Wednesday, November 27, 2024

Hey Cupcake!

 quickie:

son-in-law Tom has a birthday today.  Born in 1976, you figure the age.

Today in honor, I made cupcakes - chocolate with chocolate icing, a jar of sprinkles is standing by.

Here is the bit.  At 84, today marks the first day in my entire life that I made cupcakes.  Never before.  You'd think that I would have done it earlier.  But, no.  My young life, we never had cupcakes.  We might have a cake - big cake -  or pie - but we just didn't eat / have cupcakes.

So the stone is over.  There are other things I have never done.  Stay tuned,

good-bye and  Happy Thanksgiving

m

 

Friday, November 22, 2024

busy buzy bizzy bucees

Absolutely NOTHING to do with bucees - just thought it fit the title.

This has been a busy couple of weeks.  Frankly, I was much busier when I was teaching.  Every day and minute had a plan and no rest for the wicked.  I'd go home in the evening and still have book work to do - much of which I should have done at school.  But, watching TV at night and keeping the hands occupied was what I did.  Back to now.

---------

As you may remember in past blugs/blogs my wife was mopping the floor when her feet slid out from under her.  She landed on her side on top of her RIGHT hand.  It broke her pinkie finger.  Now, you might think that the pinkie finger is the best one to break .  You might think that.  I have a different opinion.  Ya see.  (to take a song lyric)  It DON'T matter which one you break.  You are down and out.  Pinkie, Ring, Naughty, Pointer, or the Thumb.  Doesn't matter.  Left or right hand, now that matters.

If you are right handed, you must do everything with the left hand now.

If you are left handed, you must do everything with the right hand now.

It matters.  Try picking your nose with the wrong hand.  Or cutting meat or dishing out potatoes.  Making an obscene gesture doesn't seem to be affected.  Tie your dominant hand to your side for a day.  You'll see.

Broken finger selection is not an option.  When one finger is down, it bothers all the others.  Fingers are connected.  I used to tell my band students, God messed up when he made the ring finger.  It won't work as good as the first two.

Here is the process we journeyed through:  Got her up off the floor.  Saw the pinkie all bent around. Knew we were going to a doctor.  Put the mop away.  Baylor Scott & White has a clinic about  a mile from here, give or take a mile.  Got on the phone to see if she can come there or should we go to emergency room in Temple.  Didn't work.  BS&W has this plan.  You call their number - turns out to be a "main" number - they do all the scheduling for all of their facilities and doctors.  

You CAN'T talk to the local number.  No Way.  Centralize is the wave of the future.  Of course, even that doesn't work immediately.  You have to provide all information:  name, address, date-of-birth, insurance, name of 1st born, if you feel safe at home, what color shirt did you wear to the ball, oh oh oh the list goes on.  I said to the nice lady, "Never-mind, we'll just go down there and walk in."

We did.  

The clinic greeted us nicely and was concerned about the finger.  I was told to wait while the office staff could determine if someone there could work on the finger.  We waited.  There was.  That will be $5.  We went into room.  The provider was a nice young lady - P.A. - not doctor.  she wrapped it up and put a funny brace on it.  Then, it was determined we should move up the medical ladder to one with more specialized knowledge.  Front desk checked the computer.  We had a choice:  wait for 2 1/2 weeks to see someone in Temple  OR  go tomorrow to Killeen.  Wonder which we chose?

Next day, we saw a nice guy in Killeen  - it seems he is a P.A. also - but, he has had experience in this area  to a degree. A bit alarmed he was.  He got on the computer and scheduled us into Temple.  He used a word- can't remember - big long word - expedite.  That's it.  Our appointment was Expedited.  Within a couple of days, Temple Raney Bone and Whatever group saw her.  Learned that her finger splint should never have been used.  They used a device similar to the Chinese torture toy from our years past - it stretched her finger out till xray saw the bone snap into place.  The medical staff was excited and hooped it up just a bit.   A beautiful hand/arm cast was created - in red by choice - we were to come back in 3 weeks to have the cast removed.

Dealing with a spouse who is wearing a cast - red or any color - is not a joy.  Still the right hand is disabled.  It must be kept dry.  Showers and other water things are a major process.  3 weeks passed.  It was a Chinese Torture.  Finally this past Tuesday:  cast came off.  That is sorta fun to watch too.  Finger is somewhat better - still crooked.    Now we start OT.  I suppose they send her to Occupation Therapy so she can get a job in the future.  I figure she needs to learn to drive a truck.  Certainly it is not called PT - because this is only physical therapy.  I'm looking forward to the psychology visits later...surely they will come.

Now, we have several days of OT to enjoy - plus our own personal physical therapy at home, guided by me ( ** an expert ** ) 3x a day.  The pinkie finger looks terrible.  She will never be able to get a hand modeling contract in the future.  That career is gone.  In the meantime, life goes on around here. I had to give some blood and see my cancer urology doctor and get my cancer shot.  The doctor went out of town so the actual appointment has been moved to April - but, still I GOT THE SHOT.  My blood shows that my PSA  is  <.01  They tell me - this is good.   Men:  get your PSA checked.  You want to catch the prostate cancer earlier than I did.   

We went to pharmacy and had the flu and covid shots.  Wife had her annual dermatology visit - all's well there.  Another round of doctor and OT visits come  after Thanksgiving.  Medical must be taking Thanksgiving off.  Must B.

====

When I leave the house, I dog-proof certain areas.  Close doors - hide trash - put edibles off tables - etc.   Forgot yesterday one of the bits.  Came home to a bathroom with garbage spread all over the floor.  I called our little Anna to me (a big basset with an enormous bark).  She rounded the corner and saw the bathroom floor.  Immediately, she flipped around and ran to the other room  I still verbally assaulted her.  Won't matter.  She'll forget everything except where the trash can is.

You might say that she forgave me for fussing so loudly.

So that is the way it is.  One little nonsense followed by another.  It doesn't seem that little things will ever let up.  One annoyance after another.  That is life.  One thing leads to another.  I guess it is like:  a door closes and another opens.  but in reverse.  

Have I ever mentioned that black trim has fallen off my car.  I have one piece of trim taped back on the car with bright pink duck tape.  It is certainly pretty.   That trim piece has an electrical component and can't be just set aside.  So my driver's window is taped shut.  Can't use drive-up windows, window won't move.  I bet we look like some backwoods hicks driving around with pink duck tape on the window.  At least carjackers should leave us alone - ducked taped cars don't register high on the "steal" list.

Love ya.  Keep your heads down and open some more doors.  But above all, be sure to keep some pink duck tape in your car trunk.  Ya never know....

mtz    and  ** from above **  definition  Expert: An " Ex "  is a has been.  A " Pert"  [ spurt ] is a drip under pressure. [ Daffynition ]


Sunday, November 3, 2024

happy

 I'll make this short.

tomorrow, Nov. 4th, is my 84th birthday.

I'm taking no presents which are valued under $10,000.  Call my lawyer to contribute.

or should it be $20,000?   I'd think anyone dumb enough to just give me 10 K - hey, they'll fork over another 10.  Won't they?

I'll pay the taxes if any.  since this will be a gift under 35k, I believe it is tax free.  You're just too good to me.  

Stones from my mom:

I was born in Tecumseh, Okla.  My mother was the h.s. band director there at that time.  I wonder if she had to miss a football game.

I assume it was a Tuesday, because this date is the date that FDR (Roosevelt) was elected to his 3rd term.  Before then, nobody wanted to be President of the USA more than 2 terms.  Roosevelt went on to  be elected for his 4th term and died in office.   He saddled us with several projects which are still costing us money.  Some think he was responsible for ending the depression.  Others know it was WWII that did it.

Moving on.   born about 5 minutes before midnight...born at home...brother Jim (16 mo old) was standing in his baby bed looking out - watching - learning.  I always figured this warped him somewhat in later life.

for now - one last thing - later as I was turning 5 almost - we were living in Dodge City, Kansas, the 1st time.   My mom was teaching kindergarten in an elementary school.  We lived in an area that went to a different elem.  My mom did not want to pay a baby sitter for that whole year, so she took Clorox and blotted out the 4 on my birth certificate.  She inked in a 1 instead.  Apparently, if you were born by the 1st of November, you could start school = kindergarten.

Yes, she cheated.  The revised birth certificate was presented, and I started kindergarten that year - in the morning - half day classes - I'd be dropped off (dumped) on the school's doorstep.  When noon rolled around, someone transported me to my mom's school, and I was in her afternoon kindergarten class.  Nobody seemed to really care.  I got to go to a full day's kindergarten.  No baby sitter to pay.  All was well.  I always figured this warped me somewhat in later life.

Brother Jim was in the 1st grade at the appropriate building all day, and brother Marshall was in the 4th grade.  I believe Marshall was a year ahead in his schooling too.  Born in January, I don't know how mom was able to pull that off.  I remember nothing from that year except walking UP a long flight of stairs to my mother's classroom everyday.  Her room must have been on the 2nd floor.

Aside note before I close:  It was when I was 5 years old that my father started us on band instruments.  I wanted to play trombone.  He found a tiny trombone which used a cornet mouthpiece and started me.  It wasn't long before I traded back to a cornet with 3 easy valves.

Soooooooooooooo

Happy birthday to me.  84 and still kicking.   I suppose somebody wanted me to live this long for a reason.  Isn't everything done for a reason?  Surely nothing happens per chance.  Surely.

More later.

mtz

Tuesday, October 29, 2024

found the culprit

 quickie:

see previous blog:

found the person messing with my yard decorations blow up timers 

He is Me.

It seems I plugged my 2 timers into this black box.  That's okay.

But, the black box turned out to be a timer too.  Guess I had forgotten.

So, I was right.  Someone was changing the settings or unplugging the machines.  It was the little black box.  I plugged the decors directly into the box and set it properly.  Now all is fine.

problem solved and I didn't even have to sit out in the flower bed all night.,

m

Be sure to go vote.

If you are a Republican, I believe the election is Tues.

If you are a devoted democrat, I read in the paper that all democrats are suppose to vote on Friday, November 8th --  some new law, I hear ....

(chuckle chuckle)

Sunday, October 27, 2024

A Ghost per chance?

 I know.  I know.  Sophisticated people don't do this.  But then half of the word "sophisticated" and  the word "Sophomore" seem to come from the same derivative = soph.  What does that (wrongly) say about sophisticated individuals?  Moving on.

 I am not one of those (sophisticate - not soph).  At certain times of the year I collect plastic blowup creatures off the Walmart shelves and put them in my yard.  For Halloween this year I have 3 different cartoon critters and a tall ghost like thing...plus 3 tiny ghost that line my sidewalk.

Each of these is plugged into a timer for the on-off.   On about 9 in the morning and off about 8:30.  I'll leave them on much longer for actual Halloween Day proper OF COURSE.  Two are on the east side of the sidewalk - two are on the west side.  The west side ones are hooked to a timer that is plugged in just beside my front door and our door camera.  The east side is plugged into 2 different timers with the electric cord going up to a plug near my roof.  Follow?  These 2 timers are on the ground beside the blow ups.

Now here is the problem.  3 of the past 4 nights, the timers have been changed during the night.  Changed.  At Night.  Or --- that plug in the roof area has a problem that shuts the electricity off in the middle of the night for just a few hours - then, back on.   Hmmmmm  Not likely.

MORE likely is that some "kid" in the neighborhood is sneaking up and rotating the timers so the blow ups work at different times than I have set.  I'm not changing them in the middle of the night.  Nobody else who lives here is changing them.  Hmmmmmm  (notice the extra  mmm ).  This might be a pretty funny trick for a kid ... (not a goat)   

On the first night this happened, our door camera alerted us that someone was at the front about 10 p.m.  But, the camera is not pointed at the blow ups.  Some Kid is having fun.

If I were not such a lazy doofest, I would go sit in the front flower bed tonight about 9:45 with a water hose and sprayer at the ready.  It would make such a good video.  Or I will let "him" continue to have his joke.   What a tale to be told when he gets to be 65.   I've thought about attaching a network of dark strings across my yard about 2-3" off the ground.  Someone might get hurt....me....bending over to attach the strings.  Maybe better would be a large bear trap  or  one those holes in the ground with wooden stakes in the bottom  or  where do I get those exploding blue bags the bankers put in bags of money that are taken in bank robberies  or   a trip wire that turns on flood lights - loud music - and releases a full grown lion  or  or  the list could be endless.

----for those who read previous blog about finger -----

my wife is healing slowly.  We have an appointment with a finger surgeon this next week.  The finger is twisted a bit inside the skin.  It won't heal correctly without some help.  

good bye - Happy Halloween - Look out for the trip wires - see ya soon

mtz


  f

Wednesday, October 23, 2024

Finger play

 I have different types of readers.  There are those who actually know me and have a true interest in my being.   There are those who actually know me and read because they are curious or whatever.   There are some who read because they are just reading whatever they land on.  And so forth so forth.  You can add other examples if you wish.

Today was one of those days which wasn't bad - but, BOY, I'd just as soon forget the day.

This morning, first thing out of the box I fired up the motorhome  (FOR SALE if you are interested).

I drove to a local place and had the creature inspected.  Inspection had to be done before I could register it by the end of the month.  That is $7 I'll never get back.  The lady inspected it, took my money honey, and sent me on my with paperwork grasped in my paws.  Over.  Done.  What a deal  Popular rumor is that getting inspections done ends January 1st unless  you live in one of those really big counties.  I don't.

I came inside and swore under my breath.  over & done

My wife, bless her heart, decided she wanted to mop the floor.  We have one of those mops with the spinner thingy.  It was all going okay.  I grabbed some leftover chili and started eating lunch.  My wife said something in the other room.  I looked up and said something like - you talkin' to me?  She said yes and asked me to come into the room.

I got up and walked that way.  There she was on the floor.  I asked her what she was doing on the floor.  She responded that she slipped and fell.  Accurate for sure.    I walked around to help her get up off the floor.  That's when I saw the pinkie of the right hand.  It wasn't normal - broken pinkie.  

Long story short - went to local BS&W clinic - saw a couple of PA-C.  X-ray, wrapped the finger properly, and set up an appointment with a hand specialist for the near future - I refer to him as the Hand Man.  Time will go on.  We will see if the finger needs and operation.  these next couple of weeks won't be pleasant as the finger heals.  

Life goes on from one major/minor disaster to another.  As the horizon comes into view, I can't help wonder what comes next.  I need a time machine...

mtz

Friday, October 18, 2024

Rats!!

 This is a quickie having to do with my dogs.

Two or our three dogs have had a mission since last spring.  They never give it up.  In the beginning I thought they were hunting rabbits in our backyard.   We've had a couple of cute rabbits who use to hang out in our backyard gaining access under the wood fence.  Then we had a garden.  I thought the dogs were hunting rabbits in our garden.

I was so wrong.  My daughter moved some chicken wire and pallets from the side of the shed.  All of a sudden, I find my little Sadie on her cushion  chomping down on a 4 " rat.  A Rat.  In the trash.  Sadie didn't seem to care.   A 2nd dead rat came into our world soon after.  

Now the dogs switched over to a bushy area of the garden.  The dogs have been working this area since July.  TODAY, Sadie walks into the house, plops herself down in front of my wife, and drops a rat on the floor.   Gadz.  I don't know if this is the last of the rats or not.

I've gone my whole life without having to deal with Rats.  Little Sadie, I believe, brought the rat to us to show how good she is as a hunter.  Cats and Dogs do that.  They catch a critter and bring it to you - as a gift, I suppose.

Rat #3.  gone.

Sidebar:  in the front yard under a bush we have found a dead rabbit - head ripped off - fuzzy little tail torn off - Some other hunter has killed that rabbit in our front yard.  There is  a beautiful white cat that hangs out in our neighbor at times.  I suppose....

Do you have a great rat story?  I'd love to hear it.  (that what the comment area is for)

over & out --

m