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11-08-2018, 11:33 AM
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#741
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Senior Member
2012 27' FB Eddie Bauer
Sparks
, Nevada
Join Date: Mar 2014
Posts: 1,116
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Not the place for politics.
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11-08-2018, 01:12 PM
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#742
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Rivet Master
2005 25' Safari
Salem
, Oregon
Join Date: Mar 2006
Posts: 8,367
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My opinion.
Quote:
Originally Posted by sheriff1
Not the place for politics.
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Hi, I consider this as more of a true story than politics.
__________________
Bob 2005 Safari 25-B
"Le Petit Chateau Argent" Small Silver Castle
2000 Navigator / 2014 F-150 Eco-Boost / Equal-i-zer / P-3
YAMAHA 2400 / AIR #12144
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11-08-2018, 06:54 PM
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#743
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Master of Universe
2008 25' Safari FB SE
Grand Junction
, Colorado
Join Date: Sep 2007
Posts: 12,694
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Yes, it was about some family members down the block I knew or met. They were well known in NYC when I was a kid. The father built some pretty good apartment houses in those days, though they excluded certain groups of people and were eventually caught by the Justice Dept. in the 1970's. I lived in one of those apartments when I was in grad school and while my father and I were remodeling it, our neighbor of almost 20 years came in and watched us work, then offered my father, a doctor, a job as a carpenter. Fred Sr. did not recognize a man he'd lived down the block from since about 1947 and this was 1964. New Yorkers remodeled apartments all the time without asking permission—it was part of the culture. Fred Sr. did not care about that; it improved the value of the apartment. Fred Jr. was a friend, but we pretty much lost touch when we got older (he was 1.5 years older and by the time we were teenagers, that made a difference). His younger sister, Elizabeth, was always nice and I'd see her walking down the block sometimes and we'd talk for a minute or two. Some of that family were friendly and some were not. Have any of you ever lived near a future national leader? Did you know them when they were children? Did they change?
A month ago we had record high temperatures and extreme drought. Then it rained and got cool. Now were are looking at very low temps. We are so far behind on precipitation, the drought is still severe. While we got rain around here, just east it stayed dry. Radical weather is the Colorado norm, but it does seem to be more extreme now. Shingles is not just blisters, pain, itching, rashes, etc., it does take some energy for the immune system to contain it. The virus will always be with you, but as we age, our immune system weakens and that's why we get shingles. So the antibodies have to increase and re-contain it. I am good for several hours a day and then start to run low and have to do paperwork and then that seems like a lot and and I become a TV slave. Everyday I have big plans and low results.
Since I fell off the bench seat and banged my head and torqued my neck, once my neck felt normal again, it was better than it has felt in months. So I wonder if I should just fall over every few weeks or have Barb slug me?
__________________
Gene
The Airstream is sold; a 2016 Nash 24M replaced it.
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11-08-2018, 06:55 PM
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#744
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"Cloudsplitter"
2003 25' Classic
Houstatlantavegas
, Malebolgia
Join Date: Jun 2007
Posts: 19,977
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sheriff1
Not the place for politics.
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Maybe we should gather up all the politics here and send it to him that needs it...😂
Bflo Bob
🇺🇸
__________________
"You don't know where you've been until you leave, enjoy life" RLC
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11-21-2018, 04:06 PM
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#745
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Master of Universe
2008 25' Safari FB SE
Grand Junction
, Colorado
Join Date: Sep 2007
Posts: 12,694
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We put the cover on the trailer today. Between windy days and Barb's volunteer work, this got delayed a lot. We bought an Adco cover last year and realized once we got it, it was really designed for a MH. Because the wheels on a trailer are centered, and the Adco roof cover (different from one for the sides too) is designed for wheels at the front and rear, the straps, which attach to a goofy assembly on the wheels, the cover is not attached at the ends very well. I contacted Adco because the front straps were too short, so they send me extensions. The cover lasted about 2/3 of last winter and then started blowing back from the front and eventually was more than halfway back. Ice had accumulated on top and we waited for it to melt and then removed the cover. It had some holes from wear and tear—it can get pretty windy here—so they send me a patch kit. Any more holes, and they promised a new cover. I don't know Adco is making a lot of money on me.
So this year I took the front straps which had connected to the wheels and tied it to the tongue and used the extra straps they sent last year and attached them to the wheels. The combination tightened the front. The front, where more wind comes from, is anchored two ways and I hope it lasts until just before the warranty is up. The trailer is parked between the house and a ridge, so wind funnels through the space. Surrounded by sandstone, the sand blasts everything here and does some wear on the finish. The beltline on the Airstream was much more dull on the windy side.
But our trailer is fiberglass and a cover is not going to do much damage to the surface. Covers are generally discouraged on Airstreams, though there is a kind of cover that is not supposed to scratch an Airstream. But, what if sand or other grit blows under the cover? Then it will scratch. If you want to risk it, I'd look for a roof cover so less of the surface is exposed to the possibility of scratches.
So, the travel season is now officially over and we await spring. True we make some other trips and stay in motels that have all become the worst combination of motel and hotel you can imagine. You can't park in front of your door, don't have to pay for fancy hotel amenities and sometimes have stairs to climb with luggage, often have long walks to your room, but you can get a cheap and often blah "continental" breakfast (not really a true continental breakfast and usually the cheapest food available), maybe a weight room without much equipment, sometimes a pool or hot tub. The mom and pop style motel is long gone in most places and replaced by absentee owners who hire the lowest wage people they can get who really aren't much into hospitality. But you don't have to pay a quarter to watch TV for 30 minutes, however the massage bed for a quarter is gone too. The result is we gradually went back to hotels without any charm or particularly good hospitality. We get to stay in one in a month when we visit my in-laws. At least the temperature isn't 80˚ as it is in their house.
Will we take our annual winter trip to Santa Fe? Don't know. Meanwhile it is time to check for iPad deals this weekend. I know a lot of places will have the basic iPad 25% off, just have to catch the right deal. Mine has a cracked screen and a weak battery and this is the best time to buy a new one. People are apparently shifting to tablets from laptops and buying real keyboards for them, but I just use the iPad for reading newspapers and email and some Googling. It stopped transferring photos years ago from the laptop and I never could figure out why. Somehow computers have gotten more and more mysterious even though I have been using them for close to 50 years and I thought I understood them by now. Snow may come tomorrow and later in the weekend—after extraordinary amounts of rain in early October, it has been almost entirely dry since. November has only seen .02" of rain, so I hope the drought will be over soon, but the climate is changing fast enough that past knowledge is not too helpful in predicting the next week or month's weather. I also have to decide on whether to change my Part D prescription drug provider—one year they are cheap, get a bunch to sign up, and in a year or two start increasing premiums a lot, so I have to go through this every year. Now I am buying three drugs (two inhalers for asthma among them) through a Canadian pharmacy because the US versions are 4 to 20 times more expensive for the same drug. But the FDA is stopping more drugs from being imported into the US saying they are after opioids, but if they find other drugs, you don't get them regardless of what they are. I tried to finish that chose a little while ago, but Medicare.gov was not working right. Frustration upon frustration piles up.
Regardess, we will spend a quiet and tasty Thanksgiving tomorrow. And I might get some kitchen cabinet doors installed. Six to install, four more to make and it is finally done!
__________________
Gene
The Airstream is sold; a 2016 Nash 24M replaced it.
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12-13-2018, 11:58 AM
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#746
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Master of Universe
2008 25' Safari FB SE
Grand Junction
, Colorado
Join Date: Sep 2007
Posts: 12,694
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I got the iPad at 25% off, have a trip to in-laws scheduled for the Solstice, have a trip scheduled to Glenwood Springs for New Years, no trips until April when trailer season begins. We decided to stay home January-March to work on the house and save some money. We'll probably get our annual trip to Santa Fe in sometime later.
Too many trips to doctors finally over for a while. Saw an orthopedist who started talking about fusion of my neck vertebrae and I'm looking at less severe options—I am using my Medicare-provided neck traction machine more. I'm supposed to use a rubber thing to do isometric exercise, but have avoided that for a week so far—I know I have to do it. The shots into my lower spine seem to have helped a bit. But more exercise, though needed, causes a lot of pain as I ramp up the weights and treadmill distance. If I don't exercise, I have long term pain; if I exercise, short term pain and less long term pain. I keep thinking how life used to be much simpler. But breathing is better since I added an inhaler (two inhalers bought through Part D cost about $1,500/year; bought through Canadian pharmacy, $400/year). As the pulmonologist grumpily said, we are subsidizing the rest of the world on drug prices. I also saw the worst doctor (urologist) I have ever seen and wanted out of there before anything happened to me—sometimes it is hard to find a good doctor when you don't live in a major city.
The orthopedist may be right. He said I already have very little ability to turn the three naughty vertebrae and most of neck turning is at the upper vertebrae anyway. I want to have an owl vertebra installed so I can turn my head all the way around. But the naughty ones are pinching nerves a little—mainly for my left upper arm—and it is getting worse. Hopefully traction and exercise will hold off the knife.
I am reminded of a (folk?) song I heard several times around 1960. A guy marries a women and on their wedding night he watches her take off her wooden leg, falsies, wig, girdle, glasses, fake eye, remove her false teeth—it goes on as his shock only grows. Am I becoming like that woman (no falsies though)? It is difficult not to think of age related problems and when seniors get together, too often the conversation turns to our limits and diseases. So, next year I hope to travel far and wide, or maybe just a few hundred miles. Still want to go to Vancouver Island and think about a trip to the northeast for one last time (don't want to think of last times, but I want to be real) sometime in the future. I also think about going back to Alaska and Newfoundland, but I don't think it is practical.
Sometimes we see a very old man stumble out of his 45' MH and wonder how he can drive. Barb's theory is the bigger the MH, the older the driver. Not really true, but every time I see someone like that I wonder what's next for me—and it is already here if I am honest, although not nearly as bad as some experience.
Short days, cold weather and just a little bit of snow now. December, with its darkness, is not a good month. I love the north country, but couldn't live with the winter darkness. When I lived in Buffalo, it was getting dark at 3:30. I'd better go look at a light bulb for a while.
__________________
Gene
The Airstream is sold; a 2016 Nash 24M replaced it.
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12-13-2018, 07:21 PM
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#747
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Ready-to-Travel
2012 30' International
Walkerton
, Virginia
Join Date: Dec 2003
Posts: 3,165
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We''re lucky, you and I, that we can keep our rigs close by - even in the winter.
Some days when I am especially stir-crazy I can go over to the trailer shed and just go in and check on all the things that I know are just fine. I expect you and others do the same.
It would drive me nuts if I couldn't go out and lay hands on it every now and again. And to paraphrase GOT, Spring is coming Or rather, February on the gulf coast is coming more quickly.
Pat
__________________
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Somebody, please, point me to the road.
AIR 3987
TAC VA-2
WBCCI 4596
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12-16-2018, 06:55 AM
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#748
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Rivet Master
2012 30' International
1997 25' Safari
1967 20' Globetrotter
Burlington
, Ontario
Join Date: Jul 2009
Posts: 1,499
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pmclemore
Some days when I am especially stir-crazy I can go over to the trailer shed and just go in and check on all the things that I know are just fine. I expect you and others do the same.
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I am one of them. Works better when light is hard to come by. Jim
__________________
Jim
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12-16-2018, 06:57 PM
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#749
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Master of Universe
2008 25' Safari FB SE
Grand Junction
, Colorado
Join Date: Sep 2007
Posts: 12,694
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Every time I go to our master bathroom, I can see the trailer. That is good enough. Because I have a roof cover on it. the straps make it hard to open either door, but I could if I wanted. I suppose we could go south anytime and summerize just before we left, but it just seems like too much trouble. I don't have any trailer projects to do, so I don't have to think about the trailer. I could plan our next Bears Ears trip—looking for info about ruins takes a while, but I can put that off too. Full winter mode.
I have worked on the last kitchen doors again—putting decorative strips on them with an Arts and Crafts, or maybe, Shaker style. I can't seem to spend a whole day at it, but am exercising more and that is a shock to my body as I get used to it again. Life seems to have a lot of paperwork and I wonder how completely worn out people do that? Being trained do paperwork means I usually can get it right, but training and liking it are two distinct things.
Less than a week for the sun to start coming back if we defeat the dragon again (we have for 5 billion years, but maybe some year we won't). This darkness is ok in the am (sun at 4 am should be illegal), but the afternoon, not fair. It has stayed pretty cold and the little bit of snow we've gotten has stuck around, so the ground is mostly white and clean instead of grey and brown. That helps. We looked for the comet last evening and it seemed there was a bit of a haze and I wasn't sure exactly where to look, so I saw nothing. Today I learned there is no tail, just a big white hazy circle bigger than the full moon. I'll have to look again later and have a better ides where to look.
All my life (to that time) I waited for Haley's Comet and when it finally showed up, it was pretty tame. But we got two more (Hale-Bopp and another one) that were pretty cool. We still lived in Evergreen with its awesome winters, so we could relax in the hot tub when there were several feet of snow around us and see a comet between the trees and the house. That was cool. Those winters, that house and that town are now in our past. Hot tubs, take a lot of maintenance, so I never want one again, but it was good when we had it. When it is -10 or colder and you get out of a hot tub, even when the door is only 20' feet away, it seems to take an immense amount of time to towel off the water before it is ice, put on a robe and slippers and get to the door between the mounds of snow. A 100+˚ difference can't be ignored. It is fun when snow is falling on your head and it feels just right. New Years we will be relaxing in hot springs in Glenwood Springs. Hot springs are always good. Hot tubs were a big deal on the Front Range, but not so much in this end of the state.
__________________
Gene
The Airstream is sold; a 2016 Nash 24M replaced it.
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12-22-2018, 03:30 PM
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#750
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Master of Universe
2008 25' Safari FB SE
Grand Junction
, Colorado
Join Date: Sep 2007
Posts: 12,694
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The sun is returning, or "they" say it is. The moon is getting close to full, so excitement is somewhere in the air, but maybe not here. Pueblo reminds me of an eastern city. It was once a steel mill town, but the mill mostly closed years ago and the reliable and fairly good wages of a large part of the population disappeared. The remains of the mill are now owned by a Russian company named "Oregon". Go figure.
Unlike other industrial towns, Pueblo did not curl up and die. The constant flow of people from everywhere else to Colorado meant some would come to Pueblo. Maybe they came from Detroit or Buffalo and Pueblo reminded them of home, except warmer and drier. Pueblo didn't grow either—population hasn't changed much over the decades. Many better off Pueblans moved to a massive development called Pueblo West where they could experience a poorly planned community and few people who didn't look like them. A large immigrant population still is here—or children of immigrants plus immigrants in their own country—southwest Spanish people whose families go back before the Mexican War. Industrial cities look similar.
There has been some nice development at one end of downtown near the river, but otherwise, things are static. But also a big opiod problem and crime has been a problem. There's not much to do here. Most restaurants feature grease for breakfast and pretty dull food.
I have been wasting time in a declining motel (clean, but wearing out, like Pueblo). Lots of TV and reading stuff.
Back home tomorrow. Yeah!
__________________
Gene
The Airstream is sold; a 2016 Nash 24M replaced it.
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12-25-2018, 06:47 PM
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#751
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Master of Universe
2008 25' Safari FB SE
Grand Junction
, Colorado
Join Date: Sep 2007
Posts: 12,694
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A dry road and not too much traffic and we were home in 7 hours. Although US 50 is a pretty good road, there are enough winding parts and climbing parts and several towns to get through, so the 300 miles goes kinda slow. We stopped for about 20 minutes to eat and had a few bathroom stops when we changed drivers as well. Unloaded the FJ and it sighed, "thank you, my walls were about to explode".
Not too many years ago, two or more plates was my norm on pigdays, but now I can't do more than one. Like the FJ, not quite enough to explode. It feels like Sunday and then I realized the weekend is almost here. Four of us go to Glenwood Springs (I was outvoted, I wanted to go to Ouray again) for two nights. Then a new year looking to be one of great upheavals and hard to live through. The immediate future calls for snow and though I don't like running the snowblower up and down the driveway, I really wish the drought would end. Another summer of fearing forest fires comes to us periodically—now the season starts early and ends late.
Tomorrow we go with neighbors to drive around town and look at the excessive light displays. There is one subdivision northwest of Grand Jct. where the whole place is loaded with blue lights. They have a large sparsely wooded area all in blue, their own pond I think and a lot of really big houses. Blue, blue, blue. It is spectral. I want to just bathe in blue light and see if I can transcend this earth. It is really strange that people put so much into it and have a lot of money spend that perks could be shared with the less fortunate on Christmas. Then we see the houses with their own radio broadcasts that you can get a block away, some with music that pulsates with lights going on and off. Neighbor Paul looks up all this stuff and charts out a trip through it all; he's strange too.
Tis is the first year since we first got an Airstream I am not thinking about additions and improvements to the trailer. That feels great. I have no problem keeping busy.
__________________
Gene
The Airstream is sold; a 2016 Nash 24M replaced it.
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12-26-2018, 01:03 PM
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#752
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"Cloudsplitter"
2003 25' Classic
Houstatlantavegas
, Malebolgia
Join Date: Jun 2007
Posts: 19,977
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Hello Gene,
I know of what you speak...my only 'ex·ces·sive' Christmas
decoration.
Being a little Scrooge'd yesterday helped a bit. 🥴
Bob
🇺🇸
__________________
"You don't know where you've been until you leave, enjoy life" RLC
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12-26-2018, 05:07 PM
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#753
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Master of Universe
2008 25' Safari FB SE
Grand Junction
, Colorado
Join Date: Sep 2007
Posts: 12,694
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Bob,
Been many years since I have had hard liquor. I sure liked tequila and Jack Daniels (Tennessee Sipping Whiskey, not Bourbon) long ago, but eventually lost interest and pretty much lost interest in beer for the past several years. If I drink two beers, I get tipsy like a girl—thats more fun than a hangover. Does that mean I'm happy now? Of course, being in Colorado, we have other happy options that New Yorkers don't have (legally).
So Christmas was quiet and we had traditional dishes. We talked about having fewer different things next Thanksgiving and Christmas because (1) less work for Barb, (2) we can't eat as much as we once did, (3) being together is more important than how many things we eat. Our life gets simpler every year. We stopped going to movies—I thought the prices were too high and we had plenty on TV—we also cut back on satellite because most of those channels were useless and we now have basic cable, news channels and local ones. I could hook up antenna to pick up the locals and save a few bucks; maybe later. We record old movies from Turner Movie Classics and watch stuff my parents used to talk about and I had no idea what they were saying. We don't travel as much. Sitting outside the trailer like a slug suddenly seems like a good idea. Barb says when you get older and it is Friday night, you are glad when the phone doesn't ring. I used to stay up very late, now I am yawning at 9:30. If I didn't have a video recorder, I'd hardly ever see SNL. I had sports cars when I was young, now we have a dull Toyota truck and SUV. I am glad when someone gives me clothes at Christmas. I guess it's time for a nap.
__________________
Gene
The Airstream is sold; a 2016 Nash 24M replaced it.
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01-04-2019, 06:15 PM
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#754
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Remember, Safety Third
1973 27' Overlander
Catfish Corners
, Georgia
Join Date: Oct 2004
Posts: 5,720
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Goes under the heading "ya can't make this stuff up"
Bob, as luck would have it, Susan's sister got us a little something-something from Buffalo Trace distillery for Christmas......
Wait for it......
Wait for it......
Wait for it......
Wait for it......
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01-04-2019, 06:18 PM
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#755
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Remember, Safety Third
1973 27' Overlander
Catfish Corners
, Georgia
Join Date: Oct 2004
Posts: 5,720
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Susan's sister has a, um, somewhat twisted sense of humor.
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01-04-2019, 06:28 PM
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#756
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Remember, Safety Third
1973 27' Overlander
Catfish Corners
, Georgia
Join Date: Oct 2004
Posts: 5,720
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Fortunately, Susan made things right come Christmas morn.
Merry Christmas boys. Winter will be over soon and we can terrorize the highways and byways again pulling our beasts.
Jim
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01-05-2019, 05:30 PM
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#757
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Master of Universe
2008 25' Safari FB SE
Grand Junction
, Colorado
Join Date: Sep 2007
Posts: 12,694
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Jim ands Susan, I blew up the label and I could read about Buffalo Trace flour, but couldn't read the other word. I assume the flour is well fertilized. Eat up!
Our trip to Glenwood Springs was somewhat weird. Last spring we made reservations at the Hotel Colorado. This once-premium hotel was built in 1893 across from the hot springs next to downtown Glenwood. It has seen better, much better days. Many cheap renovations have made the rooms pretty bad. The plumbing and steam heat systems are failing and many rooms are reported to be extra hot. We immediately turned off the heat and left it off. Fortunately one window opened to cool it off. The pipes bang all night in some rooms, but only one morning in ours. The bed had some weird mattress pad that felt like plastic and I guess is helpful if all your guests wet the bed. It was uncomfortable. The shower temp varied wildly and seemed dangerous with no grab bars and suddenly scalding or cold water. It went on and on. The main floor and outside are in pretty good shape and had some spectacular Xmas displays, but wood that was probably natural and quite attractive has been painted with some dull brown paint—same color found all over the hotel. We ate out 6 times and half of the meals were very good—best was at an Asian restaurant in West Glenwood called Zhengs. We had Thai and it was great; our friends loved their meal too, but I don't remember what country's cuisine they ordered. We soaked the morning of New Year's Eve at Iron Mtn. Hot Springs—the new game in town—and the water was fine, but the very cold wind was hard to take when we moved from pool to pool. We were next to the Colorado River—good for views, bad for wind. We tried to find out if there were fireworks on New Year's Eve, but never did—at 11 there may have been because we heard cheers outside, but by then we were in bed. An expensive trip with not so good results. Last year at Ouray was better by far (and cheaper), but we think we'll spend next year at home.
I have written before how our energy levels are going down, especially mine. We decided to take fewer trips this year and stay closer to home. Maybe some short trips to Forest Service CG's nearby, one trip to Bear's Ears NM, several to Pueblo and maybe, just maybe, New Mexico. We decided not to go to Vancouver Is. and see friends there. I hope they can come here. Last summer they cruised in their boat up to Southeast Alaska and I enjoyed following them online to places we have been and places we wish we could be. So we are giving up some boat trips around Vancouver is. (for free!) and seeing some good people. We have looked forward to that for a while and feel sad we aren't going. For 18 years we have traveled to every US state except Hawaii and every Canadian province and 2 of 3 Canadian territories. We love travel and now that we are limiting ourselves because of reality, we have memories, but they are better realized in person and we know it.
So we settle in for 3 months home. Maybe I'll actually finish the kitchen and start on the bathroom. I am exercising more because I have to—we have not exercised enough in 2018; time to get back to what we used to do. Barb injured her knee when she slipped on ice in front of the house several weeks ago, so she has a swelling that seems to indicate a ligament injury. Can't get to an orthopedist for another 2 1/2 weeks and I hope that doesn't cause more damage. We are keeping it heated and iced each day and she is not limping now. She has been in excellent health for decades, so this is kind of a shock. I assumed her to be invincible. She assumes I have unlimited energy, so I have surprised her too. Age finally is catching up on us.
We have had about 12" of snow since winter started for real. Last year at this time GJ had .1" of snow, so that's pretty good (last year we never had to use the snowblower). More snow expected overnight, great! But the snowblower is harder to use than it used to be on our steep driveway. We wonder how long we can take care of this large house and the driveway, but we love the house more than anywhere we have lived.
We have noticed there is more daylight and that feels pretty good. January is a time for new starts and reflection and we have done that. Our six week old Xmas tree seems to be at the end of its life cycle (best tree we've ever had), and I'm afraid it will not last to July 4th—probably comes down tomorrow. And we start anew on a somewhat different adventure....
__________________
Gene
The Airstream is sold; a 2016 Nash 24M replaced it.
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01-06-2019, 06:26 PM
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#758
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Master of Universe
2008 25' Safari FB SE
Grand Junction
, Colorado
Join Date: Sep 2007
Posts: 12,694
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Watching the decline of any living being is hard, even when it is a cat and I have never liked cats. Nevertheless, they seem to come into my life frequently. Sable (I call him Spike since it seems more manly) is 18 1/2—92 1/2 human years—and has been strong and never sick. He used to live outside and was good at not getting eaten and fending off feral cats. He has a few nicks in his ears from long ago fights and years ago had some infections from being bitten. He gradually transformed from an outdoor cat to an indoor one. He has been gentle, loves Barb and tolerates me, never gets up on a table or countertop. He avoids everyone but us. He has liked me to chase him around—keeps us both young. He is pretty smart and been a very good cat.
His decline in the last few months has been faster and faster. His hearing seems to be failing; his eyesight seems to be too. He cannot purr anymore and his once loud and annoying voice can hardly be heard. He doesn't eat much and drinks little. He pees on the floor more and more—fortunately it is tile. Barb thinks he has congestive heart failure because his chest has become distended and I think he has failing kidneys. The latter would be good because it is a painless and quiet death. He either has displasia or severe arthritis in his rear legs, maybe both. He can barely jump onto a chair and I watched him fail yesterday and fall on the floor. We took a cushion off another chair so it would be lower and he could still watch things and feel safe. He has lost probably 1/3 of his weight. He drags one back leg and almost falls over sometimes. He's never been comfortable with men, but now comes, very slowly, to me to scratch his neck. He lies in one place for hours and sleeps or watches whatever he is on. We have no idea how the chair he is on can be so interesting. He's not much interested in anything. Sometimes he finds the places in the floor where there is the most heat tubing to keep warm. He smells awful—he cannot clean himself, so Barb uses a waterless cat cleaner. He is leaking urine and we can't keep up. Every day his decline accelerates and we wonder how bad it will get?
Am I looking at my future? Is he suffering? Are we keeping him alive for us or for him? Taking him to the vet for that ending would freak him out—he hates cat carriers and it is very difficult to get him in one. He would probably be injured getting him into one—he so frail now. To do that seems cruel.
I have learned from dogs and cats that they take adversity much better than most humans do. They rarely complain when the end is near. They appear to accept pain as part of life. I wish I could do as well as them. I am not as strong either, my hearing is not as good as it was, my eyesight is quite good, but used to be excellent, have arthritis and various injuries—yes, I am identifying with the cat and his ending.
I don't know if humans should make decisions about life and death for animals, especially companions. I've done it before and every vet visit for that is burned into my memory. We hope he will go to sleep and not wake up. We may not be so lucky. I found some prescription opioids we never took after some surgery or something—I could grind up one or two and put it in water and squirt it down his throat. That would probably work. I am not good at being an executioner and neither of us want to try that option. No one (including cats) wants to feel helpless and we do. Before Spike, we had a dog that got arthritis so badly that she could not walk and squat to pee. I had to carry her outside and position her legs for her the last days. It was agonizing. The last night she was whimpering a little and lying on the floor. We got some pillows and slept on the floor next to her to comfort her and took her to the vet in the morning. She was very happy to go for a ride. We had a very nice vet and when he stuck her with a needle, he hit something and she cried out. Moments later her heart stopped. That last little cry as she looked in our eyes was rough. I had a cat who couldn't handle life anymore because I got a dog and starved himself, so the same very nice vet tried to bring him back and called me to say the cat has rallied, but now was dying. I rushed over and held the shrunken cat on my arm and he grabbed it, looked at me and died in my hand. He waited for me before he went. His cousin (yes, a women I had lived with left without her cats) lived for 18 years and died peacefully of kidney failure. I had an amazing dog that seemed to have been killed by insecticide. The list goes on and it never easy, sometimes far worse.
So we wait and check on him frequently. Maybe we will find a answer, but I suspect he will find it for us. I sure wish cats could talk.
__________________
Gene
The Airstream is sold; a 2016 Nash 24M replaced it.
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01-06-2019, 07:08 PM
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#759
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Rivet Master
2012 Avenue Coach
Corpus Christi
, Texas
Join Date: Feb 2018
Posts: 1,719
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Gene
Watching the decline of any living being is hard, even when it is a cat and I have never liked cats. Nevertheless, they seem to come into my life frequently. Sable (I call him Spike since it seems more manly) is 18 1/2—92 1/2 human years—and has been strong and never sick. He used to live outside and was good at not getting eaten and fending off feral cats. He has a few nicks in his ears from long ago fights and years ago had some infections from being bitten. He gradually transformed from an outdoor cat to an indoor one. He has been gentle, loves Barb and tolerates me, never gets up on a table or countertop. He avoids everyone but us. He has liked me to chase him around—keeps us both young. He is pretty smart and been a very good cat.
His decline in the last few months has been faster and faster. His hearing seems to be failing; his eyesight seems to be too. He cannot purr anymore and his once loud and annoying voice can hardly be heard. He doesn't eat much and drinks little. He pees on the floor more and more—fortunately it is tile. Barb thinks he has congestive heart failure because his chest has become distended and I think he has failing kidneys. The latter would be good because it is a painless and quiet death. He either has displasia or severe arthritis in his rear legs, maybe both. He can barely jump onto a chair and I watched him fail yesterday and fall on the floor. We took a cushion off another chair so it would be lower and he could still watch things and feel safe. He has lost probably 1/3 of his weight. He drags one back leg and almost falls over sometimes. He's never been comfortable with men, but now comes, very slowly, to me to scratch his neck. He lies in one place for hours and sleeps or watches whatever he is on. We have no idea how the chair he is on can be so interesting. He's not much interested in anything. Sometimes he finds the places in the floor where there is the most heat tubing to keep warm. He smells awful—he cannot clean himself, so Barb uses a waterless cat cleaner. He is leaking urine and we can't keep up. Every day his decline accelerates and we wonder how bad it will get?
Am I looking at my future? Is he suffering? Are we keeping him alive for us or for him? Taking him to the vet for that ending would freak him out—he hates cat carriers and it is very difficult to get him in one. He would probably be injured getting him into one—he so frail now. To do that seems cruel.
I have learned from dogs and cats that they take adversity much better than most humans do. They rarely complain when the end is near. They appear to accept pain as part of life. I wish I could do as well as them. I am not as strong either, my hearing is not as good as it was, my eyesight is quite good, but used to be excellent, have arthritis and various injuries—yes, I am identifying with the cat and his ending.
I don't know if humans should make decisions about life and death for animals, especially companions. I've done it before and every vet visit for that is burned into my memory. We hope he will go to sleep and not wake up. We may not be so lucky. I found some prescription opioids we never took after some surgery or something—I could grind up one or two and put it in water and squirt it down his throat. That would probably work. I am not good at being an executioner and neither of us want to try that option. No one (including cats) wants to feel helpless and we do. Before Spike, we had a dog that got arthritis so badly that she could not walk and squat to pee. I had to carry her outside and position her legs for her the last days. It was agonizing. The last night she was whimpering a little and lying on the floor. We got some pillows and slept on the floor next to her to comfort her and took her to the vet in the morning. She was very happy to go for a ride. We had a very nice vet and when he stuck her with a needle, he hit something and she cried out. Moments later her heart stopped. That last little cry as she looked in our eyes was rough. I had a cat who couldn't handle life anymore because I got a dog and starved himself, so the same very nice vet tried to bring him back and called me to say the cat has rallied, but now was dying. I rushed over and held the shrunken cat on my arm and he grabbed it, looked at me and died in my hand. He waited for me before he went. His cousin (yes, a women I had lived with left without her cats) lived for 18 years and died peacefully of kidney failure. I had an amazing dog that seemed to have been killed by insecticide. The list goes on and it never easy, sometimes far worse.
So we wait and check on him frequently. Maybe we will find a answer, but I suspect he will find it for us. I sure wish cats could talk.
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Gene,
I can tell it is a raw moment for you, re-living previous pet losses as the end approaches for your cat Spike. From your description of past experiences, you will do the right thing for your pet.
Your takeaway should not be guilt, but a lesson to do things while you still can (regardless of the way age chips away at our abilities). Just as your cat lived fully into his advancing age, you can continue to do things you enjoy. And you should, so that you have no regrets should the time come when you can't do them anymore.
That us where I'm at right now, and rv'ing is one method I've chosen to minimize any regrets. Looking forward to our next trip in March!
.
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01-06-2019, 09:11 PM
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#760
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Master of Universe
2008 25' Safari FB SE
Grand Junction
, Colorado
Join Date: Sep 2007
Posts: 12,694
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Thanks rowie...
Barb talked to a friend who is a cat fancier and that helped her crystalize her thoughts. Most likely we take him to a vet tomorrow, though I suggested she call the vet and tell them about his difficulty with transportation and if there is any way to do it at home. No one should die scared.
I do try to live life to the fullest, but the glass is less full these days. I don't go down easy though. I have a friend who spent 10 years in a MH traveling around the country and told me he stopped when he could no longer do it. But did I sense a regret in his voice when he said he could no longer do it, or was it something I knew I would feel someday? I know that hitchhead gets heavier every year—I have pondered that when you can't pick up the hitchhead it is time to stop.
One thing I have learned—you don't have to like someone or a cat to care about them. And I guess after over 18 years, I kind of like him too.
A cat story: years ago when he ran around outside, sometimes we would not see him for a day or so. I think he stayed close, very close to home, but we were surrounded by a forest. He was smart enough to evade coyotes and owls. Local rabbits were not safe. But he was a shy, quiet and very careful animal, Barb was driving home and came inside freaking out. She saw a dead black cat with white markings on the road about 1/2 mile away. She couldn't bring herself to stop and look—I was appointed. Around Crawford there must have been a hundred cats which looked almost exactly alike. The odds were on our side. I got in the truck and drove down to the dead cat, turned around, stopped and picked him with a shovel and put him in the truck bed. I immediately thought he was a different cat, but was I right? I came home and we examined dead cat more carefully and decided he wasn't Spike/Sable. Eventually our cat showed up so we could finally breathe easier. As for dead cat, maybe someone was looking for him. I didn't think it was wise to take a dead cat and plant it on the road. People would assume I killed it or was doing something weird. How did I get myself not this dilemma? I took him out to the forest and left him somewhere to be returned to the earth.
__________________
Gene
The Airstream is sold; a 2016 Nash 24M replaced it.
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