Month: March 2019

27 March …

 

You’ve heard of terrible days?  Well …

We have been having snow and rain every day.  Yesterday started no different.

Then family left without letting me know.

Then I opened my browser to find there was no browser and I struggled, without success, to get it back.  As a result I couldn’t access the blog maker page, so no blog.  Posted an email (it was still usable) saying …

Not the best week ever and no browser … so blog will be late!

My morning volunteer session scheduled for 1000 was moved to noon so I had to cancel since I had a 1330 appointment too far away.

Then something went wrong with the power and when I checked the computer time (after rebooting without the browser), I reset the clocks to the computer time. (House clocks are all but one electric. Keep this in mind, it becomes important later.)

Then the clocks all said it was nearly 1300 (where did the time go?) and I was due at the church for the food share program at 1330, so I hightailed it out. 

It took more than five minutes to get the old Mitsu to start. She hates cold weather.  The clock in the Mitsu said 1217, not 1317!  I turned on the radio and sure enough … it was just after noon.  My computer time was off!   I thought the computer was in automatic touch with a central time keeper (like Greenwich or some government site), but something had gone wrong.  Oh well … I was nearly into town so I decided to drop in on a friend for half an hour or so.

The food sharing was scheduled to begin at 1400, but I try to arrive half an hour early to help set up.  I got there just before 1330 and there was a line out the door with folks walking away already having received their food.  Seems the time had been posted wrong in the newspaper so the Great Northern folks started early because of the weather (no sense making folks stand out in the snow and rain waiting).

When I left for home, I got on the radio announcing “KD6WZC mobile” as I often do and heard from Mark that he had a surprise medical appointment so would be late getting home, and that Kamille was running taxi to the Medford airport for a friend.  No reason to rush to make a meal.

By then … ,lb rwekjvsdcy88-o1rb XChihc5r3kbv!!!

 

 

In addition, remember me telling you I was the only one here who wasn’t sick with the school cold?

Should have kept my mouth shut.

But I got an email note from a cousin (Blessing on her!) saying

Don’t stress over it.  We’ll all be here when you find the time and energy.

The day ended with the computer doing everything expected (including the return of the browser complete with bookmarks) and a grilled cheese sandwich.

I read a couple of chapters in my current book and was asleep by 2100.

And I’m still here …

~~~

Several days of warmer temperatures and light rain mixed with snow meant the accumulated snow has been melting.  I can get to the chicken coop without the aid of a ski pole (my balance is a little wonky on icy snow). 

We continue to have rain and snow followed by melt every day.  Strange weather.  There are currently small snow flakes in the air with a bit of wind.

The hens are appreciating the increase in warmth as well, in spite of the soggy range area.  We are getting 12 or 14 eggs a day. Not bad for 14 laying hens.

Mark brought home some chicks last thursday.  They won’t leave the brooder for a couple of weeks and by then the new range fence should be in place.  Still, we’ll be watching for bears and other predators.

The new chicks are a breed I’ve never seen.  They are supposed to be large when full-grown with a 75% lay rate, and lay extra large eggs.  We shall see.  They are interesting since they are soft yellow (soon to be white) with black spots on their backs.  Mark says they are a Plymouth Rock cross breed.

~~~

Thinking of bears … As Kamille and I were on our way into town last Wednesday evening, we saw a black shape down the road a ways.  At first I thought it was a dog (several roam free around here).  Then it moved and we saw it was a small black bear.  It was near where a neighbor has been losing chickens although it looked too small to get over a chicken fence.  Maybe there was a sow nearby and this was her cub.  Of course, neither of us had a camera with us.

~~~

I returned to a radio club meeting last week.  I had not been going since last fall.  It seemed strange to go without George, but it was time to go back.

Several folks seemed glad to see me.  That was nice.

Planning for the summer events will start next month.  First up … Science Festival.

~~~

I almost didn’t vote last Tuesday. It was a special election for our state Assembly person (the elected one moved up to the state Senate).  

For more years than I can remember, George and I have voted by mail.  So I had expected to receive a mail-in ballot and hadn’t thought any more about it.  I had not received one and so blanked on the election.

Fortunately, Mark mentioned voting and as a result I went out to vote.

Our polling place was listed as the Sons of Italy Hall in Weed (there are a lot of Italians in this area because they had been “imported” to work in the lumber mill … so much for “immigrants”).  But when I got there a sign said I had to go to the Weed Community Center in order to vote. 

The Community Center is brand new and I had no idea where it was.  With the help of a clerk in the City Hall, I found it (on the north side of the mill).  But when I went in, they said I was listed as voting by mail rather than in person.

It took a few minutes, and the help of a poll overseer who knows me, before I was allowed to vote.  But I did.

So the thought for this week …

“Casting a ballot is just one of our civic duties, but it is a vital one. It is an act of speech, a demand that your voice be heard, that you are included in the republic.”

~~~

Nothing more for now …

May we all have a good start to April.

So … ‘til next week …

 

P.S.  I still can’t access the blog through this browser.  I’ll be asking help to correct that.  So just make corrections as you go … or overlook them.

20 March …

 

Purim starts tonight.  No time this year to make Hamentaschen.  Off this morning to help pack the food sharing snack bags for the children going on Spring break next week.  Then taiko this afternoon and radio club this evening.  Maybe tomorrow.

~~~

Last week we had a change in the weather.  For several days the temperatures were nice and we were able to let the fire go out and open the solarium doors.  Today it is  raining, but a warm rain … 50º.  The melt continues.

There had been another avalanche on the Mountain, but not quite so dramatic this time.  The interesting thing about this one was that the fracture lines were clearly visible.

~~~

I have been reading an interesting book …

At first glance I thought “Oh sure … interesting.”  But I like our library and our friday librarian, so decided “Why not?”

What a surprise.

I remember the old Carnegie Library in Hemet when I was growing up, and the BIG library in the high school. I still love the weekly (when possible) trips to the library and Paul is learning to love them as well.

But back to the book …

Were you aware that a group of four librarians (known collectively as “John Doe”) defied the FBI back in 2005 when the FBI wanted ALL information about library users?  They wanted to know who read which books, who used the computers, when, and what sites were accessed, and a whole lot more citing the Patriot Act as their warrant.  But the librarians said “No”, user information was private. 

The case went to the Supreme Court and the librarians won.  Big Brother (reference “1984”) lost.  Although not allowed (via a “gag” order) to tell their readers the FBI had been to their facility, librarians started posting notices saying

       “THE FBI HAS NOT BEEN HERE. 

        (watch closely for the removal of this sign)”.

Or that librarians organized a reference force outside the RNC convention in 2008 carrying signs saying “Street Librarian” to provide information to both sides, i.e. to anyone who asked, about laws and rights in re protests. 

Or that there are international schools teaching civil rights folks from around the world how to use computers and the internet for research.

I could go on, but with chapters like “Information Sickness” and “Big Brother and the Holdout Company” and “Follow That Tatooed Librarian” and “Wizards of Odd” I was captured.

In addition, the book is well-written and in spots very funny.

I hope to read her other book soon.

~~~

On the subject of books, as you know, I have been reading the Poirot canon.  I had been unaware there had been so many novels, and completely unaware of the short story collections.  No wonder Christie got tired of him.

In a massive volume titled “Hercule Poirot’s Casebook”, there is a short story called “The Mystery of the Bagdad Chest” in which a murder is committed, the body placed in a large chest, and a party held in the room with the chest.  Of course Poirot solves the mystery, but the really interesting thing was the basic premise, i.e. a murder with the body in a chest while a party goes on around it. 

In 1948, Hitchcock directed a film titled “Rope” in which the same thing happened.  It starred James Stewart and the scenes were shot ongoing as if it were on stage.  I thought … oh oh, they  must have copied Christie since her story was published in 1939.

Then, in doing a check on “Rope” I discovered it was based on a 1929 stage play written by someone named Patrick Hamilton.

Makes me wonder when and how it will appear next … television?

Oh well …

~~~

I was recently reminded of Mort Sahl. 

Wow …

Here he is teaching about politics. It was when Reagan was Governor of California.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5yd3Nqp19s

And here he is in general with his regular prop … a newspaper.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8-9XYdncRw

George and I were big fans.  I miss Sahl’s insights.  He was funny without being profane, and his closing line is with me to this day … “Is there anyone I haven’t offended?”

~~~

 

One day last week, Mark spent the entire day on the Mountain learning how to use a snowmobile for search and rescue.

 

Here’s the slope they used for learning.

~~~

And that’s it for now … 

Know that on some level all human beings are a bit crazy.

So … ‘til next week …

13 March …

 

More rain … and more snow … followed by freeze and melt … followed by more rain and more snow … followed by sun and melt … followed by more rain and more snow.  This has been going on since 3 February.

(photo by son John)

 ~~~

Tyler and I had a scare thursday morning with Siku, the family dog.  He had what looked to this old ED nurse just like an epileptic grand mal seizure … clonic to tonic followed by confusion and instability.  Something similar had happened once before and had been diagnosed as garlic intake.  I had given him some leftovers which contained garlic not knowing it is classified as a poison for dogs. 

But this time I had not given him anything other than his regular dog food.  He had been out for a pee break earlier but had been out for less than twenty minutes and came in for breakfast.  He had been normal until a bit before 0900. Then he had two spells about fifteen minutes apart.

Tyler took him to the vet’s and the diagnosis was idiopathic epilepsy.  Seems if it going to show up in a dog, it is at about this age.  He is now on an anti-seizure drug twice a day.

~~~

I may have written about this before, but if so … forgive me. 

I think it is an important thought and I just finished reading a book which brought it to mind … again.

A bit ago a friend, who holds an Austrian passport, told about returning from a trip overseas and being put by government agents into a small room on arrival at the airport where she was held for several hours with no explanation.  When they finally came to release her they said her papers were all okay.  She said something to the effect of “Of course they are.” and asked “Why did you lock me up?”

The answer was “Because we could.”

Later I read something (probably on one of the Facebook accounts I check) about people (the t family) doing something questionable.  When asked “Why?” the answer was …

“Because we could.”

Then came the thought disturbing book titled “the Power” which had been listed on one of the net “must-read” book lists.  This is on page 324 …

One of them says, “Why did they do it, …?”

And the other answers, “Because they could.”

That is the only answer there ever is.

Think about it.

~~~

I told you the family (Mark, Kamille, and Paul) were away last week.  I was wrong about what Kamille was doing.  It wasn’t Eastern Star.  It was an educator’s seminar.

Mark and Paul spent a lot of time, by Paul’s choice, at the Railroad Museum.  They did get to the Capitol Building and Paul brought me a mini-mug souvenir.

Kamille and Paul got home late friday night and came down sick sunday morning.  They both have been unable to keep anything down ever since.

Tyler has been working three jobs and he was out Sunday with just plain exhaustion.

Mark got home sunday afternoon after his trip back east to help with the funeral of a friend.   John went to get him at the Medford Airport.

Monday and tuesday both Kamille and Paul stayed home eating rice gruel.  Tyler was able to go to work.  Mark was tired, but well.

Through it all I’ve been okay.  I started to say “fine” and then remembered Louise Penny’s character Ruth’s definition of  “fine” and decided to say “okay” instead.  Don’t get the reference?  Check out one of the Gamache books or Penny’s web site.

~~~

The other day I was asked what song should be my theme at this point in my life.  I thought of “I’m Still Here” from “Follies” by Sondheim and looked it up.  The version I really like was done by Elaine Stritch …

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNy4MNHrxFo&ab_channel=ElaineStritch-Topic).

I’ve been toying with finding an instrumental version and going karoke.  Now that’d be a laugh.  However, in the search one item set me back a step.  It was the third item on the Google reference list when I looked for “I’m Still Here” … it was “Mortuary Makeup for Difficult Bodies” posted by Ask A Mortician. 

Guess it’s a good thing I plan to be cremated.

~~~

So here’s the thought for the week …

Appreciate being alive so intensely that all the trivial and minor things that don’t go the way you wish are irrelevant and inconsequential.

The thought that reverberates in your mind will be, “I am joyful that I am alive right now.” (and still here.)

 

‘Til next week …

 

 

6 March …

 

I do enjoy feedback … especially when it makes me look smart (emphasis in the following is theirs).

“Enjoying this week’s blog and all your snow.

“We here, in Florida, are experiencing it with our sunshine and heat. A week ago, it was in the mid 80’s for the entire week, with a high of 89. I was rereading some of your 2015 blogs and came across the following….

“Still on a political note … a poll last week showed that Trump would beat any Democrat in next year’s election. A character diagnosis in the book I recently read cited a character as having “narcissistic personality disorder” with “pathological egotism”. Electing Trump might well be the best thing that could happen. He would disgrace the GOP and the country almost immediately making the US the laughing stock of the world and destroying any influence we have in world affairs. That could be good because before any improving change can occur, it most often must be preceded by collapse. A door needs to close before the new door can open. Bring in the clowns …

“You sure were prophetic. He tells us that Climate Change is ‘hog wash’ ”.

~~~

Thursday the 28^th dawned icy and sunny.  Kamille’s truck was having problems.  There had been a fatality on I-5 north of Yreka due to ice.  Trees had fallen across several roadways.  Power lines were down and there were power outages all over southwestern Oregon and Siskiyou County.

February went out like a lion.

There has been a lot of snow on the Mountain.

  The ski lifts at the ski park were having trouble…

and wind took its toll. 

Still, the snow pack is better than it has been for a few years and most of the precipitation is soaking in and replenishing the water table rather than running off, so drought will be less of a problem … at least we hope so.

March is coming in with rain and snow.  Not quite full lion behavior.

~~~

Did you happen to notice in last week’s pictures the two birches out front?  The broken one is upright under the heavy snow, but the bendable one is touching the ground.  The bent one is fine now that the melt has reached it, but the contrast was interesting.

~~~

Mark, Kamille, and Paul left tuesday early evening (after school and Kamille’s work time) for three days in Sacramento.  Kamille will be attending an Eastern Star something.  Mark and Paul will be doing the tourist thing.  They will be visiting Olde Towne, the Railroad Museum, the Capitol Building, the Governor’s Mansion, Sutter sites, and who knows what else they have on their list.  Paul was able to take a school work packet with him so he won’t be missing any school work.

It is going to seem strange around here.  Tyler pretty much takes care of himself so I’ll be sleeping in an extra hour, trying to get my desk area under control, noshing, and reading … reading … reading.

Kamille and Paul are due home late Friday.  Mark won’t get home until Sunday.  He has to go back east to officiate at a funeral.  He was specifically requested by the widow, a very close friend.

~~~

Water rights are still a problem in the wild west.

Interference by neighbors in the water flow across our property (the flow from which George and I got our power for all those years) has put our electricity in jeopardy.  That interference, and lack of co-operation from another neighbor, will also be depriving at least five or six landowners downstream of water. 

As a result of the probable loss of the water flow, we are in the process of switching to solar and wind for our power. 

We have an array of solar cells ready to install as soon as weather permits and have begun looking into wind generators.  The meadow to the south-southwest of the house is an excellent place for both of those sources.  George considered both solar and wind but hadn’t gone that route forty plus years ago because the technology wasn’t really ready and costs were soooo high.  Now technology has advanced and costs are reasonable.

Stay tuned.

~~~

Now for a Poor Me …

Yesterday morning, as I was making my bed, I reached across to pull up the comforter, heard (and felt) a double pop, and had a SHARP pain in the left hip area.  My first thought was a dislocated and relocated hip joint.  Then I realized it wasn’t my hip that hurt, but the area at the base of my tuchus where my upper thigh meets my bootie.  Strange.

I looked up “ischial tuberosity pain” and discovered I probably tore one of the hamstrings (there are three) which attaches to the left tuberosity, the “sit” bone.  Who knows how.

In the past I have referred to a person or situation as being a “pain in the a—“.    I now have one.

~~~ 

I am still unable to access the blog site, so you will need to forgive or overlook any errors.  Thanks.

~~~

To close I’ll quote David Brooks (Republican columnist for the NYT and NPR commentator) …

“Just another week in Caligula’s Rome.”

So … ‘til next week …