Can't sleep

PHG is back in Michigan honoring her mother at a celebration of life.
It's really quiet here.

So I got that far.
Now what.

This is a long post only in that I have been working on it for about two hours.

So I mentioned a glitch in some smartphone software I used on my bike ride.

The software decided it didn't particularly like the routes I took to and from my destination.
The two longest legs are only vague approximations of the actual route.
The actual distance is about right.

WT.....!

I wasted almost an hour on the telephone yesterday morning.

Due to the recent reduction in force here in the household it has been necessary to contact various and sundry providers.
It seems that even though our Medicare Supplement and the Part D Prescription Plan are both from the same insurance company, they aren't allowed to act like they are associated.
Supplement must transfer calls to an entirely different town for processing of plan changes.
They at least know enough to give the caller the number so when the call is disconnected the caller knows who to dial.

Then, the Part D folks will tell you they will take care of it.
About a week or so later a letter arrives announcing that they cannot accept the caller's information.
It seems

"Medicare requires that Sharon be disenrolled from" the plan. "To do this you'll need to call Social Security. They'll work with Medicare to update their records and send the information to us so we can end the coverage."

So I did as the letter requested.
I called the toll free number.
I listened while a voice, not unlike Suldog's dulcet tones, explained that much can be accomplished on the Social Security website.
I was asked for my Social Security number.
Then I was offered a few choices.
I made mine and was asked to briefly state what I wished to do.
I told the voice and in return was told I would be placed in a queue for the next available employee. . .   or I could leave a callback number and have my call returned in about 85 minutes.
I decided to stay on hold.
The wait music was regularly interrupted by the same voice as before telling me it was sorry for the wait and that I might want to look for more information on the Social Security website.
I looked at their site.
I found a PDF document that contained information telling me that they were there to help, but offering no way for me to make the report.

Finally, after almost 40 minutes on hold, Sandy answered.
I told him what I wanted.
He asked for GS's SS# and birthdate.
I told him.
He asked me to wait and place me on hold again.
There was no voice and no music this time.
I waited 15 minutes.
He came back on the line and told me everything had already been reported and it wasn't necessary for me to do anything.
He told me he was sorry for my loss, did I want to make an appointment to apply for the $255 survivor's benefit.
I asked if I could get that appointment in the afternoon.
He laughed.
It's not funny.

I'm pretty sure it isn't the fault of Social Security or Medicare that I was sent on this wild goose chase.
They could, however, make sure they have enough employees to handle telephone calls.
Better yet, they could make reporting available on their website.
Oh, and someone could tell the folks at the insurance company's Part D office how to answer transferred calls without disconnecting; that funeral directors automatically report deaths to the Social Security administration; and the Social Security Administration passes that information along as they receive it.
I'm not laughing.

buncha armholes

Did I mention. . .

I bought a bicycle?

For a number of years I have been threatening proposing to get one.
I had even researched bikes  . . .and gone so far as to price them.
There was always a reason to put it off, mostly having to do with when would I ride it.

Last week I took the final step and actually got one, along with the necessary accessories (helmet, lock, spare tube, water bottle, etc.).
We don't have a bike shop in Anderson any more.
Wal-Mart took care of that.
Wal-Mart doesn't have anything like the bike I wanted [I'm not certain anyone does].
So I had to get it in Redding.
So I had to get a car rack because there is no way I'm ready to ride on the highway  . . .yet.
There are many choices for purchasing bicycles in Redding.
There is a huge community of bicyclists in this area, besides kids, I mean.
Most are folks like me, only more avid about cycling.
You can tell how avid they are by the clothes they wear when riding.
There are other cyclist who ride like they're escaping from capture.
They look just a little shady and would blend in nicely at a homeless shelter. . .

. . .or a police lineup.

I'm taking it easy at first.
It's been a long time since I rode a bike regularly and I haven't ridden daily since 1961.
The only issue so far has been with my legs.
They're somewhat rubbery after a ride.
I am really happy it isn't any hillier in my neighborhood.

I also have an app for my smartphone.
The only time I have used it so far, it got lost and showed me going cross-country through a cemetery, apartment complex, across a canal, and through some people's backyards.
It also had me traveling at about 50mph at one point.

I am thinking the best time to ride is early in the morning. . .  at least until daytime temperatures are a little lower.
That won't leave much time for riding because the Sun doesn't make an appearance as early now that we're approaching the end of summer.
I'm sure I will work it out.

We broke the tethers

Huh?

There is a period of adjustment.
This isn't going to happen overnight.
For the past two years either PHG or I have been at home monitoring GS.
(that is unless we went somewhere, which was a highly unlikely situation)
If one of us went somewhere, the other stayed put, except for the times when NT could set aside her own obligations and commitments to sit in for a few hours.
If there was some family event outside of out house, one of us missed it.

That didn't change automatically.
Staying close had become a part of the regular routine.

An analogy to that might be how an animal is after it has been restricted in movement by a cage or a leash for a long period of time.
When it is finally released to roam it doesn't go any further than when movement was restricted because of habit.
I'm thinking primarily of elephants at zoos who've been moved from confined spaces to a larger, more natural space.
They still pace in an area the size of the original space.

That's kind of what it's been like.

Yesterday was different.
PHG flew to Detroit. . .

. . .and I drover her to the airport in Sacramento.

Then I stayed there all day and got to spend lots of time with Li'l Teeny, Big Brother and my daughter.
Later, when their breadwinner, who from here on out will be called the Marine (because there are no ex-Marines), got off work, we went out to dinner.

Big Brother wants to know when I can come back.

life is good

Probably my favorite march music*

Cuz sent this last week.


Then I found this by accident on Sunday




*because I know some alternate words

Interluding again

More music from Tom's family*


The boys in black are two of his sons.
I think they found the one with the cello on their front porch one night (HSWHTPFIHC).

he's not really playing left handed, but Tom does

*Tom's the one who sang Lady in Red

About that earthquake

So I wasn't even aware there was an earthquake until I looked at F/B late yesterday morning.
Once I ascertained nobody in my family was injured or in jeopardy, I though nothing more about it, other than to say a little prayer for the folks down there.

Somewhere I have a map that shows just where Anderson is in relation to the rest of California.
A simple explanation is that it is north of what most people think of as Northern California. . .  by about 150 miles.
Better yet, we are 100 miles south of Oregon or, from another perspective, the halfway point between Mexico and Canada.

I saw where someone posted on F/B that they were happy to be in Tennessee, where they at least got warnings about tornadoes.
I immediately remembered reading about the New Madrid Fault and the devastation caused by earthquakes in that area during the early 1800s.

So, no, we didn't feel the quake here. . .  at least not directly.
That isn't to say we don't have out faults [pun intended].
Most of the time tremors we get are no worse than if a train goes by.

The major concern here now is a new wildfire burning to the west in Weaverville on the main highway to the coast.
I have a number of friends over there and am a little anxious about their well-being.

On another note. . .  I actually made it through 24 hours at home all by myself over the weekend.
I even cleaned up my own messes.
That bodes well for later this week.
PHG is going to Michigan for a gathering of GS's family and friends who are unable to come here for the Celebration of Life.

gonna miss her

Yesterday was cute

Today is serious.

that'll mess up the sleep cycle

A good day for photos

Some were sent:

Her mother says she's a daredevil when it comes to slides

She also isn't as interested in baseball as she is with the folks sitting around her

Big Brother got his school haircut
Kindergarten

Lake Tahoe has some waves

Some were taken by me:

We kept an eye on #87

He's somewhere near the coach, on the sidelines

Three different times his name was called by the public address announcer.
All three times his name was mispronounced.

What are you looking for?

I got nuthin'.
There's a PeeWee Football game.
I am going to watch.

Maybe there'll be photos?

check tomorrow

Me and the Beatles

The story I posted yesterday, written by my brother in law, whose every inflection I hear when I read the words, brings to mind my attitude at the time.

1964 was the year I got out of the Navy.
Aboard ship, the opportunity to listen to music was limited to times in port.
No one had any record players  . . .well, nobody but Summers, who had one stashed in the ECM room, which was the size of a walk-in closet and was loaded with electronic listening gear and required a secret clearance for entry when we were underway.
But that's another story for another time.
The only music we heard was from AM radio and most seemed to listen to country-western music.
We had to depend on the radiomen to pipe music through the ship's entertainment sound system.
There were about five channel choices on it.
The flag officer (Commodore) on board had first pick for one of those channels.
The skipper had another, and XO a third.
That left two channels for the crew.
Television was even more limited  . . .and that's even still another story.
I will go so far as to say I watched no tv from late 1962 until August 1964 (I didn't watch much before that, either).
Radio was seldom played during working hours and was basically background after hours.
We didn't have it in our berthing compartments, just in the mess decks and some working spaces.

So, when the Beatles came along they were just another noisy music group to which I didn't pay enough attention to even bother learn their name.
They weren't the only one.
It wasn't until the ship was damaged by a harbor tug moving a barge at the Seal Beach Weapons Depot that I became more familiar with the Beatles.
The ship was sent to Long Beach Naval Shipyard for repairs.
It ended up in drydock.
The damage was all to the hull that made up the bulkhead for the compartment where my division lived.
We had to move during repairs, which consisted of removing and replacing a huge sheet of steel.
Part of that process involved x-raying the welds.
That involved lots and lots of radiation.
We had to move.
On a tin can there is no place to go when you move.
Lower rates had to scatter amongst existing quarters elsewhere on the ship.
Petty officers were given basket leave and required to check in by phone every day and only had to return for duty days.
For the only time, ever, we were on four section in OI division.
We bunked with the Chiefs on duty days.

So I was really fortunate.
About 15 miles up Long Beach Blvd., in Lynwood, I had cousins.
They welcomed me with open arms.
There were two teen age daughters and a pre-teen.
That's when I found out who the Beatles were.
The girls didn't listen to the radio much.
They played LPs  . . .ya know, vinyl?
It was early summer.
School was out.
The Beatles played for hours on end.
Prior to staying with my cousins I had heard some Beatles stuff and sort of liked it.
There is such a thing as too much of a good thing.

Besides, I was the next level up from teenager, so I couldn't be seen as liking that stuff too much.
Thanks to Summers secret record player in the ECM room I was already acquiring a taste for Blues and Jazz.

I'm over that now, finally, and appreciate the music of the Beatles.
I'm not sure I would ever get excited enough to go see them at their hotel.

Linda Ronstadt is another story 

Beatles story

Every once in awhile I read something that jumps up and bites me.
The following is one of those tales.
It is copied and pasted, almost verbatim, from an email I received.
 My brother in Law, the one who sings Lady in Red, sent it.
I chose to do little editing so as to keep from messing up the narrative.


Sent from my iPad 
Begin forwarded message:
From: Tom 
Date: August 20, 2014 at 6:35:48 PM EDT
To:  
Subject: This is my Beatles story that happened many many y  


This is my Beatles story that happened many many years ago. There are probably many mistake; because, I haven't proofread it yet....just read it and enjoy...let me know if you receive this.....thanks Tom...also, apparently when I send this only part of it goes through...you must then download it and start again at September 5th 
 It was a bright sunny September 5th, and the whole area was abuzz because the rock and roll group from England, the Beatles, were playing a concert at Tiger Stadium tomorrow night. I was waiting for my friend Danny Parker to pick me up in his mother's car. We weren't going to do much, just ride around and hang out. My brother Jimmy was out in the backyard tossing a baseball up in to the air and catching it. "Hey", he said, "ya wanna play catch?" "Just for a little while", I said, "Danny's on his way over to pick me up". He squatted down like a catcher and I pitched the ball to him. We had played catch for about ten minutes when I heard a car out front honk his horn. "Gotta go" I said, and tossed him one more pitch. "Mom, I'm going" I said. "Don't be late" she yelled, "church tomorrow". I ran out to the front of the house and saw Danny parked in the driveway. I opened the passenger door and jumped in to his car. "Where we off to?" I asked. Maloney's want us to stop by", he said, "the've got something to tell us." The Maloney's live about a half mile away. Tim was my age and a good friend. His older brother Bobby, on the other hand, was kind of a bully. Always calling us guys "Dumb Asses". "Where you Dumb Asses goin' today?" or "They let Dumb Asses like you play football?" 
 We pulled up in front of the Maloney's house and walked around back where their screen porch was. That is where we normally hung out. Nobody bothered us out there and we could talk the way we wanted. Tim and Bob's parents both worked afternoons, so the house was usually ours in the evening. "What's up", I said to Tim as we entered through the back of the screened porch. "Not much", say Tim, "but I do have an idea what we can do tonight". "What's that?", I said. "We're going downtown to the Wiltsere Hotel and see the Beatles", grained Tim. "Downtown, see the Beatles, what?, said Danny. "Yep", said Tim, "they're playing at Tiger Stadium tomorrow night and I found out from a Cop friend of my Dads that they're sating at the Wiltsere on Jefferson tonight". "So how do you propose we get in to the hotel", I asked, "Yeah, how do you propose that", said Danny. "I say", said Tim, "that we drive down there, park in the back, walk around the hotel, find an open door and were in". "Oh, sure, we're gonna walk around the hotel till we find an open door, walk in and find the Beatles", I stated. I looked at Danny. We both shrugged our shoulders and said, "what the hell, there's nothing else to do". "Where's the Wiltsere Hotel?", I asked. "Bobby knows, he works down there somewhere," said Tim. "Oh, Bobby's going?", I asked. "Yeah", said Tim. "He's driving".
 Bobby was only going to be home for a couple more weeks, then he's off to the Army. He graduated last June from high school and was going to go to college; but, he got a job instead and the one day a couple weeks ago, got his draft notice. So, he quit his job and has just been bumming around for the last week.
 "You dumb asses ready to go?", said Bobby. Obviously him and Tim had already talked it over. So we all left the house and piled into the Maloney's big Pontiac Bonneville, which the five of us all fit in comfortably. Bobby driving, Tim in shotgun, Danny, myself and Johnny Harrison in the back. Johnny was one of those kids everyone liked. A handsome kid, kinda tall with black hair. Tim and him were best friends. So off we went, heading downtown, to walk around a hotel, find an open door and go in and find the Beatles, yep, that was our plan. 
 We drove straight down Woodward Ave to Jefferson, then East on Jefferson. I had know idea where this hotel was; but, Bobby seemed to know exactly where he was going. Nobody talked much during our trip, we just all sort of relaxed and listened to the radio. The only problem being, every time a good song came on the radio, Bobby would say, "I don't like this song", and change the station. Nobody said anything to him because, one, he was bigger then us and two, he was a bully. Everyone of us at one time or another had been tortured by Bobby ending up screaming "Uncle". The only time I ever saw this backfire on Bobby was the one time he was beating up Johnny Harrison and Bob and Tim's mother came running out of the house screaming at Bobby not to hassle that nice boy Johnny. I think she liked Johnny because I know she had at one time or another, seen the rest of us beaten up by Bobby. We were driving down Jefferson, when we stopped at a light. Bobby spoke up and said, "There it is". As I looked out of the windshield I could see the big lit sign facing East and West on Jefferson. The Wiltsere Hotel. Even though the sign was on Jefferson Ave., the hotel actually faced East on a side street. The light turned green and Bobby said. "We'll turn down this side street and enter the parking lot in the rear of the hotel.". We parked in the back of the parking lot and all of us got out of the car a started walking East towards the hotel. There was nobody back there and we walked right up to the hotel.
 The hotel was different then any hotel I had ever seen. There was two sides to the hotel with an alley way right down the center, going towards the front. As we walked further and further down the alley, we could see what seemed to be a thousand kids out in front of the hotel. There flood lights out front going back and forth which gave the whole thing a Hollywood type atmosphere. Kids talking, girls screaming and flood lights going back and forth. The closer to the front we got the crazier the crowd seemed. Finally someone said, "we're not going to get in this way, let's turn around". We all turned around and started back up the alley. As we got to about halfway back up the alley, two alley doors swung open. You know, those alley doors with no handle on the outside, one on the East and one on the West sides of the alley. As we stood there, a crowd of about ten people ran from the East side of the alley to and through the alley door on the West. As they all ran in to us, I swear Paul McCartney ran right in to me. Smiling and pushing himself off of me, he ran through the West alley door. "Slam, Slam", went the two alley doors and there we were standing alone in the alley. "What the hell just happened?, said Tim. "We just ran in to the Beatles is what happened", I said. We all stood there yelling and talking about how we had all kinda met the Beatles when Danny said, "where's Johnny?" As we looked around the alley, looking for Johnny, the West alley door opened, the same alley door the Beatles had just entered and there was Johnny. "We're in", he said and we all rushed into the hotel. Johnny said that he had gotten pushed in with the crowd and hid under the stairs till the crowd was gone.
  I couldn't believe we were in the hotel where the Beatles had just run in to. Someone said, "What floor do you think they're on?" Someone else said "6th" and someone else said "5th". So we went to the elevator right by the stairs and pushed the "up". We all got on the elevator and started up. When the elevator got to the 4th floor, Johnny and I got off and the rest went on to the upper floors. As we walked down the aisle we could see the windows at the end of the hall. You could see the search lights going passed the windows. We walked down to the end of the hall and looked down at the large crowd kids outside of the hotel. Johnny reached up and unlocked the sash window. He looked at me and said, "watch this". Johnny raised the window, stuck his head outside the window, shook his head back and forth and with his black hair, yelled, " OOOooooooo". The crowd, thinking it was one of the Beatles started screaming and pointing. Johnny shut the window and we both ran back towards the elevator laughing hysterically. We pushed the up button for the elevator. When we got in, we pushed the button for the 5th floor. When the elevator reached the 5th floor, the doors opened and there at the far end of the hall were two Police Officers. "Hey, you two", they yelled, "Halt". We started pushing buttons and the doors of the elevator started closing. They closed, just as the officers reached the elevator doors. The elevator rose to the 6th floor. As the doors opened, there were two plain clothed officers waiting for us. They both got on to the elevator and pressed the button for the first floor. When the elevator reached the first floor, the doors opened and both officers grabbed by the arms, walked us over to those infamous alley door, opened it and pushed us out. They didn't ask our names or a thing, just pushed us out of the door. "Slam", the famous alley door with no outside handle slammed shut. Johnny and I turned around and the other three were standing there. "You dumb asses got caught too", said Bobby.
  We walked out front to where the crowd was . Everyone was talking about how they had seen one of the Beatles stick his head out of the window on the 4th floor. "It was Paul", one would argue. While another would say, "No it was John". This went on and on. We had Johnny pull out his drivers license and try to convince some of the girls that Johnny Harrison was George's American cousin; but, the thrill was gone. We all turned around and started walking down the alley back to the car. We walked passed the two alley doors where all of the excitement had started, back to the parking lot and got in to the car.
  We pulled out on to Jefferson Ave. driving West toward Woodward Ave. when of all things a Beatles song came on the radio. "Oh yeah, I'll tell you something, I think you'll understand". None of us were talking. We were all just lost in our thoughts. I couldn't help thinking how I couldn't wait to tell everyone what taken place and then I thought, "nobodies going to believe you", that's true, they won't believe us. I sat there just looking out the window as we drove towards home. I then thought to myself, "who cares if they don't believe you....You Saw The Beatles".

 Sent from my iPad

 
his iPad obviously makes texting, emailing, journaling   . . .whatever, as easy as my Kindle and iPhone do.
None of them were made for formatting.
I have enough trouble with a desktop and some of you might remember the issues I had with the laptop.

The rest of the story

Sometime early in 1986 we were invited to a wedding.
That meant dressing up.
A coat and tie for me.
A fancy outfit for the lady I always introduced as my best friend.
We weren't married and weren't even sure at the time we wanted to marry.
We were comfortable.

I have no idea whose wedding it was.
I do remember there was another couple I knew.
The ceremony took place on the banks of the Sacramento River in Redding, maybe at the Elks Lodge, but probably at the Senior Citizens Hall.
I don't remember there being a reception.
If there was it wasn't memorable and we left.

It was still relatively early.
There was still some daylight.
We looked at each other and one of us said,

"What do you want to do now?"

Then I remembered reading in a Lions Clubs district newsletter that there was an new Lioness Club being chartered in a nearby mountain community.
So we headed east on Highway 299, arriving on time for the start of the festivities.

The meeting opened in the usual manner with a song, the pledge of allegiance and an invocation.
Then in was time to introduce everyone.
I mean everyone in the room.
There were about 125  . . .or maybe more  . . .in attendance.
We'd been seated about 2/3 of the way back toward the side away from where introductions were to start.
A Tailtwister (that's the cute name given to the person who keeps track of member faux pas and handles member introductions at meetings) had been appointed.
He was carrying his Tailtwister's pot (probably a re-purposed spittoon or chamber pot) and collecting dimes as folks introduced themselves.
Every now and again someone would fail to speak up or would mumble.
Finally, the Tailtwister, looked around the room and spotted GS, who was wearing a bright red outfit.
He hollered, "Hey! Lady in red, can you hear that?"
GS affirmed she'd heard.
But a pattern developed.
About every other introduction found the Tailtwister and GS talking back and forth.
They couldn't have rehearsed it any better.

After that any time I went anywhere involving Lions I was asked about the Lady in Red. . .

. . .and GS played it up, too, by wearing red whenever appropriate.

all that's missing is a picture

I have to do this

. . .and because of time issues I have to do it this way.
There have been so many expressions of condolence and encouragement in so many places [meaning other blogs] that I find it unlikely that I will be able to actually thank each person individually, though I want to.

We nailed down a date for the Celebration of Life.
That's what GS wanted and she wanted it at the park.
It isn't a big deal, but evidently Anderson River Park is more popular than I had thought.
September 20 is the soonest we could reserve a large enough area.
We have the last space available that day.
Now to make sure we notify everyone who wants to be there and can attend.

The family in Michigan will hold a celebration on August 31.
The didn't have to reserve a spot because it will be where Kishfest is held every Memorial Day.
PHG will attend and represent the California branch.

I don't know how many times I've been asked how I am holding up.
I am doing well.
I'm pretty sure it's because I try to maintain a positive attitude and look for the good stuff.
It helps, too, that the only thing GS and I ever came close to crossing swords over is who was going to sleep on which side of the bed.
She had a way of conquering foes that made it painless for all concerned,

. . .she really knew how to have fun,

. . .and she loved music

So one last time by still another artist



We'll tell the rest of the story soon  . . .really!

maybe we'll explain Kishfest

I know a lot of people who will totally get this

Post by Tom Swoon.

It's all about ducks . . . and two in particular.
Bless you Gary and Sharon.

saw this on Sunday and had to post it

Did I say it was a cooling trend?

Stream of. . .

So many things have been on hold.
I may have forgotten how to start them again.
Inertia is like that.
I'm pretty sure that might be physics.
I've not studied physics.
Though, I know I have used it.
We shall see how things go now.
It sure is quiet.
There still is plenty to do.

Until this afternoon there have been at least three people besides me here at the house since Wednesday.
One of my sisters arrived Thursday.
Sharon's son, my stepson, arrived limped in Thursday evening.
His car started acting up in Grants Pass, OR and we though we might have to trailer it down.
My other sister arrived Friday morning with a lifetime supply of my favorite potato salad.
I asked her to bring some.
She asked for how many.
I said it was for me.
There's a gallon. . .   well, four individual quarts.
A little less than three are left.
It's that good.
Cuz and Mrs Cuz are coming for the day tomorrow.
They have been at Lake Tahoe using up some timeshare time, so it isn't so far out of the way because they're flying from Sac when they go home.

We are planning a Celebration of Life.
That's what she wanted.
A big party, open to one and all who knew her.
We figure it's going to have to be outdoors at the park.
That pretty much rules out Labor Day weekend.
The park will be pretty well occupied.
That means the following weekend.
That's about as close as we can get to her birthday (Sept. 1)
Her baby brother in Michigan is having a similar celebration at his home on the Sunday of Labor Day weekend.
I really didn't have the heart to remind him that GS was a Republican and might not entirely approve.
It's okay.
She was a member of the Retail Clerks Union at one time.

 

About the only thing we have left to do is pick out an urn.
We want either iris flowers or music notes on it.
I think the color red would be appropriate.

We discovered that there are some out there who don't know what PHG means.
But, on their own they came up with an alternative.
It is agreed that Pretty Hot Girl fits better than the original.

permanent house guest

Another layer of the onion was peeled yesterday.
Funny!
I pictured blogging to kinda be like that.
After a time one gets comfortable and feels they can open up a little. . .  stick their neck out a little further.
Other bloggers do it.
That's why many of us, even though we may have never met, feel like we know one another.
It's why so many mil bloggers, and others, loved Carroll LeFon, USN (Ret.), also known a Lex.
Of course, he didn't pull any punches.
But he showed his humanity.
I never expected to explore so deep.
Heck, I didn't expect I would outlive my wife.
We may peel the onion further, but not on a regular basis.
And most likely you will find that I won't wax pathetic about my life, either.
But you may sometimes gain so insights.

the adventure continues

I don't really know why

Someone mentioned losing a spouse to death is about the hardest thing with which to deal.
I think I would agree, with one exception.

Something like 32 years ago my first wife and I divorced.
We had three children, a boy and two girls, all under ten years of age.
It was a complicated divorce and multiple parts of both of our lives were affected.
I, in effect, surrendered.
Gave up almost everything.
Walked away so they wouldn't have to.
Became estranged from my kids  . . .and it hurt  . . .and I accept responsibility for why that happened.
Then my youngest daughter got cancer and she died.
That hurt worse.

That's the simple tale.
I can't begin to tell the full tale because I only really know my part and by telling it I would have to speculate on the other half.
I refuse to do that because it would be giving in to resentment.
It is said that having a resentment is like taking poison and waiting for the other person to die.
Besides that is a negative.
We don't do that here, except in jest.

I think I may have bared a little bit of my soul there?

Some of the hurt above has healed.
The rest will heal when I can make amends to those others who still hurt.

Life is a work in progress.

it's only been perfect one time

So...

I have a Facebook account.
I even use it almost daily.
That may be an understatement.
The one thing I truly like about Facebook is the Like button.
Sometimes I wish blogger had a similar feature.

I mentioned in a comment at another blog that I feel a bit overwhelmed.
I explained it isn't sadness or any other feeling.
It is there is such an outpouring of support that I can't even begin to respond and thank everyone. . .   at least not immediately.
It's kinda like how I felt when Christmas [sorry, Sully] came around last year  . . .and, yeah, the year before  . . .before we even knew, it was over and we'd sent no greetings, other than by email.

Where do I begin?
Others have written blog posts about Sharon, the lady we called GS or Grandma Skip.
Some called her The Lady in Red and there's a story behind that.
I called her my best friend.
She was always there.
She probably even saved my life.

But, back to thanking everyone personally.
I will find that starting place, hopefully sooner rather than later.
So please, if you've posted something here on this blog, check back to see that I have followed through.
Meanwhile:

Thank you, all!

We're all okay here.
There's someone missing, but the spot's being filled with memories.

There are more smiles than there are tears.
Someone has left on a  journey without us.
We'll join them later.
Our adventures here are to continue.
It is what it is.

that's life

I'll never forget...

Some day ask me to tell the story.

lady in red, can you hear me?

Here is the tough one

I won't elaborate.
My wife, known hereabouts as Grandma Skip, died peacefully at about 2:30pm (PDT).
Her daughters were with her, having relieved me so I could go home and clean up after an all-nighter.
It is sad.
But it is also a relief to know she is no longer struggling with that ugly disease and that any discomfort is over.
I am only just now coming to the realization of just how much I will miss her.
I also know that I will be okay.
Thank you all who have sent along those best wishes, thoughts and prayers.
Please know we both felt them and they're greatly appreciated.

A few family members have already expressed their thoughts:

Her nephew-

PHG -

Click the image for the music

Posting on the Kindle

I've already had a glitch.
The interface on this puppy is not really conducive to writing blog posts.
I spent the night at the hospital in a semi-reclining chair.
I can report there appears to be no further change.
It seems that we may have a vigil.

The darn thing won't let me access the web photos, so I can't even enhance this post with images.
I really don't know anything about what today's plan is.
Maybe there will be more to tell later?

need a shower

In case you're wondering (it is a kind of a Monday update)

I haven't been available to blog much since last week, specifically Friday.
I was able to post then because The Clan were all still catching up on some lost sleep.
They were here from about 3pm Thursday until 8am or so on Monday.
They came to see GS before the kids all had to go back to school.
We had drop-ins, too.
So it numbered in the teens at one time over the weekend.

So, Skip, why haven't you posted much since they left?
This is where the post gets difficult.
GS was pretty restless all weekend.
Meaning, she didn't sleep much and took up a good portion of the bed, too.
Every time she wanted to sit up she needed help.
I am her servant.
I am not complaining.
I slept in 30 - 45 minute increments.
Then I was up no later than 6:30am.
I was tired.
Almost as soon as everyone split, I called GS Dr and explained she had deteriorated and it would be difficult, at best, for her to have a shot and then go across town for lab work.
The triage nurse at the Doc's office asked me for a rundown of her condition.
After I explained, she told me to take her to the emergency room  . . .to even call an ambulance if I felt it was necessary.
PHG and I packed her into the car and drove the ten miles to Mercy Medical Center.
They were expecting us and the wheels had been greased.
Besides, there were only two people in the waiting room.
GS was sent right to a treatment cubicle.
Then she was seen by all kinds of folks, including the ER doc and a hospitalist, who spent a lot of time learning the history, in detail, and examining her.
She was admitted to the hospital.
Before The Clan had left there'd been the discussion of GS's state.
All were in agreement that the next move is hospice care.

It took almost eight hours to get an empty bed.
Fortunately the ER nurses who attended GS were entertaining as well as proficient.
I have a huge appreciation for nurses.
The bed issue was. . .
A patient was being discharged but had not yet been signed out so there was some delay   . . .a long delay.
Then, because of other issues, the cleaning of the bed and surroundings, was further delayed.
Finally the ER nurse made so threats and the bed was available  . . .at eight o'clock in the evening.
PHG, NT, and I saw GS settled in and left, with PHG's giant boyfriend to have some dinner.
We went to have Mongolian barbecue, which really isn't barbecue, but might be Mongolian.
PHG and I arrived home near 9:30pm.
About ten o'clock the phone rang.
It was GS nurse.
He was concerned because her vital signs weren't near optimal and thought if we wanted to be there we should come back to the hospital.
PHG and I drove up to Redding again.
NT and her hubby drove up from Cottonwood.
And the giant showed up, too.
We sat, and, or stood around for about an hour or so.
Finally, everyone but me, was smart enough to realize we didn't all have to be there.
I hung around another hour and a half.
Then I drove home.
It was 3:30am.
I was too tired to blog.

I wish I had more to report. . .  like some kind of miracle.
No, GS is still in the hospital.
The current state is we believe she knows we're there because she responds.
But she's unable to communicate other than groans and grunts.
What she does say is unintelligible because her mouth is so dry the words stick.
We've talked to hospice and they're ready, if she comes home.
Otherwise she is receiving the same kind of care at the hospital only they call it comfort care.

Before I go any further I have to mention that the Oncologist came to the ER and saw GS.
He also told us he would keep watch over the treatment she receives from hospice care.

It's time to call a halt here.
If you don't see another post you'll have an inkling of what's happened.
However, I will do my best to keep you posted.
It's just going to be really, really hard.

Some of you have my cell number.
If you call, I may answer.
The conversations will probably be brief.

I should also say the next post about GS will probably be one of the hardest things I have ever done.
That's because it will involve showing my feelings.
I'm not used to that.

seventy one, for those who just have to know

Carp!*

I was gonna stay under the radar today  . . .but Gargle outed me.

overslept, too

*s/b crap but after I saw the fat finger error I decided it explains how the day is.

Yep, again

Waiting for  . . .what?

no words, yet

'Nother bluegrass cover

More information:
www.ironhorsebluegrass.com.
 We're catching up on other things this morning.

may be gone tomorrow, too

Still interluding

The guys are a little more upscale than the bunch from yesterday.

Interlude

e


. . .and a change up

but is it bluegrass?

@7:37am 

I see that I am not the only one like this. . .
. . .or thought of the same descriptive title and subject.

They're heeeeeere!

The Clan arrived for a long weekend yesterday afternoon.

Let me refresh everyone's memory.
GS's Son, Doc (because he was a Hospital Corpsman in the Navy for 20 years), Mrs Doc (because she evidently loves the guy and has put up with him for most of those same 20), and the three kids (two of whom are teens and therefore need no further explanation) are the Clan.
The live within spitting distance of all things Navy in Bremerton, Washington, without actually living in Bremerton.
They got an early start because at 8am they notified us they were already in a traffic jam in Portland, Oregon.
(I have always thought Portland is a traffic jam)

Doc, the son, no longer works in the medical field.
He has found a career where his patients no longer complain.
He is a funeral director.

They acclimated to the climate differential pretty quickly.
The words I heard were along the lines of:

"If it was 100 degrees at home I'd be dying, but this isn't so bad."

Inquiring minds have asked:

"Where do you put them all and how long will they stay?"

We don't actually put them anywhere.
We just leave them wherever they fall.
That way they don't stay long.


Seriously, there is a queen size hide-a-bed in the family room and a really big air mattress that pretty much accommodates all but one.
He sleeps on the floor. . .  his choice.
They will be here until Monday.

My attitude changed almost immediately after I posted yesterday.
I even let the kids told the kids to hook up the X-box to the big TV in the family room.
So far what I have seen is better than most of the other stuff on TV. 
I am slowly learning about acceptance.

There's only been one (two if you want to get technical) glitch.
One of the swamp coolers stopped working because the pump went out.
The other can't quite do the job of cooling a house with seven people, so I turned on the air conditioner.
The thermostat has given up the ghost so we had no air conditioning, either.
Maybe they won't be here until Monday.

I will try to keep you posted.

the air is working a

 little at the moment

Invasion Family visit

Sometime later today The Clan from the north will grace our presence.
That means there will be an additional five people here, with drop-in from other, local, family.

So you all know how I go on about routine?
We can throw just about all routine out the window for a bit.
Because, on top of having a houseful, GS has to go to the hospital for an injection, around noon time, every day until Monday.
Her chemo treatments have been postponed for the time being  . . .maybe?

I just hope the family aren't shocked by her appearance, which has changed tremendously since their last visit.

I linked to the last two posts from F/B and via an email.
The pageviews jumped over the Moon.
I'm not going to do that with this post.
I'm not even sure why I'm writing this post.
I feel really, really selfish and self-centered right now.

that pisses me off *

*how do you write that without putting the preposition at the end?

What? You thought we were done?

So there I was resting peacefully, alone in my bed [after writing the last post].
At 1:30am the phone rang.
It was the nurse telling me they'd hung the platelets so GS should be ready to go in a little while.
So I put on a clean shirt (it reads St Louis Zoo) and some other clothes; told PHG what I was up to because the phone awakened her; and headed back to Redding.
(had it been earlier, it'd been the third time in a day. . .  it did make it 3 times in less than 18 hours)
It took slightly more than 15 minutes because I had green lights all the way [that never happens is unheard of].

GS was happy to see me.
Though she seemed a little confused.
The nurse apologized, saying there would be a wait period after the platelets were finished.
We packed up all the swag from the hospital.
Don't tell me you don't know about hospital swag.
We don't always take it, but there are some things you just don't leave behind.
Anyway, there are a few items that will come in handy. . .
. . .and PHG says everyone is getting socks for Christmas [inside joke].

We were home by 3:00am.
I turned on the TV in time to see, on the overnight news, the mandatory evacuations for all of the fires in the nearby mountains have be lifted.
Our friend, who lives in immediate area of the most recent . . .and most threatening . . .fire, went home to find the only damage immediately noticeable was from the power being off.
The ice in her freezer had melted and run all over the floor.
She counts herself blessed.
The rain has done wonders  . . .at this point in time.
We aren't out of the woods yet.
There are red flag warning for the next few days because of the wind; and the weatherman has forecast thunderstorms for this afternoon.

I was up at 6:30 or thereabouts, checking the garden and my vital signs (what I'md supposed to do with them, I haven't a clue).
At this point GS is still sleeping and I can hear her having a conversation with someone the rest of us can't see.
I'm going to have to wake her soon, so we can get ready to drive back to Redding.
Yes, that's four trips in 24 hours or, more specifically three and a half round trips.

I'll do whatever it takes and practice my non cuss word swearing at other drivers.
Their cluelessness helps my imagination.
I swear I'm gonna get a dash cam that records sound, too.
Then I can post amusing unscripted videos.

why do so many drivers

 think they have to be first?

Ya never know when there'll be a Monday update

It all started when we went to have labs done at the oncology clinic this morning.
Belay that.
It actually started some time ago.
It came to a head morning.
The tech couldn't quite draw enough blood for all of the tests.
So we went back and saw the RN back in the infusion clinic, who accessed the port and drew enough to finish the blood work.

About 4:00pm the phone rang.
It was the doc's assistant.
We were to high on up to Outpatient Services at the hospital.
Well, first we had to stop at admitting and go for more labs.
GS's chemo has caused more anemia and lowered the platelet count.
They want her to have a transfusion. . .

. . .and there will be some kind of injection to help with the white cell count.

By the time we got to the hospital it was almost 5:00pm.
It was almost 6:00 before we actually got to Outpatient Services, where were greeted like long lost friends by a couple of nurses we'd seen many times before.
I was told that if I wanted to avail myself of the food from the cafeteria, I had better head there right away because it closed at 6:00.
I got there in time to fix a roast beef sandwich.

Meanwhile GS had been cross-typed and matched, but the nurses needed to further confirm some of the orders from the doc.
There were some medications to be given prior to the transfusion, which consisted of two units of blood and one unit of platelets.
(one unit of blood takes about two hours to administer, the platelets another half hour. They are not all delivered at once)
It was going to be a long night, particularly since Outpatient Services is only open until 10:00pm.
GS was going to have to be moved to a room to complete the procedure.
Then there was some confusion about whether or not she was staying the night.
She was not.
But she wouldn't get any rest either, if I hung around.
So as soon as she was settled into one of the view rooms I headed home.
There was a pretty spectacular light show taking place.
Mother Nature, at her most vociferous, was sending lightning across the sky in the distance.
I know it was far away because I could barely hear the thunder.
Throughout the day we'd had almost a tenth of an inch of rain, too.
That is good news for those fighting the fires in the mountains.
It's good news, too, for the folks who live in the threatened areas because they're being allowed back to their homes  . . .where they're still standing.

The plan is for the nurse on the floor where GS is to call me when they hang the platelets.
I will then drive back to the hospital and bring her home.
That's so we can go back up to Outpatient Chemo, where the shot will be administered.
GS will not have chemo this week.
We'll find out more when she gets the shot.

yeah, the rain feels good

This is special

I know another blogger who's a big fan.
So he has to see this.

not laughing here

Musical interlude

Courtesy of Mrs Cuz's F/B page.

Post by World Flute Society.

She wasn't playing, but was in the front row.

Waaaah!

It was only 97 degrees today.

More!!!

This is the Eiler fire.
It's burned more than 20,000 acres since Friday afternoon and is threatening the town of Burney.
The residents have been advised to evacuate.

no threat here

!!!

Post by Trenton Snyder shows just what it can be like to be in front of a wildland fire.

This is it

All you're getting from me this morning  . . .and possibly the rest of the day  . . .is this brief post because I'm headed out the door to break some eggs and make so French Toast.
It is once again time for the monthly breakfast at the Senior Center.

Late again

I was out pickin' veggies early and barely got to check emails before heading to a meeting and then shopping at TJ's and Costco.
I was all done by 11:00am, so I beat the heat, which is
(See how I did that?
We see amusement wherever it may be)

Actually there's a great deal of concern around here because wildland firefighters are stretched pretty thin.
Many that were here fighting the recent Bully fire just west of here were released for duties elsewhere.
Since Wednesday three major fires have started, all withing sight of each other.

Ryan Albaugh

The two in the image above, the Day fire and the Bald fire, were started by lightning on Wednesday.
Late yesterday the Eiler fire, below, started about 15 or so miles west of the first two.

Ron Mosher

The plume from the Eiler, called a pyrocumulus cloud, is awesome to view, but scary knowing what it actually involves.
It has closed a major north-south highway in the eastern county.
I have friends who live there, awaiting to hear if they'll have to evacuate.
Here's a shot from their front yard.

Roberta Laughlin

That's Highway 89 in the foreground.

The scary thing is the weather guys showed the radar image on the news last night and plumes from two of the fires were visible.

click to enlarge

The small green area is the Eiler fire, larger is the Bald fire, and the Day fire is just to the left and below the horseshoe shaped lake at the top center of the map.

It's not the heat, it's the humidity

We have none. . .  or, more specifically, it is virtually unnoticeable most of the time.
Once more it is predicted to be somewhere above 105° F.
Believe it or not, the heat is not the greatest complaint here in the North State*.
It's the drought.

the key words are in green

The other evening it was explained rather graphically by the local weather guy (one of three meteorologists on the local tv station).
First he showed how much precipitation we've had in each of the past three years, none of which has met anywhere near the average for a typical year.
Lat year we had a little more than 17 inches.
Typically it is closer to 34 inches.
Adding all three years together showed us that we are actually one full year's rainfall short over that time period.
So maybe a little humidity would help.

A little off topic is the cooling system in our home.
I have mentioned before that, except in extreme conditions, we use evaporative cooling, also known as a swamp cooler.
I have been told many times that swamp coolers don't work at temperatures over 100° F.
I will challenge that.
The only time the coolers have failed to keep the temperature inside the house below 80° F has been when the humidity outside has been above 30% when it is over 95° F.
The key to keeping the house cool with the swamp cooler is to keep the attic cool, too.
Most folks attempt it with thermostatically controlled ventilator fans.
The problem with them is, by the time they turn themselves on it's already too hot and the heat from the attic is already radiating down into the house.
Another issue with swamp coolers is the air they're bringing in has to be exchanged with the air already inside.
The usual way this is facilitated is to crack open screened windows or doors for the warm air to escape.
The cooled air then blows in that direction.
Or, vents, called upducts can be installed at strategic points in the ceiling, that will vent the cool air into the attic, thus taking away the need for attic vent fans.
The thermostats on my fans are set at 95° and have not run since we installed the upducts.
Yesterday it was  30° cooler inside.

Are you still awake?
Ultimately, it is the humidity inside the house bought about by the swamp coolers that holds the temperature at a tolerable level.


*that differentiates us from Northern California, which is somewhere near Sacramento