One year ago today: November 17, 2020, I’ve never seen ‘em.
Five years ago today: November 17, 2016, identical, but non-COVID.
Nine years ago today: November 17, 2012, admiring the island . . .
Random years ago today: November 17, 1982, after 1 year on the job.
People in Florida are crazy. Most of the time you can sleep in an unheated room, but most winters there is a cold snap or two. And that is not the time to innovate with heating arrangements. Burns and scalds get common and the hillbilly really burned his leg using a cooker for heat. I bought him some gauze and bandages, but if he won’t go to the hospital, that is his decision. I’m not equipped to handle any emergencies except my own. The days are nice enough and at night I have two space heaters in one room.
This has nothing to do with these three tiny pineapple plants. I put them in this somewhat shady spot to see if they’ll take. The metal stakes are to keep from dragging the garden hose over the plant during other chores. Note the satellite dish, it will, if I ever find time again, become a birdbath. I was up early enough to put in two hours on two songs. One is a Parson favorite that I’m indifferent with, “Tennessee Whiskey”. That’s the one where for no extra effort, we seem to harmonize synergistically although it is at the top of my range.
The other tune is Merle’s “Working Man Blues”, a recording I never cared for as the bass line is a patch-up of recording techniques. I suspect it is several tracks edited for what fit the final mix. Then I went outside and transplanted another cactus-like plant, the agave from Miami. It was not taking next to a cutting from the same plant which is doing fine. I’m pointing out what an energetic morning I had, I even picked up some pallet lumber and hauled some 2x3s back in the van. There is something remarkable happening to my physiology, or I’m surging on empty. Which will it be?
To all you unhappy Win 11 users, things are about to get worse. The updates, which occur even if you disable them, have now installed blocks against all browsers except Edge. And Edge is pure spyware from the ground up. And you people using StripChat can kiss your privacy goodbye. I’m not the least worried, I just finished upgrading all my computers except one to Win XP. And I have no service issues except a few videos that won’t play. For those, I use my single Win 7 computer if need be.
A statistic making the rounds is that 75,000 Americans died of opioid overdosing in the past year. I don’t know any. I don’t know anybody who knows any. I don’t even know anybody who knows anybody who knows any. I’m don’t mean nuttin’, I’m just sayin’. If they want sympathy and empathy, they’d best tell the whole story. Here’s something of my own, see if you can identify. That injury from 2017 across my bass arm is not self-inflicted. I was worried about arthritis-like symptoms and sure enough, the cold weather brought on my first big attack and let me know it will not be the last. It’s a dull, cold-burning ache deep in the muscle or bone, can’t really tell.
Swedish “in-house” greenhouse.
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Not taking any chances with my new-found pep, I opted for a siesta and lost the afternoon. But napping did me good and I spend some time moving lumber and dismantling the pallets. JZ called again, he is curious about the vacant lot I’m looking at in Tennessee. The problem is, when you contact real estate people these days, they will not answer questions. I doubt the Reb will find time to go take a look or that it will still be there when I show up in a week or two. As usual, I’m the only one with a sense of urgency over getting things accomplished.
Here is a closeup of the flowers that grow on the shade trees, for any botanical types out there. If you know what it is, leave me a comment.
The van radiator is still using up water, at around a gallon every 150 miles. Too expensive to top up with anti-freeze in Tennessee. The hillbilly advises trying this Delco product that is made from coconut, it clogs the pores. But it if works with the motor behaving, each month longer I keep it spreads my cost and allows me a better search for a replacement. I was quite put off by the last few dealers I dealt with who will not budge on asking price, like we don’t know about bluffing and book value.
While the Biden administration continues to crash and burn, the monstrous mechanism they set in place over the past 40 years is not so easily reigned in. The civil service was trained to attack American principles, not to make tactical retreats. Once set in motion, it becomes a runaway steamroller, arresting the wrong people, taking the wrong sides, and busting down the doors of ancient widows. Their school boards accuse parents of terrorism, they burn down businesses and threaten jurors. History shows they continue this until one day they attack the wrong person. Makes me glad I live so far away from the city centers where these sick people congregate.
Another consultation with the Reb says I can take Lady Girl in until Xmas to see how she fares with the other doggies. Neither of us can handle Cash, the big male pit bull cross. While these temporary “puppy-dog” arrangements tend to become permanent, there is the chance if the hillybilly gets stable employment, he may want the lady back. We’ll make the final decision tomorrow, probably around noon. The hillbilly is worried the dogs will miss each other, but that is not a concern for us. Dogs are a pack animal and humans nearby are just as good as other dogs.
I admit to reading JimmyR, but sometimes that site is so self-serving I can barely tolerate the articles. Ruska is so transparent, the way he quotes “studies” that prove his self-induced shortcomings are not his own fault. It is not that posts the results, but how selective he is about which ones. Today he was on about how traffic jams are everybody’s fault, not a few bad drivers. And that queers to move to tolerant neighborhoods commit suicide less often. Duh.
ADDENDUM
The European Space Agency is prepped to launch the Webb telescope around four weeks from now. This successor to the Hubble uses the latest hex-shaped panels to focus light. These arrays are more “tunable” than the old solid glass lenses. Don’t expect great photos, the telescope uses the infrared spectrum. Webb isn’t even a scientist, he’s a NASA bureaucrat. The mirrors are designed to work best at frigid space temperatures and will take two weeks to unfold from the capsule launch pod.
The specs don’t say, but rather than beam the images down, they are digitalized and linked in that form. The old method was to shine a laser from space to the ground and correct the distortion to a known standard. Rumor is the setup should be able to target individual deep-space stars. Since NASA has a finger in the pie, assume the telescope can be pointed at Earth.
