Weather Related?

The weather here, sheesh.  A cold front blew in last night, and I mean a COLD front.  The wind is kicking up to about 25 mph and the temps have fallen from the mid 80's yesterday to currently 48.  With that wind it gets uncomfortable to walk around my garden in my usual shorts.  It is downright cold.  I had started feeling some significant discomfort in my back yesterday and the wife says 'there is a cold front coming.'  That is her standby for every ailment that comes along, or so it seems.  My body never seems to correspond to the weather like she seems to think.  But I have no explanation for these new aches in new places.  I did nothing unusual to bring on these aches but at my age it could be anything.  The pain got me out of bed earlier than I wanted and the stiffness on rising was significant.  My usual stretching was torture.  Motrin became and immediate need.  

We both had plans for today.  She was supposed to go with a friend to help her at a show in Wimberly to repay a similar favor.  I was going over to the church house for a work day.  Her plans got cancelled and I was just too stove up to go to the work day.  I would have paid the price even more later.  I am not so sure she isn't right about the weather thing, this time.  

This coming week K will have an MRI her gastro doc wanted her to have.  Then a scoping in May.  He wants to see if there is or isn't something else that can be done to prevent any similar issue that required her emergency surgery in December.  This all comes on the recommendation of the surgeon who had his hands all up inside this area.  He couldn't determine what caused her gut to explode.  He thought it best to have this GI doc take a look.  Whatever it takes to keep her healthy.

My little fur buddy, Buster, is really starting to show his age.  We have taken him off his regular food, a diet type that kept his weight down.  But it appears to me he wasn't getting the proper nutrients since his fur has become very frizzy and dull.  So we are trying something else which can be a chore since he is so picky about food.  We found one right off that he likes very well.  Now to see if it helps him out and we can keep his weight down.  He definitely has weather related issues.

Keeping his weight down is critical since the heavier he gets the harder it is for him to get around and less energetic.  Although at almost 14, I'm not sure the food is everything that we need.  We had been having trouble finding this new food as the place we got it at was out for 3 weeks.  So we looked around online and found another pet place that carried it and had it in stock.  This place specializes in all natural foods etc.  After getting some info from us, they had some suggestions about things we could try.  Hemp Oil and Hemp snacks.  They gave us a couple samples of the snacks.  The jury is still out there, he is very cautious about new snacks.  I guess he thinks we are going to poison him lol.  I need to research this Hemp thing more.  It isn't cheap.  The oil is about 35$ a pop and lasts about 2 weeks.  I can't really afford to add a 70$/mo+ to our current budget.  Maybe I could keep some on hand for occasional use.  It's supposed to help with some of his issues.  One they mentioned was anxiety, I laughed and said 'Well it should, it's Hemp,' they smiled politely is all I got and explanation it didn't have 'those' things in it.  Well OK.  So I don't know if all this natural or holistic thing is a scam or the real deal.  I just want my old friend to feel better.

Happy Trails

Border

I have been trying to follow the news about this caravan of 1200 travelers heading to our Southern border from Mexico.  They are coming from various countries in Central America it appears.  I am certain they have been 'organized' by those that are opposed to President Trump's border wall or proposed immigration policies.  They are illegally in Mexico, and yet, what does Mexico do about it?  They hurry them along with various levels of support, just to get them out of their country.  They don't want them.  The various cities they travel through are also providing places to eat and transportation, whatever it takes to get them out of their city.  So the question becomes apparent:  Why does Mexico allow this to happen?  Why didn't they ship them back/deport them?  First off, most of Mexico is corrupt, on every level.  It is a way of life there and has been for centuries.  No one can ever really know how they justify their corruption.  They all look at it as a way of life and just go on.  Being as close to the border as we are and with the city near us still having strong ties to Mexico, you would be forgiven for thinking you lived in Mexico at times.  Does that sound racist?  I don't mean for it to be but I know I could never convince you otherwise if you believe I am.  You think differently.  But I digress.  

Now, many here are upset because the President has said that this caravan will be met at the border with the Military.  This twists the leftards to the max I am sure.  I understand that our Military has very specific laws that prevent them from various actions within the confines of the United States.  I am not versed on the 'posse comitatus' law.  But how can we allow what basically amounts to an invasion happen without meeting it with some form of force?  Now don't get me wrong, I don't espouse firing on innocent civilians coming into our country illegally.  I am not advocating the Military shoot anyone that crosses the border.  However, I would doubt these invaders would get across our porous border less easily or even be deterred by the sight of uniformed and armed military guarding our border.  Yes, it is a slippery slope, when would they be allowed to shoot?  Better minds than mine have to answer that.

On another note, the last couple days have been somewhat busy.  A dermatologist appointment to follow up on my skin cancer, I donated blood, a dental cleaning and then the regular things that have to get done.  I have been a little busier than I prefer, well, not really.  The doctor/dental stuff is always a PITB.  The dermatologist wants me in every 6 months for 2 years.  If this keeps up I will have every month covered for doctor appointments.  May already do if I add in K.  Sheesh, this getting old is not easy.  

Happy Trails

I Got Nothing

Seriously, I haven't posted anything since last Thursday and the old Brain Box is dry of new things to post.  Sorry, just not feeling it.  I have stayed away from the news sources mostly so I couldn't even give my thoughts about that if I had a mind to.  The good thing about that is less stressing over the crap that goes on with the rest of the world.  It's good for the part of my brain that gets irritated with stupidity.  I don't want to get worked up over things I can't do anything about.

This week I had hoped to head out and get some wildflower photos that this part of Texas is so well known for.  However, there are other things on the schedule that will probably deny us that pleasure.  First if a follow up visit to the dermatologist that removed my skin cancer.  Then a visit to the dental school for us both.  We have started going the this school to get regular cleanings instead of a a regular dentist.  Students that are in their 3rd year are getting experience with dentistry and it saves us a considerable amount.  I have no reservations about letting a student do this sort of work.  They have the professors right there to go over any work they perform.  The negative aspect is it takes much longer than a regular visit to a dentist and it is a long drive.  They are very thorough and the experience isn't bad.  However, we may have to reschedule due to K's persistent coughing etc.  A dental exam/cleaning would not be pleasant at all in her current state.  She is getting better but it is very slow.

Happy Trails

And The Rains Came

Just over 4 inches of Rain.  It appears that it is now over.  It won't be raining the rest of the week as they predicted.  The sun is supposed to be full bore today but I haven't seen it yet.  Still very cloudy.  

A couple days of full sun after this much rain and I should see some significant growth in my tomato garden.  It usually takes a good rain to jump start them and this is what I am hoping for as they have had almost no growth since I planted in about 3-4 weeks.  These rains should also bring the wildflowers into their peak.  Just in time for a couple road trips to view and photograph them.

K seems to have finally turned the corner on her illness.  She is feeling much better with less coughing although her beautiful singing voice is still very weak and I have considerable trouble hearing what she says.  Once we are sure she is over all this we will plan some day trips but that will probably next week.  Plenty of time for the wildflowers to get going.

The Live Oak pollen is as heavy as I have ever seen it.  There is yellow dust everywhere.  When it is breezy things seem a bit hazy also.  I don't ever remembers seeing that before.  We have about 50 oak trees on our place so we get more than our share of the stuff.

Ah, Springtime in the Hill Country of Texas, glorious.

Happy Trails

Ho Hum

The only thing that is somewhat exciting lately is it started raining a little Tuesday evening about 6 PM.  We so need that as I mentioned in my previous post.  This should lead into a solid week of rain.

The wife still is sick enough that I took her to the doc again.  She had fever and has been coughing so much she is worn out.  They gave her a breathing treatment and an inhaler along with some other meds.  She is not in the best of spirits either having been sick so long.  We are couple days into the begining of 3 weeks.  Nothing like I have ever seen with her before.  Not sure that her surgery and the resulting weakness from last December has diminished her constitution.  I will keep a close eye on her.  Doctors seem to have become a way of life for us lately.

I am trying a new pest control method in my garden.  I have planted a couple dozen small Marigold plants throughout it and close to the tomato plants.  I know certain bugs and animals avoid the marigold due to the smell.  I need something to deter the stink bugs that have inundated us the last couple years.  They sting the tomato and it leaves a discolored spot and it will eventually turn bad.  There were hundreds last year and my tomato production was well down from previous years.  All directly related to those stink bugs.  I will do some more research to see what other measures I can take without using toxic chemicals.  Oh, and I am hoping the Marigolds will deter those fuzzy tailed tree rats.  I had read they work on rabbits so I am hoping for success there also.

Everything else is wait and see until K gets better.

Happy Trails

Weather Coming

This week is supposed to be wet.  Rain is coming Tuesday and should be here all week.  While that messes up some of my plans for a day trip or two to see the wildflowers, we have been in drought conditions since early December.  I am looking forward to this rain.  The tomato plants alway seem to get a kick start with the first rain.  I am hoping for the same this time as they have had little growth since I planted about two weeks ago.

I got up Monday morning with no real plans but as I started with the morning routine I remembered the impending rain.  There was a pile of dead vegetation I had removed from one of the flower beds.  There are a ton of oak leaves all around the place that needed to go away just for aesthetics.  by the time the wife got up an hour later I had accomplished a good amount of chores.  The dead vegetation was bagged up and hauled out for the morning trash pick up and the leaves that gather in a valley on the roof were removed.  The grass was cut in the back and the weed eater (started on the first pull, woo hoo) was used to trim it up.  More leaves were blown away from walk areas and just general clean up.  I was toast by this time.  My back was starting to tell me it didn't like yard work and my right arm started getting numb and weak from the issues in my stupid neck.  But I got most of the worst looking things done and the rain won't delay me now.  I can sit and relax and it isn't even noon.

Where did this energy come from?  I don't know.

Sunday was another emotional day.  Our preacher announced he is giving up full time preaching to seek a doctorate degree and head into an entirely new field of work.  I knew he was probably going to be leaving us so wasn't all that surprised.  But I am very disappointed that he chose to leave preaching.  He is a very talented preacher and had given me new things to think about that I hadn't considered before.  He was also very easy to listen to, that is such a great thing and rare in my experience with over 50 years of listening to numerous preachers.  I hate to think his talent for spreading the gospel will sit quiet.  I told him so and that I hope he would soon return to preaching full time.  

There are many other bad and emotional things going on within my community of friends and loved ones that just seem to keep on coming, illnesses, deaths, bad news about cancer in others.  It could be overwhelming.  Yet my faith sustains me.  I have the peace that passes all understanding.  I stand ready to help in anyway I can to those I care about in need.  What else are we here for than to serve?

Happy Trails

What to Think

I really don't know.  I have stopped trying to figure out what goes on in the head of the President.  His latest action to sign that bill that had things he was against iand said he would veto, is disappointing but not at all surprising.  IMO he has become part of the swamp he promised to drain.  Also the turmoil and turnover in his administration is troubling, however that also doesn't surprise me.  His mercurial personality is hard to gauge and I am sure many of those that have left or been fired are victims of that trait.  What's next?  I am afraid to ask.

Happy Trails