Cool Dark Wednesday. Get Used To It!

My lovely-young-bride (SWMBO) of danged near 35 years, doesn't let me climb on

the roof anymore cause, somewhere, somewhen, I got OLD. WAY klutzier than I was even 20 years ago. (And I'm not sure if I'm not insured or she just hasn't got the payments quite caught up on insurance. But don't tell her my suspicions.)

So, imagine her surprise yesterday when she returned from dropping her friends off at home, to find me 55 feet up in the air working on my tower and antenna's.

She did not look happy when she got out of the car. But, my neighbor with the man-lift brought it down and we finally got the top section of my tower, with antenna attached, up and bolted securely in place. And, other than one cable being 10 feet too short (damn!) it went well. Even repositioned the security cam I have up there.

Beside, what's to worry about a 68 year old (me) and a 75 year old (my neighbor) being 55 feet up in the air? What could possibly go wrong?

Noticed that the slimy fuckers in Philly are rioting because a Black man with a knife charging the police, got killed. I guess the fact that he HAD A FREAKIN' KNIFE and was CHARGING THE COPS doesn't mean anything. No Cop should be made to stand and maybe get killed.

USPS Worker Charged With Dumping Ballots: Yet we're supposed to trust voting by mail for America. Which I don't as long as there's a Democrat alive. I'd almost rather vote by UPS/FedEx than trust the US Post Office. Better yet, let the FBI handle mail in voting since they can't seem to handle anything else. Or, maybe not.

So get off your asses and take yourself down to vote in person. And don't let any Democrats handle the collected votes. It's already going to be (crazy would be an understatement) after the votes cause you know the Democrats are going to contest every vote in every State and drag it out. They'll steal it if we let them.

Maybe we ought to get out and demonstrate FOR President Trump immediately after the election to show Democrats that we were serious?

I see Cher and Reiner are up to their usual. WHY do any credible News agency continue to give these has-beens print? Oh, wait. Credible News Agency. That's where I fucked up.

Anywho, SWMBO is off to the Genealogy Library so I think I'm going to my shop in the basement and work on that piece of wood my neighbor gave me. It's going to make a nice live-edge table/shelf.

Winter Storm Watch In Effect

* WHAT...Heavy snow possible late this afternoon and evening.   Snow accumulation of 1 or 2 inches likely and 3 to 5 inches possible.

At least it won’t be raining! Which is what it’s doing now. Was slightly sprinkling when the Dog and I took off for our walk. Was raining hard by the time we got to the end of the first leg, so we came on home. Windy too!

I don't post here much anymore since Blogger quit letting me post from Open Live Writer. I hate logging in to post! So that doesn't happen. Often.

I’ve Lost My Focus. Mostly Here

I used to post a LOT more than I have been lately. Not sure what exactly the problem is. Probably cause it’s Winter, Dark, Rainy, Dismal, Dreary, and get’s dark WAY too early. Lucky y’all!

And, honestly, not a lot going on around here other than SSDD. Did try pushing a Honda (Civic?) off my drain field (where it was delivered after dark by someone that dropped it off (for my Renter) and booked as fast as possible) and thought I was going to die! Chest pains. Dizziness. Shortness of breath. HAD to sit down or fall down. Man! Sucked cause I don’t think that car can weigh in at 1200 lbs. Think I’m getting Old.

Got my new Windows 10 machine in and set up. Ordered a new half-height video card and that came in and was installed with a minimum of fuss. Works great! I have maxed out all the settings in X-Plane, MSFSX, and Lock-On and everything looks great! We’ll see how it holds up to installing and running plug-ins and stuff. So far I am not disappointed. I do need to get a bigger power supply though. Soon.

So, my room is starting to come together rather nicely. Five monitors hooked to 2 desktops with the option of hooking up 2 laptops and have 2 Raspberry Pi3’s doing various things. Also have a Pi3 left over that I’m thinking of turning into a weather station. We’ll see.

But, now that I have a Windows 10 machine (would prefer Windows 7) I’ve moved Open Live Writer to it and now no longer HAVE to run that Windows 7 virtual machine. Which I will keep “just in case.”

Ordering a Yaesu ft-991a in the next few days. Thinking of mounting my 857d in the truck or the Caravan. Probably the truck though cause I can still use the 140/440 in the meantime. Then if we get somewhere and I feel like doing some HF I’ll take the Alpha Antenna out of the tool box, hook it up, and see who I can contact. Probably need to get a smaller tuner though. Hmmm…

SWMBO made London Broil for dinner tonight so I made her Snickerdoodle cookies for a snack.

Yesterday she took me to El Sombrero for dinner. Had way (way!) too many refried beans and am paying for it tonight. Honestly, something died…

Extreme Wx - Port Orchard Version

Was sitting on the pot when a peal of thunder shook the house so much I actually thought we’d been hit by a truck. There was a Qwest truck in the neighborhood fixing our phone lines (someone took them out in an accident) and I thought maybe they’d lost control and rammed the house.

Then I started hearing reports of “Tornado” and “Gas Leak” and “Going door to door to evacuate” on the police bands. What?

Yep, we had a Tornado in Port Orchard. Did some damage too. Of course it was all over the local (Seattle) News and they absolutely talked it to death. Luckily no one was injured. So, Cool.

Our Internet went down a few days ago. Day before yesterday I spent about 2 hours on the phone with Qwest tech support (thanks, Gerald!) to have him finally assign a tech to come out and check the lines. Yesterday, went to check mail and saw 4 Qwest trucks and a digger working on the telephone lines for our entire subdivision. Seems someone ran off the dirt road into a steel gate and took out the main junction box for all our phone lines. Thanks Anon Driver. They got it fixed yesterday though. Good!

Not a whole lot else going on around here. Me and the Dog manage to make our walks but it is really (really!) wet out there. Ground squishes when you step on it. I’ve never seen so much running and standing water on our property. And we lost another alder. More storms moving in over the next week. Stand by…

Chili-fries for dinner. Cause I can.

Anytime The Headaches Want To Stop Is Ok With Me

Just not a lot going on around here. Foot and knee are still hurting. Get a headache every other day or so. It’s raining off and on. Getting colder and darker and, OH MY GOD, the Sun is going down! WTF?

Just kidding. Sorta. Really not a lot going on around here cause I’m still retired and just don’t get out much. Saturday date with SWMBO. BUT, I did get to go on a mid-week “date” with her last Wednesday. She had the day off to do Dental stuff and we spent the day together. Even made a COSTCO run.

Which really threw me off cause I kept thinking it was Saturday. I suppose if we had not eaten and gone shopping I wouldn’t have been confused! Getting Old.

My Renter is still driving me fookin’ nuts. I’m beginning to think she’s trying to get evicted. I know she’s having a hard time working and all (and Adulting), but if she’d come up and talk to me we could work something out. I’ve already agreed to lower the rent for two months while she looks for a roomie. But, without talking I have no idea what’s going on.

Meanwhile, rent is late every month and I usually have to remind her it’s due. I shouldn’t have to go to her for rent. She’s still behind for part of last month’s rent and electric and all I’ve heard is “I’m gonna do this …” but nothing’s done.

Not that it’s all bad. It’s just we don’t get along as well as we used to. And that kinda bums me out. (And NO Im not having those kind of fantasies!)

Anyway, that’s pretty much it for tonight. About 1930 I suddenly get really tired and my head will start to hurt. I hate Winter coming on!

Sometimes I Hate My Life

I am SO fookin’ sick of the weather in Western WaRshington! Look, either get sunny and warm or rain! Make up your damned mind already! This is worse than following that dipshit on the freeway that can’t decide how fast he wants to go.

Just not a whole lot going on. Regular chores (when I feel like doing them) and our walks. The people chopping down trees (Lumber Company?} haven’t gotten to the part near us yet. Think they’re pretty close though.

Trying to figure out how the wireing on those solar panels I bought work. Wired one way I can get 12-20 volts. Wired another I can get 30-60 depending on the sun. So, which do I want?

To power my shack (radio’s and computers/monitors to interface with the radios) do I want 3 or 4 batteries with invertor. Would input be 12 volts or 50-60 volts? Do I wire the panels (and batteries) in series or parrallel?

See, all I really know is I have 4 solar panels and I want to 1) run my shack off them, and 2) use one to power the Caravan/RV and my radio stuff while camping out. (This one is the easier one to figure out.)

Other than that I have NO idea what the fook I’m doing.

When I say “run my shack” I mean the 3 radio’s (that currently run on battery power), either my laptop or the Pi and a monitor. I want my “Shack” to cost zero bucks to run and be up and running during power outs or other emergencies.

I don’t think there’s any way to run my whole house on solar. Freezer, dishwasher, washer and dryer; all big users of electricity and I use them most every day. Or every other day. Except the freezer. It’s on all the time.

Most of the electronics and stuff like that could be run by solar, I think. Probably not my computer and 3 monitors. Maybe not the NAS even though I have the drives turn themselves off after 15 minutes of non-use. Big tv could. Pi media player could. Probably the cable modem/router.

Well, it finally rained a bit. Just enough to get part of the garbage burned. But at least it made up it’s mind on what to do. For a moment.

SWMBO got home and took me to Safeway for some “stuff.” Nice being out of the house with her!

Got in the last part of the NMARES Net and listening to them talk about W7LDE’s antenna’s.

Think I’ll go lay down and read a bit.

Really Ready For Summer!!!!!!!

Pretty much SSDD every day this week. SWMBO had last Monday off (with most of the rest of America) but other than that nada. Couple of nice days but more cloudy and cold (and some rain). Sucks! I am SO ready for Summer.

Not sure if things are going to work out with our Renter. The nicest thing I can say is that “our lifestyles just don’t mesh.’ The worst I can say is “Every time I hear their boom box car (which drowns out everything (everything!) else) or their friend who has to yell everything he says (which drowns out everything else) I inch a bit closer to exercising an eviction notice. I like the quiet country living and I’m not getting it (on the weekends at least).

Plus me and the Dog can’t take off all our clothes and go for walks with their friends gathered out there. Which sucks. I don’t care if they are mostly all male (which brings up a whole other boatload of questions). One of the reasons we moved here is when the wx gets nice, me and the Dog take all our clothes off and go for walks.

Mostly it’s the noise though. There’s a shit load I can ignore if it’s quiet.

Got contacted by the Yeasu repair people: it’s going to cost me $290 + shipping to get my radio fixed and back. Said an eprom was shorted (???) and the faceplate was missing characters (which seems to be a regular complaint of 857d owners). So, paid that and hopefully my radio will be back well before Field Day.

Burgers and Baked Beans for dinner tonight. Think I’ll be glad for my cpap later!

Another Week Gone By Already? Damn!

Weather varies from cloudy and kinda cool to sunny and HOT and me and the Dog try to dress for it all. When we gotta get dressed that is.

Been busy doing yard work stuff, including whack-weeding about .5 miles around the edges of the property and the trail the Dog and I walk several times a day. Way Too Much Whack-Weeding! I’m too old for this crap.

Other than that just not a whole lot going on. Sometimes being “retired” just ain’t worth it.

The Yeasu folks got my radio and let me know they’ll get to it when they get to it. Could take 2 to 6 weeks just to be diagnosed.

Set up my real spray paint machine to paint the fence out back. Took the fence apart so I wouldn’t spray the house at the same time. Was spraying one section when the pressure hose split. They Waz Paint Everywhere! Wasted about half of the paint before I could get it turned off. Aaarrggghhhh! So I would up doing one face of the different sections by brush before I ran out of paint. Have to get some more. Put the fence back in place to get it out of the way.

Ex-Renter shit: Got word that he told a friend that he was going to invite some people to help him move his shit and try to kill us all before the Sheriff could kill him. Basically suicide by cop. So the Sheriff’s went over to talk to him and he cancelled coming over. Good move…

Later, when they went back to arrest him for several No-Contact violations, the idiot fought with them. So, he got arrested for Criminal Mischief, Official Misconduct (no-contact stuff), and Resisting/Interfering with Police on top of the other felony’s. His bail is $100k per charge.

I was going to get rid of his “stuff” before all this. His lawyer (scum sucking lawyer) mailed me a letter saying I didn’t have the authority to evict the ex-renter (which I did according to the lease) and “asking” that I keep his stuff until he can get it. (Which won’t be for awhile now unless he can make $300k bail.) So I’m thinking of piling it all under my deck and covering it with a tarp. And charging him $100/mo for storage.

So, interesting week even though I didn’t get out of the house that much. SWMBO gets to pick the restaurant tomorrow since I chose the all-you-can-eat place last Saturday. I really look forward to our dates!

Picked SWMBO up cause it’s Friday. Nice!

Wow! That Long!

Last Tues & Wed were pretty nice but Thursday was the official First Naked Day of 2018. Got to over 80 degrees so me and the Dog went for plenty of walks. Nice. Of course it changed back to rain off and on and high of 58 degrees starting Friday. Joy!

SWMBO and I have been doing our usual Saturday dates. I hardly do anything that I enjoy more than just being out with her.

Never did buy a roto-tiller; but got a thingie that looks like a mini-roto-tiller. Tears up ground pretty good! (Senior Moment. I cannot remember what the thing is called.) Started buying more blue berry plants to plant out in the side-front yard. Got two and need about 6 more. Next week!

The “New” MCARC repeater sucks. The signal at my house is so bad I’ve quit listening in or trying to talk on it.

Some logging going on around us. You can hear someone cutting down the trees and it’s slowly moving towards us. I’m hoping me and the Dog can watch and film when they get up here by my house.

SWMBO called needing a ride so we got to pick her up at the QFC. Always a pleasure!

NMARES Monday Night Net went well with 11 check-ins. Cool!

I’m going to bed.

Haven’t Been Posting As Much Lately

And I really couldn’t tell you why. Bored? Tired? Depressed? All those things most of the time. But, still, I used to post a bit more often and regular. I think maybe it could be cause it’s towards the end of a long, dark, winter too. Getting to stay outside a bit later. Which I like. Sick of the damned cold and wet and that’s pretty much how the week has been. Except yesterday. Which was almost nice.

Not a whole hell of a lot going on around here. The Renter is settled down and working out just fine. The Old Renter (I did tell y’all all about this, right?) paid half the months rent. Forgot to get his keys from him. Doesn’t matter though cause I changed all the locks. She already has a new room mate and we’ll see how that works out.

Have almost quit the MCARC. That’s another long story for another day though.

I keep getting weaker. Start out okay in the morning but feel the need for a nap by 1030. The first walk up the hill I do okay; the second is  harder. The third is really hard. Part of it is my foot hurting, but the weakness is the worrying part. By the third walk I feel like I’ve already run a marathon and have to force myself to do the walk at all. Getting OLD I guess.

Got busy watching “Adam Ruins” with SWMBO.

Wind And Rain And Wind And Rain

WAY too much wind and rain over the past 4 days or so. Our property is absolutely flooded. Can’t walk anywhere here without my heavy boots on. Dog has to wear his rain gear (which he hates) or he’s soaked by the time we get to the end of the driveway. Same with me. (Except I wear MY rain gear and not his.)

Ordered myself a new Kindle Paperwhite the other day and it came in today. I like it! Really nice backlit screen with readable type. Needs the buttons on the side to change pages so you can just squeeze to do that; but not too bad. Already downloaded some of my books onto it. Will experiment to see how many I can put on the thing.

Date day with SWMBO last Saturday went well. We tried a new (to us) BBQ place in Shelton (almost right across the street from Sister’s). Good Food! SWMBO really enjoyed her ribs and I had so much (good) blackened Catfish on my plate I had to bring half of it home. We’ll be going back.

The NMARES 2-meter Monday Evening Chat Net (Rag Chew) went well. Had a check-in from Gig Harbor and Port Orchard. Cool!

And that’s pretty much it. SWMBO is home and fed and about to go into her room for the evening. I’m gonna finish this up and go lay down and read using my new Kindle Paperwhite.

My Lovely-Young-Bride of 31+ Years Does NOT Understand

Buttermilk. I don’t know if it’s because she’s from the “North,” just doesn’t like “spoiled milk,” or what. She’d have to be on her deathbed with no sewage water available before she’d drink it though. Doesn’t mind baking with it but, drink it? No thanks! For me: A chunk of cornbread and a tall ice-cold glass of buttermilk is dinner!

Not a lot going on around here. We’re kinda sorta battening down the hatches for a blow tomorrow that’s supposed to last overnight. Chance of high winds so I’ve loosened my long wire antenna and (hopefully) fixed anything that could be lobbed around by wind. We’ll see.

Tried making a cake in the convection oven yesterday. Not gonna work. About the time the inside is getting done the outside is starting to turn brown. Wait a minute. Isn’t that the way it’s supposed to work? The cake I made tastes good and appears to be done throughout so, …

My DataDrive has finally given up the ghost. Can’t read anything from it now. Will be glad when my new drives get in tomorrow.

My first batch of rocks should be ready tomorrow also! Cool!

Got to pick SWMBO up tonight at the QFC. Nice! It’s already starting to rain and get a bit windy out there. How much of a “storm” will we have?

What Kind Of Perverse God?

Would think "I'm going to create Man. He's going to be stupider than the other Gods but slightly smarter than animals. AND as he get's older, the hair on his head will thin and turn gray. BUT, the hair on his back and arms will get bushier and darker the older he gets.” (And then there's that nose-hair and ear-hair but let's not go there.)

Stormy the past couple of days. Lots of wind and rain. Trees down all over. Multiple reports of power lines down (and one power lines down across an occupied car). Right now there's over 20k people without power. More of the same expected for this afternoon (but maybe not as severe as yesterday).

SWMBO texted me from the ferry last night. Seems she had a rough ride! She made it home safe though. Her son had a rough day yesterday with the Wx and flat tires and getting up late and more; but he survived also.

Dog and I did manage one walk before it really started coming down. Tried to keep him occupied in the big room chasing balls and playing tug-rope but I *do* have things to do.He's gonna have to get used to keeping himself entertained.

So, got back online and managed to refill my Rx's. Man, that new MHS Genesis shit is confusing. Plus, my Doc isn't set up on it so it's impossible to message him or make an appointment. Calling Tricare For Life Helpline is a total waste of time too. I tried. I was so frustrated I made a batch of Peanut Butter Cookies!

Got this back in reply to my "feedback:"

There are currently no medical records available for you in the MHS GENESIS EHR. Check back after your first visit with your healthcare team or PCM or contact their office.

The TOL Patient Portal (www.tricaare online.com) will only display Historical Data for Madigan and it's Satellite Medical Facilities.

All Fort Lewis /Madigan and it's Satellites Medical Facilities  are using the MHS GENESIS electronic medical records system. Please call your local MTF appointment line for further assistance with Web appointing using the Patient Portal.

So, if there are NO records for me (which I have seen BTW) then why (WHY?) am I being forced to use a system that can't help me? This being run by the VA or something? Still, it really looks like a canned answer from folks that have absolutely no idea what the Hell they're doing. (AmIRight?)

Made an appointment for a carpet cleaner to come by this afternoon. Will cost about $120 for the one room; but that's worth it to me! Means I don't have to go to Safeway and rent a shampooer and buy the chemicals and do it myself. Which would also probably cost me about $120 if you factor in everything. (It went well. They were here only about an hour and the carpet really looks clean! Smelly, but clean.)

COSTCO rescheduled their guy that's going to come over and estimate how much to install one of those tankless water heaters. And I saw one of their space heater thingies that would work well for the basement. It'll be spendy but would make things a bit better around here.

Do This Right Away: Put a couple scoops of vanilla bean ice cream in a bowl. Add a tablespoon of my homemade blackberry jelly. Eat. Yummy!

Anywho, SWMBO is home and eating her dinner. Think I’m just going to take it easy until time to go lay down.