Wasted Day, Maybe Not

In one way, yesterday was a wasted day, but in another way, I hope we got something accomplished. About three weeks ago, both my wife and I had a doctor’s appointment and the doctor changed both of our prescriptions. The first ones didn’t work for either of us. In fact, I thought that the one I was taking was going to kill me. The Doc said I had a bad reaction to it. Hope we have that straightened out. I got my prescription filled at Wal*Mart but they don’t carry the one my wife takes, so had to go to a drug store that did. We waited for them to be filled. The drug store only took a few minutes, but Wal*Mart took about an hour or so. The doctor appointments took up most of the morning and getting the prescriptions took up most of the afternoon. Just wanted to let you all know why I didn’t post a blog yesterday.



It is a little early to tell for sure, but I sure do feel much better this morning than I have for a few weeks. I wonder if I could go without medication. Probably not, since I have been on BP meds for a long, long time. I believe one’s body is typically lazy, and if you give it a crutch, like glasses, hearing aids, prescription drugs, etc. it will depend on them (no, I don’t mean Depends) and from then on, you are stuck with them. Eye glasses correct your vision, they don’t fix it. Hearing aids amplify the sound so you can hear some of it, they don’t fix you hearing. When using any aid to a bodily function, the body gets lazy and depends on it. If you don’t agree, please tell me I am wrong. I don’t want to have to wear hearing aids, glasses, and take medication all the rest of my life.


You all have a good day now, you hear? I plan on having a better one today.

No Blog Today

Wondering about Valley Fever.

The first time I ever heard about valley fever was back around 2005 or 2006 at Galveston, TX. No, as far as I know, you can’t catch it there. We used to spend a month at Galveston State Park over Christmas, and one year we met some nice people who were heading back home to Florida from a trip to Arizona. A couple of days after they pulled in, his “slight cold” got worse. In fact, he got so bad his wife thought he was dying and called an ambulance. They took him to the hospital and tried to relieve his symptoms of cough, shortness of breath, and chest pains. At first they thought it was his heart. The doctors just couldn’t figure out what was wrong with this guy, they had never seen anything like it.



Their son contacted the doctors and told them that his dad had just been in Arizona and to check for Valley Fever. The doctors had no idea what that was but after some research, they figured out how to test for it and, sure enough, it was Valley Fever. Sort of sounds like a song, “I got the Fever”. That was the first time I heard of it, but not the last. It is caused by a fungus that lives in the desert dirt and sand. Therefore, when you are out in the desert, and if the dust is blowing around, wear a breathing mask or at least a bandana around your nose and mouth.


Just when I think I have this all figured out, I hear about this guy who had been prospecting in Arizona and wound up in the Wickenburg hospital. They checked him out for heart trouble and found none, so they figured he had Valley Fever and treated him for that with anti-biotics and anti-fungals but the tests came back negative. He had all the symptoms, so they believe that there are different types of fungi in the desert that causes the same symptoms. Makes sense to me. The bottom line is prevention; wear a mask when riding bikes or four-wheelers in the desert, or when prospecting. Don’t take the chance of a hospital stay. I don’t know how far spread this fungus is, but I do know for sure it is in Arizona.


We are having another cool, clear, beautiful day here today. Now you all have a great day, you hear?

Wondering and Worried about UN Agenda 21

I guess I don’t keep up with current affairs close enough. I usually don’t care what the rest of the world is doing as long as they leave me alone. Now that is not exactly true, I do care what is happening everywhere, but it means a lot more when it affects us personally. I have told you before that I belong to the G.P.A.A. (Gold Prospectors of America Association), but sadly, I don’t get to go prospecting as much as I would like to. They have a publication that they send to members every other month, called the Pick & Shovel Gazette. This last issue had a very scary article in it concerning the UN Agenda 21. This is a plan to severely limit human use and enjoyment on public owned and/or controlled lands. I mean from the worst case of not allowing access at all to the limiting of what can be done on these lands, such as hunting, fishing, rock collecting, prospecting, artifact collecting, and the list goes on and on and on.



OK, you say, that doesn’t sound that bad. Well, some may think that it may be OK to have small, limited, desolate areas restricted from human access, but that is not quite what the UN Agenda 21 has in mind. Now, I have a rule not to write about politics or religion in my blogs, but I just have to let you know about this situation. Most of my readers are, have been, or are planning on becoming RVers, or at least enjoy fishing, hunting, and just being able to take long hikes in the forest, deserts, plains, seashores, mountains, etc. Here is a map of the areas of the United States that would be affected by this agenda, if we let it. Looks to me like almost all of it. I see very little of the green color for “normal use”. What do you think?

Do some research on your own. The article I read was way too long to reprint for you. If you know someone who is a member of the G.P.A.A., ask them to lend you the February/March issue so you can read the article. Now, if you can after reading this, have a good day, you hear?

Wandering around the swamp after the rain.

Well, the title says it all.  Yesterday, I went out with my camera in my pocket and walked around my swamp.  I thought maybe you would like to see some of the pictures.  Back a few blogs ago, I showed you the two deep places with water in them; remember the before and after pictures?  Here is a picture I took yesterday of the old part:

If we get 12 to 18 inches more rain, it would probably be completely filled. Yep, still have some to go but it has not been completely filled for the last few years. It has been so low for so long that the weeds and grasses have taken over. I have some old pictures someplace that shows all 5 acres covered with water. These are old hardcopy photos, and I am not sure where they are hiding, but will try to find them some day.



These next two pictures, one taken looking north east and one taken looking south east, are of the area between my property and others who border my place: 

The area shown above will run off quickly and dry out.  I then turned around and took this picture looking north west back over my property:

These last two pictures represent to me the most important part.  This is the first time in a long, long time that there has been water in these areas:

So, that is what the place looks like when it is half full.  The second half is hard to come by.  You all have a great day now, you hear?

Wondering if non-drought conditions will prevail?

They say this last rain broke our year long drought.  So, what does that mean? It sure doesn’t mean that it made up the deficit. It just means that during the month of January 2012, we received sufficient rain this month, you know, around normal for January. If we were to get enough to make up for the deficit for all last year, it would float Noah’s boat. Since my cousin who lives in Virginia wrote me an email saying that he heard on TV that Texas’s drought was broken and wondered if we got that much rain, he got me thinking about what it took to break the drought. Just enough rain to reach the normal level for one month, and we did that this month.


I do know that the frogs are happy around my place. It would be nice if the drought is really broken, but I am not so sure. If the same Pacific Ocean currents are, or will be, in place this year as last, we will be back in a drought before too long. I will keep my fingers crossed.


Have a good day, and hope none of you got into any dangerous weather yesterday.

Wondering how bad the storm is going to be.

Going to try to get this blog published before the big storm hits. So far, the TV says we are under tornado warning (not a watch but a warning) and strait line winds of 70 mph or more and possible hail. It should be here in a few minutes, so I will keep this rather short. I hope that there will be minimal damage and that no one gets injured.



When I had the RV out the end of last week, my wife asked me just how wide it was inside. I, therefore, got out my trusty 12 foot tape and hooked it on one side. It didn’t reach to the other side, but ended on the back of the couch. I put my finger at that point and measured another 4 inches. So, at the widest point, my RV when opened up is 12’-4” wide inside. Quite a difference from our Class-C that didn’t have any slides.


You all have a good day and for any of you in the path of this storm, I hope it leaves you untouched.

Wondering about golden oldies and my blog.

I received an email yesterday that contained a cartoon that got me to a wondering. It said: “Do you realize in about 40 years we’ll have thousands of OLD LADIES running around with TATTOOS? And - - - RAP MUSIC will be the GOLDEN OLDIES. (Now that’s scary)” So, I got wondering what each generation’s “golden oldies” are or will be. Also “golden oldies” will be different for different people, and of course for different nationalities.



I am not exactly sure what my parents’ golden oldies were, but I am sure it was the “big band” music. One thing is for sure, they loved the old songs that were sung around the family piano or out around the campfire. To me, those songs that we all sang together will always be my favorite and they bring back such wonderful, warm memories. The song “K-K-K-Katy” was one we always sang. Go ahead and Google it, there really was a song about a guy who stuttered and sang to his girl friend, Katy. So, maybe those old songs we all sang as kids are my “golden oldies”, but to be more within the meaning of the term, I suppose the 50’s rock-n-roll would be my “golden oldies” since I went to “hops” and danced to that music. Bought a 45 rpm record as often as I could save enough from my allowance. I had quite a collection back then. Now, did I bring back any memories for you all?


Now, I have been wondering about my blog and where it is going. I have tried to publish one every day, but it has been interfering with all the projects that I need to be working on, so I think I will start skipping a day or two between blogs. I will check my comments often and will answer them as often as possible, but will not post a new blog every day for awhile.


You all have a good day now, you hear?

Wandering to Country Place RV Park.

There are a couple of RV parks within less than three miles of my place, but in my opinion, this one is the nicest.  Just in case you are passing through my area, their telephone number is 1-800-360-2854 or 936-264-2854 and here is a link to their site:   www.countryplacervpark.com 

I have been there before a few times to get propane for my RVs but had never stayed there.  It is family owned and the people are helpful and friendly.

Now, the pictures that I promised.  The lighting was not good and brighter window areas screwed up the auto light settings on my camera, so the interior pictures are somewhat grainy and not too good, but they are all that I have.  This first one is my wife and our male Shih-Tzu on the curb side couch.  It,

of course, was taken looking toward the front of the coach:

And this one is looking toward the rear: 

Of course our oldest, Muffy, always enjoys an outing, especially when she has a couch to herself:



This is the outside taken of the driver’s side: 

And this one is of the curb side:

And back inside, the two oldest puppies on the smaller couch:

This park has a nature trail and three lakes that you can fish in; this is one of them:

I walked up to the end of the row where I was parked in the number 1 spot and took a picture looking back at my RV just to let you know that it was not very crowded:

Actually, four RV’s came in Friday evening. Three of them were really nice, big motor-homes. One had unusual coloring, so it stood out from the rest and got my attention. No, I didn’t think to take a picture of it.

We enjoyed our stay and got home on Saturday in time to go to the flea market. It is nice to start doing some of things we like to do. You all have a great day now, you hear:

Wandering back home in a while.

It has been a short trip and stay but was needed to check everything out.  So far I have not found anything wrong except for a few burned out light bulbs.  Of course I must tell you what happened right after we got parked.  I wanted to put the slides out, but I couldn’t find the switches for the two major slides in the living area.  So I went back to the bedroom and put both of them out.  They worked OK so went back up front and tried to find the switches again.  I didn’t want to let my wife know how dumb I was, but finally mentioned if she knew where the switches were.  She said that she didn’t off the top of her head but would look.  It took her all of about 15 seconds to find them.  Now, not only was I dumb, but I felt dumb and she knew it (grin).

This was a successful trip and I learned a lot about the unit.  Every new thing I discovered impressed me.  This unit was well thought out and well built.  Hope it holds together for a while, I have plans for hitting the road, let’s see, where to first?  Oh yeah, back home for now.

I did not forget the pictures.  I started to put them on last night and after waiting for over 5 minutes and the first one hadn’t loaded yet, I figured it would take 12 hours to get them all on, so am going to wait until I get home and use the DSL line.  Sorry about that.  Now, you all have a good day and if I get the chance, I will post the pictures later today or on tomorrow’s blog.

Wandering, just a little.

Yes, we are out wandering, but just a little and only a couple of miles.  We finally got some time to ourselves and took the newer motor home out for its maiden over-night voyge.  There is a really nice RV park less than three miles from my place.  There is also one within a mile, but it is on the main road and the one back a mile off the main road is quieter and bigger and nicer.  Anyway, we figured that using it was the only way to learn about how everything works and and to find out if anything needed fixed.  So far so good and, yes, we are learning a lot of new things.
We have been in and out of it so much at home with the slides pulled in that we forgot just how spacious it was.  I put out the drivers side main slide and my wife said, "Wow, it is big!".  Then I had to remind her that I still had curb side slide to extend.  The floor space is big enough for a square dance.  The bedroom has double slides, also, which gives us some room to navigate around the bed.  One thing we don't like is that to get to the closet with the slides in, you have to crawl over the bed.  Also, some bedroom storage space is blocked by the bed when the slides are in as is the access to the washer/dryer.  Minor things that I am sure we can learn to live with.
I will post some pictures later.  In the mean time, you all have a great day now, you hear?

Wondering if my tablet would do.

First off, I promised yesterday to show you my steeringwheel table mounted to my steering wheel.  Here is the first picture:

See, it does attach and seems pretty sturdy, too.  Do you see that small white fence in the upper left of the picture?  This one:

That is where my beloved dog, Buttons, is buried. Sure do miss that dog; she was special. Here is a link to my old blog when I told about her: http://dizzydick.blogspot.com/2010/12/remembering-buttons.html

Now, that I have tears in my eyes, I will try to continue. Another picture of the table mounted on the wheel:

I really don’t see the need for it, will probably never use it. Then again, on those long straight stretches of west Texas interstate roads, I could eat lunch while driving on down the road (grin).



Now, to the subject I am wondering about. I have never tried to use my tablet to post a blog. I have used it to read and to comment on blogs. I may just try to use it for tomorrow’s blog. It will probably be short, since it doesn’t have a full size keyboard on it. I may even try to post pictures with it. Trouble is, when you plug a something into it, it downloads everything on the memory device, whether it is a thumb drive or an sd card or chip. That will give me something to figure out. I am not used to Android operating systems.


The weather man got it all wrong last night. It was predicted to be 37 degrees this morning and back when I got up it was 57 degrees. Suppose to be in the 70’s the rest of this week and weekend. Not bad for winter weather. You all have a great day now, you hear?

Another Wondering Solved.

Thank you Paul and Mary for giving me a link to the round item I showed on my blog yesterday and asked if anyone knew what it was.  Here is the link that they gave:  http://www.campingworld.com/shopping/item/wheeltopper-steering-wheel-table/22197

And here is a couple of pictures that I found on the internet for it.  This first one is from the above site:



And this is what can be done with it, other than to eat off of: 

I will try it out and post a picture of it attached to my steering wheel. You will have to wait for that. I have to gather up the dogs, load them in the Jeep and take them for their monthly grooming. May also go get some supplies, my half gallon of Blue Bell chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream only has a couple of servings left in it (grin).

It is going to be a little cooler today than the close to 80 days we have been seeing. It actually got down to 37 degrees this morning and just a day or so ago the low was 68 degrees. Big difference, but we must be reminded how good we have it here, by having a cold front blow in a few times each winter. I feel sorry for any of you who live up in the north country with short daylight hours and freezing temperatures. I spent the first 37 years up there. In the winter time, I drove to work in the dark and drove home in the dark, also. I liked fresh fallen snow, but did not like the many gloomy days.


You all have a great day now, you hear?

Wondering what it is like to be an elf.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be an elf? Yesterday, I was out taking stuff out of the old motor home to put in the newer one. I happened to see a reflection of myself. I was wearing blue jeans, a blue work shirt, and my red G.P.A.A. cap. I was shocked!! I didn’t know I was so short and fat and had a pointed head!! I looked just like an elf. Just had to go get my camera and take a picture of what I really look like. Sorry it is not real clear, but it is a reflection off a chrome surface:

And here is the whole reflection:

I guess I will include the complete picture so you can see where it was clipped from:

In the compartment that has a huge slide out table, there is a piece that I have no idea what it is.  I didn’t measure it, but I think it is about two feet in diameter.  The handle of an awning pull down can be seen in the upper right, to give you some perspective.  Does anyone know what it is or what it is used for?

The other side is just flat and smooth. I would appreciate it if anyone could enlighten me on what it could be.

The last few days have been like summer, with the highs bumping 80 and the lows around 70. Big change from a couple of days ago. You all have a great day now, you hear?

Wondering – through the eyes of my Grandpa.

I never got to know my Dad’s father, since he died when I was very young. (Yes, I was young once!!) I did get to know my maternal grandpa, and he was quite a guy. I can tell you a lot of stories about him, but this blog is not about him, it is about the era he lived through and what his eyes must have seen and his ears must have heard. He lived to see us come out of the horse and buggy days and enter into the space age. I remember standing in his kitchen when everyone was talking about “Sputnik” and then later about “Muttnik”, the one that carried the dog. How many of you remember those first two satellites? The first Russian satellite was launched back in the year that my first and best loved car was made, 1957. No, I didn’t buy my first car until 1964, I think, and it was a ’57 Chevy Convertible. Oops, I am getting off track, so back to the main topic.



My granddad lived though a period of history where so much was changing and so much happened. For one thing there were two world wars, plus a lot of “non-world skirmishes, police actions, mini-wars, or what ever the politico at the time called them. He worked on the Pennsylvania Rail Road for most of his life and retired as an engineer on a steam locomotive. When he retired, it was at a time when there was a mix of steam engines along with those new fangled diesel engines running the rails pulling strings of cars. The advance of the automobile would have been a thing he saw. He taught me to drive a standard shift in his 1940 Ford. My cousin still has that car. You might say he lived from a time of gun powder to atomic bombs, from horse and buggy to space flights, from small country stores to super markets, etc. BTW, I even remember that little “country” store where he lived. It had cracker and pickle barrels and a pot bellied stove that heated it. It had a porch and steps where people would sit and talk. A relic from a more laid back way of life. Sort of makes me want to go back there, but that is impossible. I can physically go to the location where my grandpa lived, but my grandpa would not recognize it now. It has changed into a river side summer resort town, not the peaceful little town that I remember as kid who liked to spend his summers there.


Do you remember any of these things? Can you imagine what your grandparents saw during their life times? Just think what we have seen in our life time, but not as big of changes that our grandparents saw; that is if you are around my age.


You all have great day now, you hear?

Wondering about Irony

I love irony and it happens all around you and me more often than it should. You all have had ironic things happen to you and around you and I am no exception and neither is the sciences. I have wanted to upgrade to a Class-A motor-home for a long time and then when the opportunity came and I did get one, brought it home on Nov. 29th and haven’t had a chance to go anywhere in it because of work. I had hardly any work all year, only 162 hours spread over 11 months. That averages out to less than two days of work a month. Then from the end of November, I had been working seven days a week.



Another ironic thing is starting a stronger blood pressure medication and at first, my BP went up. BTW, it is acting OK now.


In the world of astronomy there is also lots of irony. I was reading in Astronomy magazine about huge amounts of water surrounding the dusty disk of a young star. They found enough water to “fill thousands of oceans”. This dusty disk is what is called a protoplanetary cloud and will eventually coalesce to form planets and such. Therefore, it is assumed that this is not a rare thing and there may be many star systems out there with wet earth like planets. This ring of water could find its way to earth like planets by way of meteors passing through the water and then impacting the planet.


OK, you ask, “What is the irony of this story?” This protoplanetary system was found in the constellation of Hydra (the water snake). The prefix of hydra is used in reference to water. OK, it was ironic to me, what do you think? Let me hear some of the things you think are ironic.


You all have a great day now, you hear?

Wonder why I am running late – again.

It seems to happen to me more and more lately. Maybe it is because I am trying to stuff too much into too few hours or maybe time is flying by faster than it used to or just maybe I am running slower than I used to. Now that we know that neutrinos can travel faster than the speed of light (which I told you about on an older blog), why can’t time speed up and slow down. Einstein said it could, and who am I to argue with him. OK, so he said it depends on something other than a person’s age to affect the speed of time. I say it is directly influenced by a person’s age. You see, when you are real young, your mind works real fast and therefore time seems to go slow. When you get old your mind slows down and thus time appears to go so much faster. I am not saying that I am old, but everyone else is and with this bout of trying to get my blood pressure under control (I am winning that battle, I think) I am starting to believe them. Heck, I have already lived almost nine years longer than my Dad did. But, maybe time moved slower back in his day.



Speaking of high blood pressure, I have had problems with it for quite a few years. I think it was 20 or 25 years ago, I had a dentist appointment and the dentist had just purchases a sphygmomanometer that he was going to take home for his family’s use. He wanted to try it out, so I volunteered. My blood pressure was 220 over 120. He thought that the unit was defective, but told me to see a doctor. Well, I didn’t have a doctor, but looked one up in the yellow pages and called and told him what I thought my BP was. Wow, that worked, got an appointment that same day, and yes, it was that high and I have no idea how many years it had been like that. I told him it was my way of checking for aneurisms!! He didn’t think that was funny.


Hey, you all have a great day now and we will be heading off to the (you guessed it) flea market.

Wondering about superstitions.

Why of course I am, it is Friday the thirteenth, isn’t it? Are you superstitious? I say I am not and it doesn’t bother me at all to walk under a ladder, but I think way down underneath somewhere, we are all a little superstitious at times. My mother and her mother had a few. My grandma would have a fit if someone opened an umbrella in the house or if a bird tried to get into a window. She believed that they were an omen or prediction of a death in that house. When we left in the car to go somewhere, my mother would never let us go back in the house if we forgot something. She said that was really bad luck and she would be afraid that we would have an accident on the road if someone where to return to the house to get something.



I have had routines that could possibly be called superstitions, I suppose. Athletes and actors seem to have their little routines they do before performing. I even think that fisherman and hunters have their own little private routines to help increase their chances of success. I was always one of those persons who would do something just because everyone said not to do it because it would bring me bad luck. Of course, just think how great a life I would have had if I had listened to them (grin). Actually, I am pretty satisfied with my life and looking forward to more of the same. Oops, I shouldn’t have said that, it will bring me bad luck. . . !!!


OK, you all be careful out there on this unlucky day, you hear?

By the way, I did answer the last two comments on yesterday's blog.  Sorry I didn't get to it until this morning.

Wondering if the buzzards are after me?

The doctor switched blood pressure medicine on me and yesterday I felt really bad. Just thought that it was side affects from the new meds. Woke up this morning still feeling poorly, really poorly. Took my blood pressure and it was sky high, you know, the lower reading being where the higher one should be. I took another pill and will give it one more chance; I will then call the doctor if the readings do not go down. I need to go out and walk a bit.



So, yesterday afternoon, we pulled into the driveway after running some errands and my place was overrun with buzzards. These are not turkey vultures, since they do not have a red head. I wonder if they are migrating north already. There were a lot of them, but some were flying real high and others just skimming the trees and some would sit down for awhile. Here are some pictures I tried to get of them. They really did not cooperate with me, they must be camera shy. I missed some really good shots, one was when 15 or 20 of them took off at one time. If you are not already pointing the camera with your finger on the button, you can’t get that shot. The following were my feeble attempts at trying to capture at least a few of them.


Now isn’t this a graceful looking bird?

Here are six of them in a tree close to the house:

A view showing a couple of trees:

And looking straight up an old tree at one that refused to move:

And some coming and going in a pine tree:

Now, if you don’t hear from me again, you know the buzzards got me.  You all have a great day now, you hear?

Swamp Update- before and after

Well now, TROUBLEnTX wanted to know what my swamp looked like now after the rain.  She also wanted to see a picture of the frogs.  I will do the first, not the second.  I think I will give you some before and after pictures.  You have seen the before pictures somewhere on my old blogs, but I will use them here again to give you some comparison.  This first picture was taken on August 30^th:

This next one was taken at the same time only closer to the deepest part:

I took this picture yesterday and had to stand a lot further back than I did with the first two pictures.  Quite a noticeable difference:

The next one was taken on Aug. 30^th also, it is the deepest part of the swamp and it still had yucky water in it:

And this one a month later, no water:

Compare those with yesterday’s:

The swamp is a little less than one third full. It will take quite a lot of rain to fill the last two thirds and I doubt if that will happen this year. I may be pleasantly surprised.

OK, TROUBLE, hope this answered you questions and your request for pictures. Sorry I couldn’t find a frog sitting out in the open posing for a picture. You all have a great day now, you hear?

Got Rain – Got Frogs!

Yep, we officially got 4.9” (that is close to 5” isn’t it?) at the Conroe Airport, which is the closest “official” rain reporting place to my place. Would you believe that the frogs were yelling their heads off yesterday and last night? It is wonderful to have my swamp back and the sounds that come from it. I know it will take years to get the fish population back to where it was. Don’t think that eight pound bass just grow up over night. Now, if we can just get close to normal rainfall for the rest of the year we will be OK. I am a little doubtful that will happen since “they” are predicting more drought. Anyway, for the time being, the drought is a thing of the past and Houston, of course, got more rain than I did and it caused flooding. The closer you got to the Gulf the more rain that fell. They even had a few small tornadoes south of Houston in Sugarland and in Galveston County. It amazed me how quickly it dried up here at my place.



I shut my computer down just before lunch yesterday and didn’t turn it back on the rest of the day. I did keep up with everyone’s blogs on my tablet. When I turned this thing on this morning, the first thing I did was answer my comments from yesterday. As they say, better late than never. Of course some things are better never to have happened than to be just late.


Don’t really have much to say today, so how come I wrote so many words? Seems to me when I (or anyone) have nothing to say, they use a lot more words to say it. You all have a great day now, you hear?

Wondering where my comments went.

I took time yesterday to reply to all the comments I got on my blog. At the time, I thought I had some witty and profound answers to all your comments. I even took the time to write all my replies in Word first, to make sure I got everything right and completely answered every comment. Then I copied and pasted it into the comment box on my blog. I do it this way a lot, especially if I have a number of comments to answer at one time. I know I pasted it in, so where did it go? Out there in cyber space somewhere I assume. I just bet that it has a lot of company out there. Now don’t tell me that something like this never happened to you. I loose so much stuff out there in cyber space that I am afraid it will suck me in, too.



Am I making too much of thing out of this small problem? Kind of reminds me of a Mel Brooks quote: “tragedy is when I cut my finger: Comedy is when you walk into an open sewer and die.” You all remember the stuff that Mel Brooks had done, don’t you? Some of his stuff was Blazing Saddles and Space Balls. He had a “different” sense of humor that I like; something like Gary Larson, the author of The Far Side. I am reading a book that I found at the flea market titled “The PreHistory of The Far Side” and the Mel Brooks quote above was on an other wise blank page preceding the contents of Gary’s book. They are two people with the same sort of off -center humor. If you like the one, you like the other. Some of Gary’s stuff does nothing for me while some of it has me doubled over in laughter. It is strange what different people think are funny. Of course I always try to see the humor in every single thing. That is hard sometimes, but it is worth while and also healthy to keep a smile on your face.


Sorry, I am not gong back and answer all your comments on yesterday’s blog, but I do want you all to know that I really appreciate your comments. We are having some severe storms and so far have received over 4 inches of rain. You all have a great day now, you hear?

Wondering about Sci-Fi becoming reality.

I wonder how long it takes science fiction to become a reality. I suppose it depends on how wild or far out the fiction is. The past has proven that science catches up with fiction, but at different paces and degrees. If I had more time this morning, I could write a novel on this subject, because it fascinates me. It is so very wonderful (and some times terrible) that what mankind can dream, mankind can usually accomplish. All it takes is thought and time and, of course, other discoveries and inventions to use as building blocks.



Where should I start; how about communication. Man used to dream about talking to someone far away. He used drums, smoke signals, mirrors, etc. then as more new things were discovered and developed, like the telegraph; it wasn’t long until Mr. Bell came up with the telephone. Then people thought how nice it would be if there were no wires, then you could talk to ships, trains, etc. A lot of people came up with wireless ways of communication but Marconi is considered the father of long range radio communication. Then someone wanted to see along with hearing and the TV was born.


Then there was Jules Verne. He wrote about the most fantastic things, traveling to the moon and the depths of the ocean. At the time, the things that he wrote about were the most fantastic and impossible stuff people ever heard, but most of it has come true. Now, let’s look at the popular TV show, Star Trek. Some of their “advanced” gadgets have come into real existence and some have not. The ones that have not yet happened may still be able to do so. Warp drive, where their ship traveled faster than light and could jump around the universe is theoretically possible. Even though I told you before about neutrinos exceeding the speed of light, a huge star ship would have trouble doing so, but space would not. In fact, the theory is that space in the inflationary period just after the big bang (if you believe in the big bang – a subject for some other time) actually expanded faster than the speed of light. So now a theory has came about that if you warp space around the ship which would expand space behind you and contract space in front of you, would allow the bubble of space around you to travel faster than the speed of light but you and your ship inside the bubble could be standing still, carried along inside the bubble.


OH yes, we can’t forget about the transporter where they beam the crew all over the place. Science has already done this with entangled particles. Deep subject and would take more time than I have this morning to discuss it and to do it with a person (what if a fly got into the machine? And the replicator, yes we now have something similar to that. How about the worm hole? I am afraid that man does not have control of sufficient energies to create a worm hole and probably never will. So far, that is purely fictional . . .


OK, you all have a great day now, you hear?

No wondering today, just answers.

We were out and about yesterday, trying to get our prescriptions filled, getting supplies, etc. It was kind of a day off, but didn’t get to do anything that was really fun. Today, I am not going to wonder about anything. I am just going to answer the comments that were left on my yesterday’s blog, since I didn’t get around to doing it yesterday.


jimkabob said...
Yes! There are advantages to getting old, I just can't remember them at the moment. DD, it sounds like you might have to make a break for it. Toss the wife and dogs into that motorhome and put the hammer down! Be careful getting out of the driveway, then hammer down.

Yes, Jimkabob, there are advantages to getting old, but right now work is getting in the way of all of them. There is light at the end of the tunnel. Hope to be done within a week. (I think I said that before about a week ago) I sure would like to take your advice and hit the road, but I still have some things I want to get done on the RV. Maybe a short trip and then get the stuff done. The main thing is the window on the driver’s side will not go down. Rain water must have gotten past the rubber seal and shorted out the window motor. I have no idea how to get to it. No way from the outside, and I don’t see any removable panel on the inside. Must be a secret door somewhere.

Ben in Texas said...
Good boy!!! Take a day off and begin to get your new wheeled home set up for a ROAD TRIP!!! :-)
BTW,glad you learned the NO word.. BUT gotta be careful tying it on the wife :-)

Yes Ben, I will try to use that new word a little more, except on the wife (grin). I have been charging the same rate since the end of 2007, maybe it is time to raise my rates. That may help give me more free time.


Gypsy said... I think there is a fine line between too much and too little work for a retired person. When I have a project to do I feel much more alive than when I sit around looking at a computer or TV screen. The type of work you do is also sure to keep your brain cells in top shape. So I would say you are really lucky you can take a job now and then (or refuse it when you need to).

My problem is that when I am working, I am sitting all day and usually all evening in front of a computer. That is not healthy for me. When I am not working, I am out side, or traveling, or repairing things. I am in much better health when I am not “working”.

TROUBLEnTX said...

Hey, i wanna hear about the doc's visit. A-OK?

It being still winter, get all ur ducks in a row, hit the road soon. Spring time coming!

Don’t have all the results back from my blood test yet, but so far he has changed my BP meds. The new ones cost me about $70.00 verses the old ones at $4.00. That was not an expected thing. And yes, I want to hit the road. I still haven’t had time to switch things out of the old motor-home into the new one.

Jane said...
I hope you take more time for your retirement,now while you can enjoy some lazy days. Take to the road,and see some of the world thru your windshield...have fun !!! Blessings Jane

Jane, I have no argument with what you said. It is just easier said than done. Need to take a shake-down cruse soon. Doesn’t need to be far, just some place where I can hook up and spend a night or two.

Sixbears said...
New experiences, especially way outside my comfort zone, give me vivid and crazy dreams. Now if I could only get some more sleep to have them.


Sixbears, maybe that is the way your brain tries to adapt to things and places outside of your comfort zone. I have heard that dreams are the brain’s way of defragging itself and getting all the information in order. If that is the case, I need to sleep and dream a lot more (grin). Hope you have a wonderful time in Florida. Live your dream.


OK, got to get ready to head down to the flea market and then I will get back to work. You all have a great Saturday, you hear?

Wondering about dreams.

I know we all dream, but most dreams are not remembered. I have had some strange dreams lately that were so vary vivid when I woke up that I could remember every detail. For example, last night I dreamt that I was switching back and forth between a two dimensional existence and a three dimensional existence. After giving this some thought, I believe that I have been working too hard and too much. My work is designing and creating engineering drawings. I always build 3D models of a project first; then I can be sure that all parts fit as required and that there are no interferences. I then use the three dimensional parts and project them as two dimensional orthographic drawings, switching back and forth between 2D and 3D. So, I guess my dream is telling me I am spending way too much time working and need to go back to the retirement thing. Trouble is, I am committed now, but it looks like I only have another weeks worth of work at the most. Now, like one of my commenters suggested, I need to learn how to say “NO” to any more requests for work.



Actually I did take yesterday off after we got back from the doctor’s office. Took care of some chores and actually started to take care of some of the things that needed done on the new RV. Today, I will do a little work, but not as much as I usually do. There has to be some advantage to getting old, right?


You all have a great day now, you hear?

Going to the doctor.

I only take one little low dose prescription for blood pressure. Normally the doctor just OKs another round of the prescription when it runs out. This time he refused to re-order it, so I must go in and see him. I can understand, since the last time I saw him was way back in 2010 sometime. So I will keep this short because I have a very early appointment and my wife decided to get an appointment, also. I guess you can tell I do not like to go to the doctors. Now, I have been to the eye doctors, the skin doctors, and the dentist, but I haven’t been to my GP. This should take care of it for another year or so.



OK, I got some information for Hermit Jim for the next time he has coffee on the patio. Studies have shown that coffee seems to give you a reduced risk of cancer. A study took a 20 year look at almost 50,000 men and it showed men who drank 6 or more cups a day were 18 percent less likely than nondrinkers to get prostate cancer and 60 percent less likely to die from it. Drinking even one to three cups daily lowered the risk of dying by 29 percent. Oh, and by the way, even caffeine free coffee worked, so it must be something else in the coffee. So, I think I will join Jim and have a big, strong cup of Joe.


OK, got to run. You all have a great day now, you hear?

Wondering if anyone saw the meteor shower?

I was planning on watching the meteor shower this morning, but like a lot of my plans, it didn’t happen. I don’t mean that the meteor shower didn’t happen, I mean I missed it. You see, it is like this. For some time now I have been waking up between 03:00 and 04:00 every morning. Most of the time I just roll over and go back to sleep. Didn’t see any reason that it would be any different this morning, but it was. I should have set the alarm clock. The best viewing of the Quadrantid meteor shower was suppose to be between 03:00 and 06:00. You see, after midnight your position on earth starts to face the direction that earth is traveling and the meteors are then faster and brighter.



As you guessed it, I slept right through it. I suppose it was because I couldn’t get to sleep last night and lay awake until after 01:00. I didn’t wake up until 06:30 and by then, it was too light out to see any of the meteor shower. Oh well, maybe it wasn’t anything special. Did any of you get to see it? If so, give me a report.


In case you are wondering how it is known when there is going to be a meteor shower, I will tell you what I know. A meteor shower takes place when the earth passes through an area where a comet had once traveled, leaving dust in its path. This trail stays put for many years and the earth passes through these trails each time it makes an orbit of the sun. Therefore, now that the astronomers know where the trails are, they know when the earth will pass through them. So, around this time next year, they will be back.


Hey, you all have a great Wednesday, you hear?

Wondering how long this freeze will last.

This morning brings to mind the song “Baby It’s Cold Outside”. Why, you ask. Because it is COLD out side!! You just never know what the winter will be around here in advance. Some years we don’t have any at all and some years we get pretty cold. I have been known to answer the question of when do we get our winter around here, by answering; “Last year it was on a Thursday”. It is now only 28 degrees and has been for a lot of hours. The amount of time the temperature stays below the freezing mark is what is important to whether we have any damage or not. It is suppose to get up to the 60’s today and the sun is up and feels hot on my face, but baby, it is still cold outside!



The pump to my water well, the pressure tank, and a lot of the piping sits on a small cement slab outside, like everybody else’s. The infrastructure around this area is not made for sustained cold weather. I took the precaution last night to cover my well area with a couple of tarps. I figured the warmth from the ground would keep the well from freezing and about 03:00 this morning I got up and ran some water and flushed a commode to get the pump to kick on. I figured that it would be a two fold help; one to get the water moving in the pipes and the other to warm up the stuff under the tarps from the heat of the pump motor. Don’t know if it was needed or not, but at least I don’t seem to have any damage this morning. Sometimes the leaks don’t show up for awhile and I ain’t going to go out and crawl under the house this morning.


It is going to be a nice clear, sunny day and I hope you all have a great day in your area. I figure any day that I wake up is a good day.

Wondering who comes up with this stuff.

I get lots of forwarded emails that are jokes, pictures, video clips, political commentary, strange and exotic stuff, etc. Some of them are really quite good. I enjoy a good laugh and some of them give me one. Like the one I got this morning showing entertainers when they were young and staring in their major roles and then showing what they look like now. It was interesting, but not that entertaining until they got to the last one. It was a picture of Howdy Doody, remember him? Well, they showed a before picture of him and the “now” picture was a bag of charcoal briquettes. Now that was funny, or do I have a warped sense of humor. I also got an email containing supposedly jokes by Jeff Foxworthy titled “you may be a Muslim”. Not sure if he did say those jokes but they were in his style. Last Saturday morning, while walking through the flea market, I spotted a couple books of the “Far Side” cartoons. Some of them are just plain stupid, but some are really hilarious.



I really can’t tell you what things or jokes I find really funny because I don’t understand myself what I really find funny. I try to see the humor in everything, so when it comes to finding something to laugh about, I do not have tunnel vision. I can tell you what I do not think is funny; jokes on someone that either hurts them emotionally or physically. I do not like the use of profanity, but can ignore it in some cases, like with George Carlin. The old George Carlin made me laugh so hard my gut hurt. I would say that my favorite was Red Skelton. I never missed his TV shows. He was one of kind.


OK, tell me, what type of humor do you like and who would you consider your favorite comedian? You all have a great day today, you hear?