Wednesday, September 30, 2020

Stop Hoarding

 



It was the start of another rocky day as my belt person was late significantly late like 90 minutes late. For one reason or another the power shut off to her neighborhood and she overslept. (Begin to feel like a grade school teacher and filter all these different excuses that come out of their little mouths). It's okay it's not like I'm angry or anything. I met a point in my life where luckily I don't have to be anywhere to any specific time. However, I do like getting up getting dressed and be able to go somewhere if an fact I want to do that. However, she did show up and we got the job done plus give a great job of cleaning up the apartment while waiting on me finish my shower.


Immediately traditionally have on Tuesdays is becoming less and less permanent. We had part of the meeting yesterday and we were supposed to finish the meeting (over the phone) sometime today. I however checked in with the office load know that I need to go out and get some things done. And again, anything that I do I don't need to do exactly right now but it's a good excuse to put the pressure on people and give them the illusion that your time is valuable after no one else to me. I saw last night that the state as released by pension for October. Not that I Have to wait for the check to be deposited to go on with my life but it's just nice to know that the new monies in and I give myself permission to go out shopping. Last week as I was out shopping at the end of the month I was at my Walmart and noticed a whole roll of Clorox bleach and bathroom spray. I've been trying to get my hands on a bottle of this for at least three months, oddly since the coronavirus took over the world. It was then I first noticed I could no longer get my hands on the spray when my own health person requesting that I did more Clorox spray is running out. I went to my regular store up on the corner and it was just Tumbleweed city. I thought this was weird even more so when I went to other markets and it was missing from their shells as well. I just got some regular Clorox and forgot about the situation until recently. My cleaning person again has requested spray and I myself am interested in getting the spray. I did look online but seems on questionably expensive and I noted this morning when I was checking that there is a sign on the website said “… Not currently available check back”. Anyway like I said last weekend I saw at Walmart shelves just backed with the spray I wish that I'd pick them up then figuring out have more than enough time for my money came in. Stupid me. This afternoon I went up to Walmart to do the shopping specifically to pick up the Clorox spray and the shelves were empty. They look like a stampede that gone through and take in everything with them. My frustration acquired some poor manager guy and asked what happened was it my imagination or did all the also spray disappear? He chuckled and said it was not your imagination the shelves were stocked with that item but invariably come back a couple hours later it's all gone. He says this happens to three times a week when his deliveries,. The stock the shelves that people come and just hord the materials away. The manager says people are still spooked about the virus And the see the Clorox sprays the best defense. I get that that's what I believe to want people share a little bit…

Tuesday, September 29, 2020

Lunch At the Drive-thru--Not!

 



There are so many things flitting around my brain these days I find it hard to focus on one item. Remember yesterday I'd gone to the us to care lab on 4700 S. and about 3800 W., a good bus trip from my apartment. When I went to the process as noted in yesterday's blog posting. What was totally interesting was lunch. I've noticed that after I do something fairly significant attempt to work myself. Dianne and I do this a lot when we were married. Most often it was a trip to the hospital cafeteria depending on where we were at. Well, I had the same notion after the blood draw. When I went into the laboratory I noticed there is a Popeyes just on the other block. I had been to this restaurant before not this specific restaurant, and it was a really good experience for remembered right I wanted to maybe replicate the experience and just celebrate one more step will be in medically responsible. So, following the lab experience across the road to the restaurant


Popeyes was definitely open there were cars driving through the pickup lane that it really think much of the whole situation. Everything looked normal. I saw people inside seem like a large group of people all things considered. I was heartened as I rolled up to the selection kiosk looked what Popeyes had to offer. It was kind of weird it didn't seem like the menu was robust as much as The menu offered when Dianne and I went. Just the same menu looked good enough to eat and so a narrow down my order. A kinder really wanted Hush Puppies but I did not see them offered which I thought was kind of weird but c'est la vie. I finally decided , and I rolled up to the counter up to the counter. There other folks in line Waiting to place their order. We waited, and we waited and I started to get that twilight zone feeling, you know that feeling when there is something that is not just right with this picture but you can't quite put your finger on it. We even did the customer look at each other like “what's going on here”. I kept waiting for one of the staff to take one of the other folks orders and finally they got their attention in the staff just pointed to the hallway. Weird. I kept trying to get noticed as well but I was totally invisible at least I thought. Now we are beginning to make some noise because wanted to get some food. Finally, one of Popeye staff pointed again to the sign which we found the red said “pickup orders here” then the staff pointed outside. I don't know if the staff didn't know English or just didn't want to talk but we finally got the idea which was to make your order outside by walking through the drive-thru with all the cars (remember the post I did a few months ago about having to go through the drive-through teller at the bank/credit union?) One patron look to the other shrugged her shoulders and left the building I was about to when I heard “help him” and I think the restaurant manager was pointed towards me so I got the impression it was like he doesn't have to go through the drive thru. This felt a little weird for the same point at this point in time I just want to get some lunch. Nothing happen though the counter help did not take my order or maybe they would've if I had stayed around, but I've had enough. I noticed the Burger King as I wandered into Popeyes and I thought “you know what? Burger King would be too bad”. I zoomed out of Popeyes making sure I slammed the glass door hard.Luckily the door to did not shatter unluckily had no problems at Burger King I grabbed my basic burger and jalapeno peppers and zoomed out onto the street more than ready for the bus…

Monday, September 28, 2020

Blood Draw Monday

 



I am trying to remain complacent. I'm trying to let things run off my back and said no really care but in the back of my mind I guess I do care a little or I would not be writing this. I cannot say am surprised I'm not I'm definitely sensing a pattern. Anyway, this morning I hope health person texted me she was not coming once again citing car troubles or something. As last Friday, I think she's another part of the state with a guy “friend”. Isn't it funny how they always call these escorts or people friends? I mean really I don't know what they are and I don't care – – once again I'm just elated that Annette has somebody take her out to make her feel special. We all need that. So anyway, now they think about it I did not get a text from Annette I got a text from the troubleshooter from the agency who has two cover all the bases. She She informed me that Annette would not be showing up today. But she also informed me that she did have anybody else in the bullpen to cover and that she was hastily making phone calls.She also indicated that it could be a couple of hours before we have a definitive answer and sure enough at about 9 AM I got a call indicating that they could have somebody to the apartment around 4 PM that was fine. I could've even gone till tomorrow if need be but 4 PM is fine.


My goal today was to pop the bus and get on over to Intermountain healthcare medical campus in Murray and have my blood drawn as part of the doctors visit I did last week over the Internet. Some things one has to do in person. As I was pondering the 4 PM visit of my home health person I realized I had a number of hours I could actually get the blood drawn and then I wondered could I achieve the same result by going to one of the Insta care outposts around the Valley? There Is an Insta-care not far from from me here in Taylorsville much closer than traipsing across the valley over to the hospital. IHC has a number of these outpatient labs available and they all fit in the mothership. I wish I could say it was a remarkable trip but it was not there was just a great morning ride to the community college then to the lab. The blood draw was uneventful (thank goodness) in fact I had to complement the phlebotomist on the fact that I didn't even feel the punch of the needle going into my vein. How nice? That experience alone could've been the high point of my day.


Sometimes nothing to report is the best blog entry of all, my home healthcare person showed up at four clock roughly and after some brush up training we got the job done. She will be my personnel for the rest of the week and hopefully and that will be Annette will be back next Monday set to go for the next couple weeks until the next minivacation…

Sunday, September 27, 2020

Training Leaves

 



I spent the morning – – actually have spent the whole day halfheartedly cleaning up the apartment. As I indicated yesterday Annette texted me early yesterday morning indicating her car would not start and she would have to cancel our regulars Saturday housekeeping session. This was okay, not a problem only I think the nonworking vehicle excuse was just that, an excuse, I think the girl got lucky with her Friday date and good for her. We been doing this to our Saturday session all for about 10 weeks now. Annette keeps the place pretty much go up When she does the house maintenance on top of my regular bathroom care three times a week. So the unit stays fairly will put together unless I have a day like yesterday where I capsized the whole container of cut watermelon to the kitchen floor. Cabinets encounters have become pretty much a disaster to. However, I must admit after writing all that, I kind a like the break too let the girl have her fling. I'm enjoying my day. I can certainly remember my days when I would get lucky enough to have enough romance to cause me to call in to the office “sick” and enjoy the day of playing hooky from the job. This of course happen very seldom that always seemed a bit monumental when the occasion occur.


Seasons are changing now. I kind of think autumn is kind of late this year. My little tree across the way, which is become a big tree now amazingly, seems late changing into her autumn outfit. I first noticed a few days ago to little leaves on the tree have turned and that's all. I thought perhaps a day or two bigger difference in more would change but not yet. The winds this morning held a chill, and open the patio door as I usually do on Sunday mornings but ended up closing. A couple hours later and even turning on my little heater next to my computer. The clear skies in the bright sun is a bit deceiving. I'm content with staying in clean up my apartment and enjoying these autumn days…

Saturday, September 26, 2020

Bye Bye Melon

 




I had another one of those moments of early confusion this morning not really knowing what day it is.

For a few fleeting moments I thought it was Friday but quickly I do activities scan revealing that yesterday or Friday I had indeed met with my physician online so today was Saturday and “click” everything moved in the place. I had overslept having stayed up too late last night Interneting been working on my video projects. Soon after rising I got a call or text my home health person, Annette was canceling her housekeeping for this week citing she had a vehicle that would not start. I think she got lucky what I think. She told me she had a date last evening so that's all right, good for her. I could've used her on the apartment but it's okay. However, this evening things are changed a little bit I've made quite the mess in the kitchen.


Really, besides the zoom means I had this week the only real project I wanted to accomplish was procure and process a watermelon. I so enjoyed the last one I did a couple weeks ago and have look forward with great anticipation to the next. I even got extra sharp cheddar cheese on one of my visits to Walmart in anticipation for the red fruit. They still had quite a few watermelons in the cardboard bins at the market and I had some nice lady fish one out for me since there's no way I could lift a watermelon over the side and onto my lap. I had some anxiety knowing pretty well these are the same melons that I saw when I got my other watermelon couple weeks ago. How long is too long? And they really got the impression that these of the last melons for the season at least relatively local watermelons board ever that means because I have a sneaky suspicion that from here on out were getting some sort of fruit that either been writing up in the cooler/freezer somewhere Or did he know them shipped in from Australia are someplace a long ways away were another season is just coming into being. But after a few four things in my basket and headed home.


Today, I pretty much committed myself to stay in in the apartment and rest up a little bit, not that have been doing that much physical stuff but I had been out quite a bit riding the system and riding in my chair and honestly I've been sitting to much in my chair and my little bit worried about my right butt cheek. The little painful. My goal for the day was to process the watermelon which means cut the rind mellon and the remaining fruit into finger sized slices. I really want to do this project but it would be a lot of work so I kept putting the task off I even have a nice visit with my neighbor across the hall.


Eventually, I got to the task. Sadly, I cannot say I was very surp…rised, but the watermelon itself was getting kind of old love dark spaces in the melon itself not necessarily bad But not the texture of the taste that I really desire but the Fruit was firm enough so I went ahead with the project.The process went quickly, and getting pretty good at this, and I got everything in a plastic container that I store in the refrigerator. I don't know what I did a kind of broke my heart but not really. It's just a mess to have to clean up the no watermelon for me. As I took the container over to the refrigerator and tried to push the container into the refrigerator shelf or onto the refrigerator shelf of course I slipped, the container slipped just barely enough that the lid popped off and as I try to re-secure the container of course it slammed to the floor all over the floor. It was not a pretty sight it took me the next hour to clean up the mess working on the project little by little But now it's done. I think I'm done with watermelons for the season. I think this is just a sign But oh how I like a good melon Already I'm looking forward to next year's crop


Friday, September 25, 2020

Video Doc

 

I had my first tele-med doctor's appointment today. It just boggles my mind at how medical model works to preserve itself. I wasn't sure how the obit was going to go off. After all this is the end of a very Zoom-me Internet heavy week. Two meetings regarding assistive technology and then a meeting with my primary care physician. In effort to be part of my new proactive self I spent time before the meeting making sure I had the appropriate apps downloaded onto my cell phone. I guess I could've also use my tablet but I did not want to push my luck. At the appointed time the call never came I got a little worried about after I called my doctor's office and they walked three through the scenario I was cool. About 20 minutes after 10 I got the call from Nathan's resident. She seemed like a nice young person who will be a fine doctor someday. She asked the questions, made the right noises made it easy to believe that she was a doctor or will be soon. The thought of was, neat they gave me the option of hanging up the Nathan calling me when he was ready to go over the findings of his resident but I decided just to hang online and wait and it really was just like being in the real doctor's office. I am amused myself by doing a couple of cryptograms.


The home health person was late today, more so than usual, but we everything taken care of and was out of hereby 9:30 AM s will in time for my virtual appointment.I'm sure I had the least 30 minute appointment covered all the bases. I will be going in to take or drops in blood off first my blood work. I hope I have no issues there. I found I'm also okay for my next colonoscopy. I should have it scheduled for sometime in 2023. I was so pleased it was still off in the distance a ways. I don't know how I'm going to do that but like Nathan says, “we will cross that bridge when we get to it” I'm just Hoping to still be alive. I talked about Covid 19 and all the risks it is for a person my age and talk about how important I filled it was the social isolate and not expose myself to risky behaviors like showing up at the hospital for a doctors appointment. Nathan thought I was so wise. Then, the second I hung up the phone I grabbed my traveling bag and headed inbound to Costco to order the new lenses for my glasses. I stopped off at the hospital, I HC medical Center and got mashed potatoes and gravy, fried chicken Patti and corn . I just realized I could have had back blood taken today but But spaced off your deal. I was beginning to feel guilty about saying all things I did during the interview and then show up to the very place we were talking about. I could've done the appointment in person easily.


At Costco I was going to have the opticians office people just take my old frames to put the new lens in. It occurred to me later on when the technician informed me that because my other frames, even though I think they still look very good, were quite old and fragile and need to be replaced. There is no way to get around that so I just accepted the verdict and ordered not only lenses but another frame entirely in this time I'm committing to taking much better care of my eyewear.


I'm pretty tired tonight. I waited way too long to write this so it's more of an itinerary of what was done then perhaps any creative blogging. But I got something written and posted amount do it for tonight. Can you believe it: three months and will be Christmas… Again

Thursday, September 24, 2020

New Normal A. T. Council

 



What a week! I've had three meetings and I have one more meeting tomorrow, tomorrow's meeting however is a “tela-appointment”, just as it sounds a medical appointment with my primary care physician over the Internet. This of course is not surprising but still kind of a shock a little dismay and a whole lot of envy. The point of this is not how much my primary care doc is going to make by jumping on his Internet connection i.e. cell phone art tablet or whatever Apple has out and asking me a number of questions and that's it 10 minutes – 20 minutes max I'll bet. That's cool my doc works hard, is an internist and to be honest with you I did not even know he was my primary physician. I sort of knew our thought at one time we set something like that up but the last bunch of years I've been seeing this other doc who are really liked: a physiatrist . Last year or so she's dumped her practice is doing full-time clinical medicine. I don't totally understand but her office advised me to get a new primary care doc and when I contacted my internist for a referral they informed me that Dr. Allred, my internist was my primary care physician. So, they got me on a immediate opening doctor visit tomorrow. But that's not what this days blog is about.


Today was the latest A. T. Council meeting. This was the first meeting since coronavirus or Covid swept over the world changing everything. I actually did a little research on my old blogs and I have a number of installments covering A T Council meetings. We are part of the state system so all of the state councils and meetings are now over Zoom. The software has become the new normal. Of course, what I miss most (there is a lot to be said about seeing your colleagues in person) is the free lunch. For those who wish to know more can search this blog search “Council” you get a lot of other Council meetings that you also get A. T. where I talk about in some cases share images so the great lunches of the past. We now all just login and have a virtual meeting. Truth be told, I kind of like not having to head out for a physical meeting. True, saves a lot of things, state monies, environmental issues no travel, and time in travel. It's all a win-win but I still kind of miss the whole event in person. Having said that I'm retired so I don't have a lot to report. More often than not when I do report notes from the senior standpoint of a user of assistive technology. I do like getting involved in some of the discussions but for the most part I lay low and watch and listen in this my working life. You'll note the image I have today, it's hard to tell but if you blow up the image you see my image in the lower right-hand corner being present at Council meeting…

Wednesday, September 23, 2020

Dog Days Dog Malaise

 






Somehow a couple weeks ago talking a good friend Trish lives upon the second floor she was telling me how bad she felt when she saw how despondent the number of the renters here at the complex looked. She really felt the trials and tribulations of this past year have a significant impact on us. So, she took it upon herself to put together Dog Days of September. Some kind of event that would celebrate all the little beasties that seem to permeate this complex. Trish of course enlisted me in the event as a judge. In fact I not only was a judge I was the starter of the race special flight and made for me out of what look like someone's boxer shorts. Like any good race person I was to wave the flag maniacally at the beginning of the hurrah and do everything but jump up and down.


I don't know if I've recounted before how much I really dislike the furry/hairless little bug eyed beasts that dare call themselves dogs. For some reason people are drawn to these beasts. In all honesty I've had a couple dogs and I guess I enjoy their company to a point. I thought taking care of a dog in the house on a good piece aground with the challenge but trying to keep the little yapper's here at an apartment complex and by many who could barely walk is un-dogable. Thankfully the owners of the beasts do a great job as far as clean up the poop and for the most part keep them quiet during the day and night. Every once in a while the barking gets a little shrill but for the most part their okay to just ugly little buggy eyes and sniff sniff sniff.


I in fact forgotten I had volunteered for this event and on top of that it never registered to me that the event was today. Somehow I I still have a couple of weeks boy was I wrong. I realize something was up when I went down to check at the office and saw the patio area all decked out in streamers chairs (6 feet apart) and party hats in the table full of iced cupcakes and party favors and my neighbors milling all about. I did not want to be part of this event but Trish saw me looking in the doorway and did her famous double hammerlock arm lock. She found me a table and thrust the flag in my hand and told me when I would be doing my event. I just nodded and grinned like an idiot. This too shall pass, this too shall pass is the best mantra in something like this. I was amazed at how many people showed up as well as how many dogs showed up, someone costumes, some wearing the party hats all over little bewildered when trying to lick one of the discarded cupcakes if only they could. There are even interlopers people who did not live at the apartment complex managed to bring their dogs over. There is even somebody with this curlyhaired shaggy type dog which took me a minute or two to realize she is one of these therapy.leading archetypes a director beasts to one function or another to do mental health supports. I even petted the beast when she drove him around where I was sitting. The morning was beautiful temperatures in the right area everyone was having a great time nobody died. Everyone was cordial we ran the race and the big curly dog won. I was glad to have my part finished too much pressure. We really did look cliché in fact what we look like was one of those geriatric drug commercials always shown during the 5 o'clock news. Oh well, maybe Trish was right maybe that's what we all needed was a little dog therapy…

Tuesday, September 22, 2020

Shoe Mystery

 



I got a new pair of shoes last week , and I realize this is not a big deal for most people but for me getting a new pair of shoes is a big deal. It's not like I walk around the whole heckuva lot. The top of the shoes are going to wear out before the bottoms. In my case it's usually the toes of the shoe because I spent a lot of time reading my shoes and of the wall to push my feet back on the footplate of my power chair. However, with my home health person Annette went shopping with me on Saturday a few weeks ago. I also engaged Annette to work privately for me to from time to time. Annette has certain skills far shopping goes and what of those skills is shopping. One of things I find most difficult about shopping for myself is digging out close from the racks and actually trying them on. I do this once and I'm about done for the day whereas Annette is relentless. When we found the shoot that I might like we tried on six pair of different sizes until we home did not pair that met my needs. I am kind of excited now because we've talked about maybe doing the same thing on doing some real clothes shopping. However, shopping for my shoes is not what this is about. I'm intrigued because today on my way to the podiatrist, very early this morning, I came upon this pair shoes on the sidewalk. Oddly, this is not the first pair shoes are shoes that I've encountered. Forensically, I love to just leave the shoes as they are and take a couple images with my cell phone. I then wonder what the story behind the shoes and why are they here at this place, and point in time.


I think it really carried away as I ponder what happened to the owner of the shoes. I of course always default to my most natural conjecture and that's the individual been beamed up by some UFO type operation. Oh how I would love that to happen. Just watching somebody walking around that also “energized” but under some starship orbiting the earth. Of course there's always the evangelical solution which is the quickening or rapture, you know when those (whatever number the sky pilots like to quote” or suddenly translated, teleported or raptured right there on the spot to the happy hunting ground in the sky. I found shoes of bus stops, sidewalks going to them coming from work. I found high heels are high heel in the case and thinking of A black CFM shoe with others in one on a busstop bench, should is a story there. I should go through my records and see if I can find some of these images start collecting them into a document. I could make a short story on each case. Boy, I wonder if I'm that creative. I would like to think so but who knows.


Autumn wandered into this territory this morning relatively early it is now officially Fall and already the days feel cooler… Summer I miss you already…

Monday, September 21, 2020

Framed Blue Nude

 



I'm very excited this last day of summer – – evening now that I'm writing this – – I feel spent a fairly productive day, this bizarre summer of the Covid virus. I could be letting my guard down or maybe I'm just getting used to the new normal of wearing face masks everywhere and usually for as long as you're going to be where your every. Like yesterday, I was at the movies (the first time since the whole Covid things started) and I wore a black mask the entire movie even though there were only two other souls in the movie theater and they were up on an upper balcony. I did, I really felt at risk should I remove my mask so I was quite compliant living in the power the mask and that I would be protected through the movie I only wish thatI have takenAdvantage ofType before the movie started an gone to the restroom before the movie started. I suffered through the whole movie and I couldn't cath until I got home needless to say I was a mess but that goodness I have a hairdryer and soon I was good to go. But as you can tell I've been somewhat diverted.


This morning I texted my neighbor to see if she wanted to have coffee over at Hidden Peaks or the redneck coffee shop. I felt like I wanted to get out and I did not visit my neighbor all weekend long. We need to catch up and we did. In the course the conversation I bemoaned the fact that it was taking me a while to get my Picasso into the frames and up onto the wall. Billie, my neighbor, has volunteered more than once to assist me when I needed help and today I would try to pick up on that act of volunteerism. I asked if she would give me a hand in trying to put the poster into one of the frames I purchased last week. I was kind of hoping I could have Mark Anthony help me but that didn't materialize, I put out a couple leads on text for them to get back with me but I don't think he saw them I don't know how well he is at this point either, so I'm not really pressing issues of assistance. Billie and I had a great conversation lasting hours at the coffee shop when we finally broke up I asked her if I called her which she come and help me with the project and she said yes.


We got off to a bit of a rough start and Billie informed me she thought she lost her hearing aid somewhere at the coffee shop. I took off to see if I can see anything at the coffee shop luckily she found her hearing aid at her apartment. I came back and we got the frame and the artwork and headed down to the common room really have a number of large tables which perfectly worked for us to frame the Picasso. Luckily one of our friends, Maria happened by and ended up giving us a great deal of assistance. Once again I did very little but sure the crew on and get screwdrivers and other items needed. It took us a bit but the two ladies got the poster in the frame in the frame together again. The result is remarkable. I have to get wire or some kind of cord for the back of the frame so I can hang the artwork. I'll probably make a trip up to JoAnn's or even across the street to the hardware store. I'm very close and really excited. I'm now building up the courage to order the Chagall or Miro or maybe both I just have to learn some control…



Sunday, September 20, 2020

Hidden Peaks Coffee

 

 Fox fiends outside the coffee shop.
 



I'm perplexed not really sure what I should do. I've talked about this great little coffee shop across the street from our apartment complex. The place is called Hidden Peaks. They roast their own coffee of course. They've survived the past few months of the pandemic by the mere fact that the coffee shop provides a pretty brisk mail-order and office and cafeteria support. So even though their “drink in” was shut down they survived. There's also the fact that it's greatly and family affair. Both the staff are the kids of the owner. The place is a real neighborhood operation with a few left really. This last week the owner got permission to open the main area for table coffee drinking which is a boon to all of us. The only drawback is for some reason this little coffee shop to some kind of a conservative hangout. The flatscreen TV is always tuned into Fox news in the morning regulars are bunch of retired, lower middle class, overweight white guys. I've known this for some time. When I first moved into this property I went over there the first week on Saturdays when they all get together . At first I thought to submit good group to become part of if it were possible until I began to listen to some of the conversations. They didn't like a lot of local politics especially when it came to school board decisions. They did not come right out and say it but I could tell they did like minorities very much either. They particularly did like students from the University of Utah and student protest groups. They didn't like legislation which forced builders to make things more accessible. They would have these discussions will be in the room I don't think really understanding what they were really talking about.


Last week they are talking about the continued need for construction of the Great Wall between USA and Mexico. More talk about government involvement in their lives and particularly the elections and particularly support for Donald Trump. Such a drag because this can be such a great little coffee shop as it is now just another conservative stink hole. Yesterday, I really became offended when the morning discussion centered around the late RGB. Heard them characterize the justices passing as “ding dong the witch is dead which old which the wickedwitch”. Of course this was just the men talking, sadly coupled the wives were sitting with their guys but being very very quiet. I think they realized what Ruth B Ginsburg was to them. That this justice passed legislation because legislation to be passed that directly influenced the lives of millions of Americans mostly women. Of course they could not bring this up in front of our group they would incur the wrath of husbands. Still sad to me.


I should've said something that I did not I'm not I'm not that strong a person. I did not linger I just got my coffee and left as quickly as I could. I would like for this toolbar to be my hangout place but clearly cannot be and perhaps that's best…

Saturday, September 19, 2020

Rat Dogs, Wandering Cats And Early Morning Delights in Bullet-Ville

 


It's still the weirdest thing to me about how worked animals or support animals are welcomed into senior housing projects like the one I live at. The most convicts me of prick which of not can argue with of all but current sick and tired of all these little beasts. In defense of the owners I must admit that for the most part the animals are well taken care of, fed and maintain a daily basis. I don't begrudge the fact that, living at the end of the hall, next to the exit door outside I hear the electronic doors open and shut as the pet owners take their beats out for morning bathroom break. We probably start around 4:15 AM and then basically continue all day long. My next-door neighbor had her own little dog which I kind of think she kind of killed just because she was in no way to take care of little beast. Once the beast is put to sleep she took a six-week break and now has a cat. I think she defaulted to a cat because they're less maintenance oriented. Essentially, just leaving the door open a crack in the feline comes and goes as it wishes as cats do. It'll be interesting once the temperatures drop is no longer advantageous to keep your patio door open a crack what the poor beast will have to deal with. Luckily for me, the cat is not really, to my knowledge, spend much time in my area. I usually just hiss or sometimes throw something and the cat goes away. I wish I had some images some of the poor cats and dogs here at the apartment complex. Maybe I'll take some images later on reposting to this blog entry.


But truly interesting is that one of the residents of our apartment complex has felt a little bad about all the people having to basically stay in place in their apartments. She actually thought she'd seen a lot of folks with tears in their eyes because of all the isolation, political unrest and social anarchy happened in this country. So, she is put together some sort of animal cat and dog show later on this month. And oddly she wants me to officiate the operation explaining that people tend to accept whatever I say as an authority. I don't know if I believe that, but if it makes her feel better to have me adjudicating the beasts all do it. I don't know if this event will actually even take place because it seems that all over Salt Lake County the Covid virus is having a come back and we all might be sequestered into our apartments by that time. I just thought it ironic of all the people who chose me to officiate. We will see.


This morning had just woken up around 4:15 AM and was debating whether or not to catheterize myself are just wait out the morning until it was time to get up which of them in about two hours. Knowing that with a semi-full bladder I would never get back to sleep when all of a sudden I hear pop pop pop pop I wasn't sure but I pretty much felt ultra gunshots then about 30 seconds later I hear sirens all would seem pretty close to my apartment complex. You hear the sirens coming close of also. I figured an incident that happened somewhere nearby but as of this morning I had not heard anything on local NPR news broadcast than later the local news morning show at 7 AM. I just thought it was kind of weird but I do and have always maintained I do live in bullet Ville…

Friday, September 18, 2020

Desire

 

Me on the bus named Desire


I don't know why perhaps it's just the promise of the incoming storm, not a big storm mind you but a change in the weather all the same, but I felt a little anxious one to get out and get going as soon as Annette was finished with my morning ritual. I was bathed that, toileted and dressed and ready to go. I think I just want to be out enjoys much of this weather as I could before the advent of winter and the cold ways of the cold days. It was difficult to tell whether it was smoke in the sky or clouds from the pending storm that blunted the sunlight as I waited for the bus. The day was still warm, warm before the storm, I was just going in the Costco get my glasses or frames worked on. Somewhere along the line one of the lens had popped from the frames. This was the best excuse I could come up with for a trip in the Costco and it worked.


I don't know if it was the virus or what Costco was not too crowded which is okay by me. There is no waiting at the eyeglass station and got overachieving technician straightaway working on my glasses. I just thought he was going to pop the lens back into the frames and perhaps tighten up the screws a little but notice guys going full bore popped out both lands and was in the middle of swabbing down the frames and even installing new nose pieces. I was impressed so much so that some cells goodness for free I might will get my eyes examined. It'd been quite a while since my last pair of glasses. $65 later I was done with the prescriptions and wanting to get back to the apartment. Got to stop spending money! But, for a $1.65 I bought one of their dogs. I wasn't sure what I might get at Costco source packing this little wicker basket I picked up somewhere along the line everything fit into it just perfectly. I want to make sure I got out of the next bus so I headed down to the train station for the trip back home. A friend called and advised me she was coming over to drop off some produce she had raised in her garden and I did not want to miss her.


The driver loaded me onto the bus and we still had a few minutes to wait that's okay I had to concentrate on not peeing pants. I noticed this guy with a bizarre gate walking on the other side of the train tracks. He was actually crossing the train tracks something totally stupid, I mean walking to the edge of the platform getting down and walking across the two sets of tracks and climbing up on the other side. No doubt this is the problem that got in the weird walking gait that is dealing with now totally stupid. You look like some cross between the walking dead in a motorcycle helmet commercial. Thank goodness he walked past my boss. I did notice however the guys eyes radiated anger like the villain On the Netflix series The Boyz This guy was trouble the matter how you painted the canvas. I was doing pretty good meditating focusing on keeping my sphincter closed. The driver ambled onto the bus and crank the engine over then to my displeasure the walking dead approached the bus, of course, this young version of Stanley was getting on the new version of the Bus(Streetcar) Named Desire. I didn't want any problems which one to get home cath. The driver was standing on the outside of the bus and they had a small conversation. The driver got on and Stanley followed. Before Stanley crossed the threshold however the driver stopped him and said “where's your mask”

Stanley “I don't have one”

driver “I have one here for you you must put it on”


Stanley “Nah I don't want to wear one” Said with conviction

Driver: I don't care…


At this point Stanley takes the cheap, blue mask, goes past toward the rear of the bus. Stanley to stop it on his mask the driver. We just started away from the bus stop and the driver stopped the vehicle and demands that Stanley applies mask, Stanley refuses there's a standoff. There is attention on the bus course real-life drama, just like what's happening in the world today you can't pay with this kind of drama. Eventually, Stanley relents and I guess affixes his mask because we go on our way back until the driver would a kick Stanley's little ass, off the bus just for something to do. Which is okay by me because my bladder is beginning to ache.


What I thought was really interesting on just a side note was that I heard a very loud commotion in the back as the standoff was going on. I think some of the passengers around Stanley had had enough and are yelling at him. It almost sounded like a lynching. I was kind of impressed these people were taking the Covid 19 seriously in this silly little Stanley was threatening everybody by his refusal to wear the mask and I think these folks would to beat this not out of him if he continued to do so. The standoff ended of course with the bus driver winning but the driver also said which I thought was very indicative “I'm giving you a free ride the least you could do is wear the mask”.


I wish that had my wits about me and had been able to get an image of Stanley. Somewhere I cannot hope he has a Stella waiting for them…

Thursday, September 17, 2020

New Mask

 



The temperature was supposed to get up in the 90s again today and then tomorrow the storm supposed to come in. This is not good to be a big storm but the temperatures will fall significantly and I sort of suspect that I will want to be inside. So I figured to enjoy this good weather to its maximum until it's taken away. I'm sure they'll be fine autumn days following the storm but this is definitely the ending of the summer temperatures. So, without in mind as well as convenient way to be gone during the coffee social time (rremember I'm boycotting the coffee social for a host of reasons). I was thinking since there's in art department at the community college, maybe they would have frames in the bookstore I was wrong but it was nice to be on campus and the vamp some of the energy off the kids cruising around the campus. I was also interested in getting another facemask possibly one with the community College logo or something. I was kind of amazed on searching on my own and not finding any masks and in the and I asked staff and they directed me to some masks that were pretty interesting but one of the staff woke told me that if I had my student number the community college provides a mask and sure enough after some after some fanagaling staff was able to find my student number and I was awarded a black facemask with the school letters. I'm not even rolled this semester but I had my number that's all it matters.


I ended up jumping the bus and heading further south getting off around 5400 S. and going to this craft store called Jo Anne's. Joannes is a big place with just about everything crafty in the store. I spent a lot of time just goosing around until I finally arrived at the frames. They had tons of frames and fortunately for me they had 2-for-1 sale going on. Most able to get beautiful set of frames that will be very handy with my new Picasso and whatever else I might end up getting. The only problem was I would not dare try to bring these home by myself. And: go to guy, my brother Carl is always stepped in to save the day. That was weird I wanted to pay for the frames and have everything taken care of so all of my brother had to do was pick them up but they would not let me do such a thing so the best I could do was put the frames on “hold” and then figure out a way to pay for them when my brother pick them up. They would keep the frames on hold for 48 hours then I was out of luck. My brother was working as well as had some family business to attend to but eventually was able to pick up the frames this evening. Now I have half the problem taken care of. I have some ideas about how to get the poster mounted in the frame that's posting for another day…

Wednesday, September 16, 2020

Can Any Body See Me


 




Once again I'm feeling minimalized! I'm really trying not to feel too much by saying I don't really care but I do. The image that I
've chosen today is from 25 years celebration of this guy Marion Willie was the executive director of Utah Non-Profit Housing Corporation. I've worked with Marion for a number of decades here in Salt Lake County. I was housing coordinator for the independent living Center worked with a lot of housing folk trying to establish more accessible housing which is also affordable. Somewhere along the line I became involved with the Board of Directors for the organization and became one – – or at least I like to think so. Events like they make me wonder. I've been racking my brain ever since Marion posted this image of him getting the award on his Facebook feed this afternoon. I should have been there I'm sure the rest of the board was there in one form or another. I'm hoping that somewhere there was a email sent out with the time and place that somehow I must've not gotten or not realizing what the document was may have send it to the trash thinking it was spam. But I cannot believe I would send a UNPHC document to the trash bin.


Earlier this year maybe a month ago maybe to a fellow board member who lives upstairs and I were going to sign a card for Marion and we were directed from administration or Admin as they like to call themselves that there is going to be a special presentation from the board. This sounded like something that would happen so I didn't question it further than that. And I do remember a card coming around or something that we had to sign or do for what I thought was going to be a video presentation with the coronavirus and everything. Maybe that's why I may have spaced everything off. But still, there should have been an email I would of thought but clearly there was some kind of a get together which I would've gone to had I known – – the get-together was getting together. I do not want to make a big deal out of this or even if I should. After all, this is where I live and I have got a great deal, partially I think, because I am a board member. Noticed in the past when they've done their year-end reports you know, when they make the flashy folder with all the events of the year and they always identify board members that I've been gone are missing more than a couple of times. I always bring this up in everyone's embarrassed and the same resolute but it seems to keep happening. And that this was the only place I would be more concerned with this really seems to be a pattern of my life I'm actually becoming more and more invisible as I age to really quite bizarre. But, I sent an email congratulations to my friend director Marion and I wish him the best I'm really going to miss the guy when he retires. He is one who has done a great deal of good for folks were low income and people with disabilities and a whole lot more

Tuesday, September 15, 2020

Taco Tuesday

 






I'm doing just fine, thank you very much. People are beginning to wonder about me since I have had very little interaction with Facebook, twitter or whatever the last couple months. I don't know what precipitated my social networking fast but kind of think it's been good for me. I mean, it's not like I was living breathing and finding my existence and social networking is just that it sort of lost its appeal. Not unlike my opting out of the Thursday morning coffee social here at the apartment complex. I just didn't think the organization's fun anymore especially since there's been a couple of personalities really putting a lot more control over the operation the need be. That and social distancing us, made the operation a joke. In order to social distance the tables are placed back to back a great line in one has to sit 6 feet apart. Realize that most will everybody's a senior in this project and of course everybody and everybody at coffee social to some degree has difficulty hearing. It's just no longer fun so why go? The person I do like to spend time with Billie we go out to the coffee shop across the street from our building and meet have a great time just visiting and talking about the trilogy of books were reading together. Of course since we missed a couple of the coffee meetings all the residents are “ask not what's going on and why are we not showing up at the social? We've am guessing I told my friend I think she's been a cave. I think I'm doing what's best for me right now. So I'm doing fine just out and about.


Today I went back down to seventieths South to check with DI to see what they had in the area of picture frames. They've got some will have to do some checking particularly if I do send away for some art by mail. Right now I've got to figure out some way to frame up the poster I sent for. I was kind of surprised at some of the options the DI had for me and I'll have to drop back there in a week or so. I was hungry though. Billie , had called me early to have coffee at Hidden Peaks. I had not had my breakfast yet which ended up being half a maple bar and half another donut. I desperately needed some protein and real food. When I was at the Goodwill store yesterday I noticed a number of restaurants I thought might be interesting. So today after leaving Deseret Industries I was slowly rolling in front of these interesting looking restaurants, Asian and Hispanic specialties. However one restaurant or whatever I couldn't tell what was had all kinds of images and the window but I couldn't see and there is nothing describing the place. As I was sitting there looking at the storefront some guy came out to smoke and saw me looking at asked if I wanted to go in. I asked him what the place was and he just looked at me a sense and said , “it's a bar”. I just kind of laughed and I don't know what motivated him but then he told me it's “taco Tuesday”. That was enough for me. 10 years since I'd been in a bar real bar I thought why not do Taco Tuesday.


The place was pretty large on the inside I was kind surprised concrete floor of course with a bar in five or six people in the room. There's a raised stage for a band, I suppose for Friday and Saturday nights, and tables throughout the room. There are a couple electronic games and some skill games and a crew who all seem to know each other. Couple younger folks behind the bar cook in bartender and the ever present barflies, three or four individuals looking like a pathetic version of Cheers characters. To aging women desperately trying to look young and close this should not be wearing and to retrieve versions of burnt out versions of Sam the bar tender or working-class musicians. The whole place was one stanza away from a Billie Joel song. The tacos were six bucks, three small sized corn tortillas with ground beef and some pretty good filling including blue cabbage! I would never have thought. I could add some alcohol but I decide to go with the Pepsi when it was offered. I ate my lunch trying to be invisible listing to the barflies trying to engage the over the Hill studs all trying to find a younger version of themselves. Look like an interesting place, I doubt they'll ever go back listens on Tuesday was just something about Taco Tuesdays that's hard to pass up…

Monday, September 14, 2020

A Catheter Bouquet

 



I keep a bouquet of catheter stick to my bed so when nature calls in the middle of the night I can just roll over and pull one of the catheters out of a container train and go back to sleep if I'm lucky. I don't remember if I've shared but one morning I found this beautiful crystal vase on the sharing shelf and I brought it to my apartment and put it next to my bed. I put the catheters in and everything was just perfect. The crystal container of catheters kind of a my room a classic. Well, the container lasts about two weeks. I don't know how my home health/cleaning person managed that I heard a crash and instantly knew that my classy catheter container was no more. I was just glad I was not the one who destroyed the container as it usually is the case with wreck-it Mark. The glasses free no big deal. Annette was was brilliant and found a cardboard box which almost worked is good but I did wreck the box when I rolled into the box a couple times getting ready for bed.


I was pleased this morning when I opened my door to find my errant packages! I knew I was getting the poster but the other packages totally slipped my mind are actually I knew it was coming I just didn't think it would be here so soon. My Picasso came today “Blue Nude”(see yesterday's post). I pulled the image out of the round container shipped in and it's a pretty big piece of work. 24” x 36” I am going to need a large frame. Also over the weekend, I purchased a couple great frying pans and I need a lid to cover one of the pans. I figure the best place would be theDeseret Industries or DI the giant, local culture thrift store chain. I saddled up and took off traveling 30 blocks south. I was kind of bummed out when I got to the store and found the DI closed ! The reason I was at the thrift center was because people often drop artwork off and whereas I might not be impressed with the art chances are I could find a decent frame for my Picasso. I saw there was a thrift store in the same area. The thrift store is very crowded close quartered in with a lot of junk there is nothing there that I needed. I even passed through a pawn shop where that is always interesting, these palaces of broken dreams, there is nothing there that I could use. That out of the corner of my eyes as I was heading for the bus stop I spotted Goodwill. Dianne got me into the Goodwill as an alternative shopping destination to the DI. Sometimes they charged a bit more but frequently had much better choices. And the same held true on Redwood Road. There was many full-blown framed pictures, nice frames and some nice pictures. I realized I'm not to be able to purchase a frame and try to carry it home on my lap. I'm going to have to take Annette or Billy or someone who has a vehicle and can carry the treasure home. I was pleased. I then spent some time looking around the rest of the Goodwill and there was a glass and metal cylindrical container just perfect for my catheter needs and sturdy enough to stand up to my power chair. I also found a great coffee cup replace will be broken earlier in the year. The cup this is because I would like this got the same image of the Café Martin in Paris or New Orleans or somewhere cool. I had a great time shopping and I'm looking forward to returning to the Goodwill and all the treasures therein…

Sunday, September 13, 2020

Patience Is A Virtue

 

Image

I'm getting concerned. Remember that risk I talked about last week or week before when I ordered the Picasso, “Blue Nude”? I've been very patient because I knew there is probably an issue with mailings in the Covid everything us, hoping since the Picasso was coming by UPS they would be able to meet their prediction of arrival. I must say in all the mail-order I've done UPS has always been extremely accurate as to when product would arrive. However, this time seems to be an issue. My artwork supposedly was to be hereby September 11. It was a no-show and I did not receive any notifications of the door that they might have tried to deliver. As I said I haven't really worried about the artwork until now when it's three or four days late. I actually went to the website where one can track the progress of their order and there was nothing outstanding as far as it being late or anything. It basically just said the package was in process with no further information. I have to acknowledge that the fact that we are in the middle of a worldwide pandemic as well as major fires raging across this country that perhaps, just perhaps my order has run into some “bumps”. I'm okay with this it is this got me a bit curious and a bit gun shy on ordering anything more expensive like I'm planning to do. After all losing $20 worth of an art is not like dropping $100 bill and losing that piece of art. I'll just back away and hone my patience skills and hope that my image will be here in the week to come. Had to stop watching the 5 o'clock news for fear seeing burned out UPS trucks. The computer tracker indicates that my art is in Salt Lake area even though the last space that it acknowledged was in 84107 which is mild ZIP Code which worries me a little bit but like I said let the system work.

Saturday, September 12, 2020

New Shoe Saturday

 



I really wasn't sure what to expect today. I mean I knew that Annette would be over to do the housekeeping which is cool. I really appreciate the work and effort she she pours into keeping this placed fairly respectable. I've really grown somewhat dependent on her and her ability to keep me going. She asked me on Friday if I be willing to write her support letter. She had a couple other support literacy brought that other individuals in her life had written for her. One letter was from a sister and the other from another family member and of course letters of support for employment usually need to come from folks other than family members. I felt pleased that Annette wanted me to supplier was such a document. There's so little I can do for people who do so much for me but writing letters is something I do relatively well. Now, there's only problem with a good written support letter. The letter may in fact make the difference in that person requesting the letter being hired. I note the double-edged sword for if Annette does get hired she most assuredly will leave leave me as a health care attendant. But I'm not one to stand in the way of personal growth and I wish this girl all the best. Anyway, Annette comes to my apartment on Saturdays and provides me with two hours of labor basic housekeeping. Many days she has other appointments that she must keep and that's fine but today was one of those days for she was free all morning.


For the past couple of months my shoes have gotten more and more decrepit. The Velcro closing the shoe on my right shoe has disintegrated pretty much and we've talked about getting a new pair. Last pair Dianne got me off the Internet. And seemed to be a complicated process so I've never really considered until recently getting another pair. But Annette and I have talked about the possibility of seeing what might be available in stores like Walmart. Only trouble I thought would be how do I buy a pair of shoes without trying them on. Annette suggested that in addition to cleaning this week that we go to Walmart and checked the shoes out. What a great idea but I didn't feel comfortable paying for more time. Then I came up with the idea that why don't I charge Annette couple hours of labor for the support letter. I don't mean to get all Machiavellian but why not? When I broached the idea to Annette she was all happy to do such a trade and this is what we did.


I jumped the bus and headed down to Walmart and linked up with Annette at the store. We found each other and then we found the shoes and I can't believe how great the experience was. There's no way I could've bought the shoes of my own and got the right shoes. Annette was truly in her element, searching and finding all kinds of pairs of shoes and bring them over and trying them on my feet. We must've tried on six pair and found a great pair at a great price! I might even buy another pair just so all have address a pair in case I ever need. So this that wasn't an exciting day but it was a fun day at the market…

Friday, September 11, 2020

More of What Old Men Do…

 



The good weather is finally back. The temperatures not superhot which I'm trying to convince myself that I don't care but I do. There's lots of sunshine but I sense the temperatures struggling to get out of the 70s. Maybe by the 5 o'clock news the weather will have stretched itself up to 80° but I kind of doubt it. Hopefully tomorrow, you'll get at the 80 may be the 90° but you know what I think that's what they promised they be in the weatherman, I don't think to get there though. Still however I'm going to spend some more time out in the park tomorrow either reading, taking pictures are just laying back in the sunshine trying to absorb as much as I can before it gets too cold.


This year more than ever before the park is become my summer go to place. I've been in the park a lot still I could've been a lot more park oriented but I'm building up to that. Maybe next summer will be the summer of the park who knows hopefully I survived the Covid pandemic and maybe I'll have more options than just the park but I'm happy to have the park is an option.


Sadly, the astute reader probably consents that I don't have anything to write about and I'm just fluffing up the fluff that I can. Whatever scouring my poor brain for something to write I kept going back to yesterday's meeting with my friend Duane – – over at the park – – and maybe go little bit deeper into the crotchety old man syndrome we both seem to be sinking into. I don't know how long or how much I can ring out of the sediment but let's see if I get up to 500 words for the whole document.


First off there's the barking dog some “with it” bicycle chick was reading under a tree and she had her nicely groomed what look like a toy German Shepherd or smaller version of that dog tethered to her bike and the poor dog was barking barking barking. The bike chick seemed oblivious to the poor dog but we elected to move away from that area as fast as our legs and wheels could go. Crouching about how young people or people who have animals should take care of their animals and not ignore them especially in public places where the animals bark their brains out. We groused about the system that denies people places to live that I've been negatively affected by the pandemic and financial setbacks as we witnessed homeless people lounging around the park waiting for something like a line out of Ferlinghetti poem. We laughed about how we were characters in a low-budget film about old farts sitting in the park crouching about being old and how the young people just don't know how good they've got it. We wandered over and looked at trees again which had been pushed over by the great blow. Shaking our heads and wished we had access to a chainsaw secretly thankful that we did not.


We've vowed to get together one more time before the snow flies but we'll see… We'll see

Thursday, September 10, 2020

It's What Old Men Do

 



I kind of thought Taylorsville had been spared the hurricane like trauma recently visited on this area. But today I had our long anticipated launch in the park adjacent to my apartment complex. My buddy Duane from my good old workdays decide to meet in the park away from any dine in type restaurants in respect of Covid 19. We made plans before the great blow. Like with most of my professional colleagues, now retired, when we eat they usually pick up the bill. Today we had cold sandwiches for some classy fast sandwich joint. I volunteered diet beverages, which I had in my refrigerator, I also drove along a package of open potato chips I've been munching on just in case this fancy sandwich shop didn't include chips… They did, fancy chips mine were barbecue. Space as I've mentioned before turned the corner even though the calendar says it's summer I've gone along sleeve shirts. I just feel more comfortable especially sitting under a tree in the late summer.


The sandwiches seemed large. I unwrapped mine and was pleased that it was cut in half allowing me to eat one half and save the remainder for this evening are sometime tomorrow, just as old people tend to do, the diet soda was great in the diet soda way. Pharmaceutically sweet never let anyone forget you can no longer read for pleasure but must always keep an eye on the scales and that's okay not about the food it's about having lunch with my buddy Duane. There's a girl there sitting underneath the tree and she had her dog tethered to that tree. The dog wasn't a rat dog but the dog was certainly a yapper and Duane and I moved far away from the little yapper expressing discussed at some young person who thought their animal benevolence was exposing the feast who loves to run free to a whole park but restrained the poor beast as she read her Proust or whatever. We talked about the virus and world events, natural calamities and of course politics out of control. We talk about how bad the situation was and how one couldn't write this kind of crap and have it be believable. We talked about struggling to be who we are at the age we are and how we seem to be nothing more than caricatures of clichés gone bad. Then of course we did the really old man thing and walked around the park surveying the damage the great blow had laid onto the trees. Again, without Taylorsville had dodge the bullet but not so. We came upon a tree that actually had yellow tape around like a crime scene. Oddly, the treated not been uprooted as much a snapped at the base. There were a number of trees blown over are snapped many of those which were snapped also had deep rot allowing the snap to happen. We marveled at the trees and discussed the end of times. Duane finally had to leave, he was still without power in his neighborhood. Major trees been blown over luckily, Duane has a gas generator keeping his freezer frozen, his food safe life intact. We hope to meet again before truly cold-weather sets in. Hopefully, but some dine-in operation we both deem safe. … It's what old men do…

Wednesday, September 09, 2020

When In Rome…

 



Thank goodness the storm is passed and thank goodness the days are warming up , I expect too much after all were just a few weeks from fall equinox. The days are supposed to get cooler special with the autumn winds. But I'm just not ready yet as seen by my odometer which is basically reading 1.9 miles is all it put on my chair today action is not true that's also counting yesterday. As you can tell, since I'm not able to get out our and not going out because it's cooler I just don't want to have to deal with the cold just yet, I don't have anything to write about. I stayed close into the apartment all day therefore I have no adventures. I am delighted to announce however that the third volume in the current series I reading came today and last night I finished volume 2. I don't ever remember timing something as good as I have this series of novels that I'm reading right now. Since, I don't really have anything to write about I'm going to do this addition on an image that I just and totally infatuated with.


I don't think I've put this image up before. As the backlit apartment house in Rome Italy. I have an Internet friend I've written about a couple times over the years who lives in the Netherlands but she loves to go to Rome. She's transfixed with everything Roman or Italian. She loves Italian movies, art and cooking and architecture. I'm totally interested in this apartment complex/building. I'm not sure I've seen the front of this building but the back totally intrigues me. I don't know how old the structure is I would like to think it was made or built before the war WWII. But probably not. What intrigues me most than anything is the closet type of construction built off one of the rooms in the apartment. As near as I can tell it's on the fourth floor. You can tell there's some server room there because there seems to be a little window on the other floors in the same region but somewhere along the line that looks like somebody just added on to their apartment. Makes you wonder if they got it okay before they constructed the little room. It's really not much larger than the utility closet looks like. Maybe it's the extension on the the restroom. It looks like a shower area possibly. Maybe they put in the sauna or something. Either way I'm just intrigued by the whole structure and especially the little box they've built on the back of the building. The whole place reeks to me of European romantic architecture. I envision the whole place is catacombed with secret passages and nooks and quaint little hideaways. Even the ground-level and the back is so gnarly it's hard to figure out how anyone gets in and out. But once again I envision university students, medical students and whatever coming going in this building all day long, all year long decade after decade. I'll bet it was cheap housing at one time but now is probably extraordinarily expensive like anything in a world-class town whether it's New York City or San Francisco are Rome Italy. Clearly, even if I were rich I doubt that I would ever be able to enjoy exploring this property just because it's so it accessible to anybody in a wheelchair.oh well at least the world is consistent in its prejudice towards people with disabilities…

Tuesday, September 08, 2020

Happy Thoughts--NOT!

 

All day long the wind seemed to howl in the clouds were dark and gloomy. The trees danced in place swaying and bowing to its invisible partner. It's early in the season the leaves are quite green there's not been a frost, a killer frost, the tree leaves are a long way from turning we all know the leaves have to turn before they leave their branches. These are all times. The trees of my park seem to turn out okay today they fared a lot better than many of the other trees in this community. Trees toppled all over Wasatch front according to the news. Cars are smashed houses were crashed in snow fell in the northern end of the valley. All weird times courtesy of climate change. Major fires on the West Coast blown by hellacious winds. Fuels of all sorts lay wait for just the right spark to ignite and then the huge gale force winds take care of the rest and explode into infamy. Once again, the great Salt Lake and the Wasatch front have just experienced heat, a few grass fires and a lot of wind but we have not had the calamitous traumas that soon revisiting other areas of this country and world. It just makes sense our time is coming and are challenge is going to be the great Wasatch fault and resulting earthquake…


Well it came in overnight just as he said it was, the Arctic cold front. The Arctic air wasn't frigid per se but did cause a lot of wind and it was pretty chilly question about that when I woke up this morning. Even though I close the window to just a crack the wind was gushing through that crack and I was glad to have the extra comforter on my bed and pillows covering the bald spot. Already feels like winter even though I know this cold front is fast-moving and much further whether will be gracing the Wasatch front by the end of the week but there's something in me it's clicked. If I were long pants I'd be now wearing long pants, I did not mix ice into my morning cure-all as I have been doing all summer. I just didn't need rockhard water with my jalapeno pepper juice, mother vinegar and other savory spices. I don't know what happens when I hit the other buttons on the thermostat but I went from “Cool” to “Heat” and I raise the temperature from 72° to 76° and even then I'm not pleased with all warm department seems to be. I've been looking longingly at the space here I purchased last year that I currently have stuck to my corner behind my computer console. Soon as I can get an able-bodied individual under my control to pull it out to fire it up for my evenings writing and viewing pleasure. It's the change. I'm trying not to be histrionic but already I feel my nose running the seem to be snuffling more. I think therefore I am sick. I back away from that self-diagnosis because every time I find myself feeling ill I know I had the virus, the Covid virus. I take my temperature and hope that I don't have a sore throat and try to smell or the end of my nose under or above.


All day long the wind seemed to howl in the clouds were dark and gloomy. The trees danced in place swaying and bowing to its invisible partner. It's early in the season the leaves are quite green there's not been a frost, a killer frost, the tree leaves are a long way from turning we all know the leaves have to turn before they leave their branches. These are all times. The trees of my park seem to turn out okay today they fared a lot better than many of the other trees in this community. Trees toppled all over Wasatch front according to the news. Cars are smashed houses were crashed in snow fell in the northern end of the valley. All weird times courtesy of climate change. Major fires on the West Coast blown by hellacious winds. Fuels of all sorts lay wait for just the right spark to ignite and then the huge gale force winds take care of the rest and explode into infamy. Once again, the great Salt Lake and the Wasatch front have just experienced heat, a few grass fires and a lot of wind but we have not had the calamitous traumas that soon revisiting other areas of this country and world. It just makes sense our time is coming and are challenge is going to be the great Wasatch fault and resulting earthquake…