Lot of Things Running Through My Noggin

We have been cleaning house all morning.  We had been slacking lately and there were dog fur balls every where.  We could have made another dog.  Still have some to do but lunch slowed everything down.  Not sure what the rest of the day will hold for us.

As for the dogs, they have gotten to the point they really like each other and will play quite a bit.  Abby holds her own for the most part but is smaller, not as fast nor strong enough to hold off Snickers.  She will finally get enough and hide out if not jump in our laps.  She is feeling confident enough with us she tries to boss my around lol.  We took her to the groomer last week.  It wasn't near as expensive as I thought it might be for such a little furball.  So we will try to make it a regular thing.  They remove a lot of the undercoat on her (she is a double coated dog) and that helps keep the shedding down.  

My mother will have an arteriogram tomorrow.  She has been having some weird things happen with her hands and finger.  They turn blue.  The doctor is concerned but no real diagnosis yet.  He did mention one thing that was concerning.  Mom didn't hear him and we are glad for that.  We don't want her to have any additional concerns until there is something to be concerned about.  Her anxiety might really increase with that info.  We will just wait for the results.

I am very confused by this fight inflation bill the dems are pushing through.  (I'm not really)  How does spending more money you don't have fight inflation?  All they say is, it will but can't explain it.  There is a lot of pork in there too, a huge portion of it going to green energy.  If green energy is so great, why can't it support itself?  I have no issue having it supplement our energy grid but if you have to fund it to keep it going and especially at the expense of the rest of the 'reliable' grid it's just insanity.  Obviously legislators have their hand in someone's pocket.  Yes, I'm looking at you Manchin.  But he's not the only one, there are a lot of local and state legislators that do it too.  Yes, this is a very simple view of it.  I am aware it gets much more complicated but only in a bad way.  You and I are paying the price.  

'K' is telling me she thinks we need a generator.  I don't know if she has thought it out at all or any details.  We discussed it a while back.  I have never used a generator or ever really been around them other than seeing a few construction guys using them to power saws etc.  I've learned a little about the conventional generator versus an invertor generator.  But still am pretty ignorant about them.  I do have some friends that have gotten either a whole house generator or have a potable one that can be used to power most thing in their house.  Thanks to some of y'all I know about the dual or tri fuel ones that are available.  Ugh.  I keep putting it off.  I may regret this.

Happy Trails

Blood Work Results

Finally got blood work results from my recent doc visits.  First off, no detectable cancer.  Always glad to hear that.  This makes the eight year since finding my cancer.  The Urologist says 2 more years of monitoring.  That will be great, one less doctor appointment.  He also moved me out to one a year instead of every 6 months for checks.  I am certainly blessed.  

As for the regular doctor visit.  My diabetes blood work wasn't near as good as I wanted it.  The last 6 months I have struggled with blood sugar numbers.  It's been worse since COVID.  From way too low to way to high.  For those that know what A1C is, my latest was 6.4.  The doctor was very happy with that.  Me, not so much.  I was 5.9 last time.  That's a significant change.  The doc doesn't like it below 6.0.  To much risk of low blood sugar which can be fatal.  I watch it pretty close and can detect the signs and make adjustments.  My preference is to be below 6.0 due to my diabetic neuropathy.  It keeps it at bay.  With the bouts I have had with it, I would rather take a low blood sugar risk than live with neuropathy 24/7.  The lower my A1C is the less I feel it.  But I have to keep it there for a period of time to notice any effects lessening.

K and I are headed out for drive, despite gas prices.  No idea where to, just get in and go and see where we wind up.  It won't be long, maybe a couple hours.  We just need to get out.

Happy Trails

USPS Inattention or Incompetence

Rant Warning

About a month ago I had an issue with USPS.  I did not receive a package.  This one contained my diabetes meds, very expensive.  I sent them an email since they never answer the phone, notifying them that the package was either misdelivered or stolen.  I also notified the pharmacy.  Canned message from USPS stated someone would contact me in 1-2 days.  Four days later and still nothing.  I send another message and same response.  That very same day the neighbor across the street brings my package.  Four days later?  Did he have it the entire time or did USPS find it and redeliver and get it wrong again?  I advised the pharmacy.  They wanted me to check with USPS.  LOL.  A month later I get a email from USPS wanting me to file a claim.  Then I get an email wanting to fill out a survey on the resolution of my missing package.  It centered mostly on how they responded.  Of course I ripped them.  Oh, I did not file a claim since I got my meds.

The very next day I get the neighbor nextdoor's to me mail.  The next day, same thing, all of it.  It's not unusual to get his mail on occasion.  In fact it happens a lot.  So they got another nasty email calling them out.  I did receive an apology the next day.  

I don't like calling out working folks trying to do a job, we all make mistakes.  But this had gone on to the point I wasn't as patient and kind anymore.  Yes, I got an excuse about staffing shortages etc.  But that isn't what caused this.  It was just inattention or something worse.  I know they have the mail all sorted and in a line ready to go and don't really look at the mail they put in the box, I've seen it.  They certainly don't verify the mailing label to what's on the mailbox, I've seen that too.  It slows them down.  They are always in a hurry out here.  I follow the Nextdoor app and it is full of threads about bad mail delivery and stolen packages.  It's pretty common out here it seems.  At least I got my meds thanks to the neighbor even though it was four days late.

Happy trails

Doctors etc.

Went for my annual physical (or wellness as they say now) today.  Went pretty fast for a physical.  He was late coming in so he was in a hurry to catch up.  I was the first appt. and he showed up 27 minutes later.  SMH.  Not much in the way of a physical.  Mainly grilled me about my diabetes control.  Then sent me off for lab work.  I would rather they do the lab work prior so we can talk about it at the physical.  They used to, not sure why the change.  Maybe it's a medicare thing.

'K' is over staying with my Mom tonight.  Mom just loves it so much when she does.  She will take her to Costco to get new hearing aids that we have been trying to get her to do for a couple years.  I need to do the same.  My old ones are worn out and aren't doing the job anymore.  I checked with them about the new models that they usually get around September.  They have no idea when they might be in.  They say that one day they just show up.  So I will probably go ahead and just get them anyway.  I know it's frustrating for 'K' but it is for me too.  You tend to get a little isolated by not being able to hear everything.  So you get left out of some conversations.  While 'K' is there she will be making me an appointment.

I will also have a follow up with the Urologist to check my numbers for any return of my prostate cancer.  I don't foresee any issues.  Seven and a half years since it was removed.  They tell me the longer you go without a return the more likely it is it won't return.  I believe at 10 years they will cut me loose and I can eliminate one of the many doctor visits I have.  Yes, prostate cancer can come back even if you have no prostate.  It will grow in the area where the prostate was if not in the bones.

Not a lot else is going on and I don't see anything changing in the near future.  We did reserve rooms for the Bluegrass Heritage Festival in Farmers Branch in October.  Unless gas gets too outrageous will go again.  No Ricky Skaggs this year it seems but they have Rhonda Vincent coming.  My favorite Del McCoury will be there again.  This is a really good show and it's done right.  Looking forward to it.

Still hotter than ever here.

Happy Trails

Heat and Breakfast Tacos

The teenager stay was pretty OK, not much conversation but she didn't seem too disgusted by my antics.  So I guess that's a success.  Today the other Granddaughter, the 3.5 year old comes to stay through Sunday as her parents have a show at a convention.  

'K' is having another bout with her diverticulitis but it doesn't really slow her down this time.  We thought at first she had food poisoning.  It was just different than previous times.  Having fever made her think otherwise.  She is getting some antibiotics to get that fixed up.  It's just that they mess up other things that need other meds.  What a mess.

I had 'breakfast tacos' yesterday.  They weren't all that unique to me, just an every day thing here.  What were they thinking when they wrote that speech and how did she not realize how stupid it sounded.  I guess when you are surrounded by stupid it permeates everything.  Yet the press is letting it quietly die.  Now if Trump or Elon said that...If you've been up with the news you know what I'm talking about.

The weather here is the really only news anyone cares about.  It just keeps getting hotter and in the next couple days more of that African dust will hit us.  I was reading a prediction for weather in July for the Central Texas.  It will continue the hot trend and continue to increase in temps.  They even had a specific day and place for one area just north of Waco, it would be 116 degrees on July 28.  Not a typo.  The record in Central Texas is 114.  I still haven't heard anyone venture to give a reason for this long stretch of record heat.  We had 105 yesterday, then a few clouds moved in and it went down to 103.  Ugh.  Only good thing is, NO yard work when it's this hot.  But my yard is looks bad.  It would look worse if I was passed out in it from heat stroke.

Happy Trails

Teenagers and Garden Update

Sunday afternoon our oldest (14) Granddaughter will come stay with us until Wednesday.  She normally would be heading to camp with her brother.  She doesn't spend much time with us anymore, her choice.  We just aren't fun enough I guess, and I get it.  And puberty has made some major changes in interaction.  It's been at least 3 years maybe 4 since she has stayed over.  I'm a little anxious about how to interact with her for an extended time.  Don't get me wrong, we speak the usual one word greetings and the obligatory hug when we see each other but I can see they want to move on and I don't detain them.  

I used to teach that age quite a bit years ago and could always connect.  I attempted to teach again a couple years ago and it was not as I had hoped/expected.  The kids are different.  In my opinion, they want to be entertained by a screen of some sort, i.e. social media or electronic games.  They are rarely forced to actually communicate face to face.  It is extremely rare to get one to actually speak more than one word answers and a lot of times I get a blank stare.  Yes, my boys were one word answer kids too at times like most parents complained about their teens, but this has gone to the extreme.  I used to be able to draw them out.  Not anymore.  Hopefully I will be surprised.  Yes, I know others will say well that's just kids and I agree to a point, but it is different than just 15 years ago.

The garden isn't producing much right now.  The Potatoes were harvested last week and I got about 2 lbs. of very small potatoes.  Golf ball size to a bit larger.  These were the gold potatoes that are small anyway.  I will plant Russets in about a month.  The carrots totally failed.  I don't know how to grow them apparently.  The onions were also pretty small.  Fall is a better time for onions plus the heat didn't help.  The tomato plants look fantastic and have a ton of blooms but not many green tomato starts.  The heavy rain we got a little while back ruined a lot of the tomatoes I had hanging.  Just too much water to fast that caused splitting or 'second growth.'  Lost some big ones.  We are still having record heat and will at least through the next week.  I'm hoping the tomatoes will survive and continue to produce a little more.  It's funny I have one tomato plant about eight feet tall and one little scrawny one about two foot tall planted at the same time.  Guess which one produced the most tomatoes and still is.  Two different varieties.  The small is a Roma and has done just super.  The larger is a Better Boy and the tomatoes are fantastic but it doesn't produce many.  I may need to prune them more to reduce foliage and concentrate on fruit.  But dang that thing is beautiful and it's hard to bring myself to cut those big branches.  

Happy Trails

Rain

Hallelujah we got some rain.  Over two days 2.5 inches.  That helps a lot but doesn't break the drought.  Some areas of the yard greened up pretty well, but they had some green already.  The toasty parts not so much.  They are still toasty.  Now that we are in July rain becomes ever more rare.  Of course there are exceptions.  But generally July is very dry.  Temps have cooled significantly.  Highs in the mid 90's only.  I can live with that.  But again it's now July and the temps usually start getting higher but not as high was what we have had already.

We seem to be fully healed from Covid.  I think we will venture out tonight for supper and a quick stop at the grocery.  Going a bit stir crazy.  Monday, July 4 is our 47th anniversary.  And they said it wouldn't last.  We will head over to some friends from church since they put on a big get together for everyone.  If we wanted to see out kids that's where they will be.  It's more fun than sitting around looking at each other asking 'what do you wanna do?'  Yup, we're just boring old people.

Hope y'all have a great 4th.

Happy Trails