when I am home she has always wanted to be in the same space I occupy.
Leslie talks about every dementia case being different, so I'm left to wonder how my/our lives will unfold as Sara Jean's disease progresses.

Yesterday morning I filled both our coffee cups, handed hers to her, and sat down to watch the morning news. Five minutes later she asked, "Do you need coffee?" Then realizing her memory has failed her she's embarrassed.
I fear she'll no longer be embarrassed soon.

Pray for us and ALL suffering from the different forms of this disease, please.

 

The "Titan" Submersible.

I'm fishing for information from someone who knows more than I do.
The "Titan" apparently imploded on its way to visit the Titanic last week, killing its occupants in about .11 seconds.
That fact means they likely didn't even have the time to THINK "uh-oh" before they were vaporized.
My question is about "carbon fiber", stuff about which I need an education. I know it is VERY strong. I know it is light compared to other materials. And I know it is expensive, (but not as expensive as say, titanium, a fact that may enter into the cause of death of those five souls.)

Here's my query:
Compression/expansion-
The pressure vessel on that sub was being subjected to MASSIVE compression forces. I think that carbon fiber hull would have been much stronger in the other direction- expansion from inside to out.
Seems to me strength against compression in this case is the wrong application of the material.

Discussion, please.

Mailbox Baseball !

Some years ago our mailbox and ALL the mailboxes on our street were destroyed by someone, (probably exuberant youths). Since this was the second time this had happened I was exasperated. To replace our box I bought a box made of very heavy-duty plastic that snapped together like a kit.

That box lasted undamaged until today when my wife returned from an errand and asked, "Have you seen our mailbox?"
I had not. It was in several pieces alongside our road.

I just returned from snapping our "kit" mailbox back together.

"I just published a post supporting President Trump on my FaceBook page" says she. "I'm sure that's the reason someone did this to us", says she.
"Paranoid", thinks me, (but wanting to maintain peace in our household I kept my thoughts to myself.)

But isn't it a shame that that thought even occurs to us? And it certainly falls within the realm of possibility.

Today you cannot put a conservative bumper sticker on your car without having to worry about your vehicle being keyed! I'm no longer comfortable with my world. Heck, I'm no longer comfortable in my own neighborhood.

I'm ready for the "reset", even though that will be ugly.

Cadillac At Le Mans-

The "24 Hours of Le Mans" is being run today. As a BIG racing fan this is an important day for me. "Motor Trend TV" is broadcasting the race in its entirety.
The wonderful unfolding stories during this endurance race interest me.
"Racing improves the breed" has always been the mantra, and it's certainly true. For years enthusiasts have pointed to Ray Haroun's use of a rear-view mirror in the first Indy 500.

The photo above depicts two Cadillacs that were campaigned in the 1950 Le Mans race by a sportsman named Briggs Cunningham. The strange looking beast was aptly nicknamed "Le Monstre" by the locals and, with special aerodynamic alterations to the body, was purposely designed to just go FAST. The other was a relatively stock 1950 "Series 61" Cadillac Sedan.
And the "unfolding stories" I referred to?
Cunningham crashed "Le Monstre" and retired it from the event.
The old Cadillac Sedan soldiered on, and "Grandpa's car" finished 10th overall ahead of the specialty-for-the-race built "Le Monstre" which came in 11th.

For differential speed and safety reasons, there basically are three classes of cars that now race at Le Mans.
Yes, it makes the race safer.
But does it make the event more interesting?
Not to me.

Sanctuary-

I just want to be up front... right here... right now-
I THANK GOD for California, New York, and right here in Illinois... Chicago for being "Sanctuaries".
While our country tries to figure out if it wants to be a "Sovereign", those sanctuaries are taking it in the third point of contact.
(And maybe you have to be military... maybe even ARMY to understand that reference. Look it up.)

Damn I'm glad I live downstate in "MAGA" country!

Just Visiting?

We ate a free breakfast this morning in the La Quinta Inn in Miramar Beach, Florida, after a week's stay here. Our stay here has been "as usual" for June...
Great weather. One of the most beautiful beaches in the world. HORRIBLE traffic, because Destin is no longer a "best kept secret". Road construction in several areas cannot keep up with the number of people coming here to stay.
This hotel is full.
No one eating breakfast with us is speaking English.

Me: "When we were in Greece I wonder how the Greeks felt about all the folks there speaking English?"
She: "We weren't there to STAY."

Another brilliant insight from my better half.

Do You Feel A Draft?

In May of 1966 Uncle Sam decided my services were desperately needed to insure the U.S. Army could continue to do the good work it was doing all around the world.
"Greetings!", the letter said.
It then detailed when and where I was to report for duty.
Born into a family where virtually all my Uncles served, any thought of avoiding the draft by running to Canada never entered my mind. So I reported to the recruiting center in Indianapolis at the designated time and date.

Although I resented being enslaved by my government I decided to make "lemonade out of lemons" whenever I could. And having heard my Father at age 39 say, "If I had stayed in the ARMY I'd be retiring now with a nice pension", I also decided unless I absolutely HATED the ARMY I would stick it out.
I retired after serving 22+ years. I felt my service made the world a better place and I respected my superiors and my fellow warriors.

The news these days is reporting that all branches of the military are falling short of their recruitment numbers. The recruits that DO volunteer frequently cannot meet military standards due to obesity or other physical deficiencies.
Briefed by the folks in charge of the Officer's Candidate School at Ft. Benning, (now Ft. Moore), we were told that the main reason prospective Officers fail to graduate is because of bone structure injuries.
(Too much time playing video games?)
This ain't my Father's military.

How do we fill the shortfall we're now experiencing?
I know one way to do it.
But there WILL be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

Is Worry Wasted?

People pass through your life. Some make an impact. Others? Meh.
One of the folks that made me take notice some years ago was one of my Flight Paramedics.
Smart. Quick witted. Compassionate.
He was one of those that if I had been involved in an accident and I woke in the back of the helicopter to find he was part of the crew caring for me, I'd have relaxed.

He met and fell in love with two boys and wanted to adopt them, but there was a problem.
He'd been arrested a year or so before because he had gotten "out of control" after overdosing on "uppers".
It was an "out of the ordinary" situation, he said.
I believed him, and wrote a letter testifying to his good character, signing it with my signature as a retired field grade military officer.
Whether or not that made a difference can be argued. The adoption was approved. Two years later his wife divorced him and he took sole custody of his two sons.
That was several years ago.

He's been a great Father. The two boys have thrived. I've watched their lives unfold via FaceBook. He's made me proud of the fact I stuck my neck out a little to vouch for him when he wanted to assume responsibility for the boys.

But now he's gone dark on FaceBook.
My attempts to contact him there are going unanswered. And I'm worried.

We are told there is a thin line between genius and mental illness.
I don't know how to contact him with no FaceBook link.

I hope he, and the boys, are okay.

Lies and Deceit

The "Durham Report" has been released.
It points out the way the Hillary Clinton campaign conspired with the FBI, the CIA, and our major news media to put out disinformation about Donald Trump and help defeat him in the 2016 presidential election.
And it worked.

Now we have a committee reviewing the report, headed by Richard Blumenthal, U.S. Senator from Connecticut.
He's the miscreant that lied to us about being a Viet Nam Veteran.

How can we get to the truth of any matter re: our government when our govt. officials are liars?

Combat Veterans-

I've been called "Hero" because of my military service to the Nation.
I'm uncomfortable with the label for many reasons.
When I was drafted, the Viet Nam conflict was beginning to explode and I was scared to death about what my future held .
I decided to do whatever I needed to do to delay any trip to Southeast Asia. That included signing up for any school that would use up time, hoping the folks trying to bring an end to the conflict could come to an agreement.
So I attended Officer's Candidate School: Six months.
Then the "Rotary Wing Aviator Course" used up another nine months. And still the negotiating continued as too much human treasure was sacrificed in Viet Nam.
And then the morning came when I woke and thought to myself- "Soon, people who don't agree with me  politically will be trying to kill me".
And some of the natives of Viet Nam did just that.

A few years ago I organized a reunion of Soldiers who had attended Armor Officer's Candidate School at Ft. Knox, Kentucky. At this reunion and others I have attended, there is a "Vibe" between men who served in Viet Nam and those that served elsewhere... for Armor Second Lieutenants that mostly was Germany. These reunions have made me realize how FORTUNATE I was to serve in, and survive, my experience as a helicopter gunship pilot in the Viet Nam conflict.

Addressing this gathered group of heroes I expressed my genuine thoughts:
ANYONE that signed up to attend OCS during this time, (1965-1968) knew fully their attendance might mean service where someone who disagreed politically with them might shoot live ammunition at them.
Only a few of us were chosen to serve there.
And it seems SO odd-

I signed up to attend OCS hoping that schooling would take long enough to eliminate any chance I would go to Viet Nam. But OCS and EVERYTHING that followed opened doors for me I could never have imagined when, at age 19, I signed that application.

I was drafted. If I'd had the chance to avoid my ARMY experience, I'd have jumped at the chance.
I ain't no hero.
But all those signing that "Blank Check" back then, and those signing it today?
They ARE.

Thanking them "For their service" may seem like a throw-away comment to them.
Thank them anyway.