nitrous notes

I went to see my old friends Kim and Kent at the derm clinic today and got hit with the nitrous on multiple places.  A few were marked but mostly he just went up and down my legs and arms with the nitrous and made me suffer.  It's worth it to not get skin cancer.  I got a couple of prescriptions which I may or may not be able to afford. We shall see.

Reaves took a sick day because of a 101 temp so she and Lauren came to hang out.  Sophie didn't show up until right before they left.  The only way I knew that they were actually here was tell tale evidence of strawberry yogurt and a kid's YouTube video on the screen.  It was a busy day.

I don't know what causes keratosis other than a build up of keratin on the skin.  I have it everywhere but some of them are harmless except the actinic ones are pre-cancerous.  I am prone to fungal infections and my original reason for the visit was to check out a spot of ringworm on my face.  They said it would come back thus the oral.  I asked him if it was hard on the kidneys and he said no, but the liver yes.  So far my liver is good and doesn't hate me.  He also had blood drawn for a different kidney function test that I had never heard of that is supposed to be better than GFR, BUN and CREA.  Again, we shall see.

Bubba gifted me with several pounds of sliced tenderloin so I cooked half on the grill and half in the oven.  Now it has to be bagged up for another day.

Y'all be blessed ^j^

the bracelet

Back in the sixties and early seventies we all got bracelets with a service member's name and date of death engraved. I still had mine until the move but ran across an old picture of it from Memorial Days gone by.  He went MIA in the jungles of Vietnam in October of 1969.  I treasured that piece because to me it was an honor to pay tribute to a veteran who never made it back from a war that I despised. I went to the service uptown today and loved every minute of it.  There was a beautiful rendition of the songs from all branches of service and I found myself humming along.  

The girls and I went swimming after I got home and the water was frigid and wind high!  Two of the table umbrellas blew over.  Lauren and I chased one over to near the golf course greens.  No grillin' here today.  Reaves has a new getup with a floatie vest which is much easier to learn to swim in.  I predict that by summer's end she'll be an expert.  

God bless America ^j^

big plans

Lauren came today and according to my friends with pools the water is cold. Reaves was a the lake having family time and running wild, I'm sure.  LP got a little work done  while snuggling with Rosie.  That's the highlight of her visits now.  As for me I sat on the deck and just chilled.  We're good like that with doing our own thing.  

We have two pool possibilities tomorrow and I imagine Reaves will take the polar plunge at one of them.  Of course we will be nearby to supervise and maybe get in a dip or two. Her little swim bag is packed and ready and the swimsuit is seriously cute.  

It was really cold at church today so Marcia offered me a blankie and I covered myself up like Mother Teresa. I was a newbie at 5th Sunday in Koinonia which involves food.   I was scared to eat because el baggo has been acting up.  It all looked amazing!  We have a prospect for music director who will be visiting next weekend.  Our kids minister is looking for help with several events this summer. I reckon Tori has the whole thing set up on a wing and a prayer.  And thus, the sermon was not about the Christian calendar but about children and how they need mentors and not to be shot with an AR15.  

I'm going to the Memorial Day parade tomorrow in downtown D'burg.  There are probably very few WW2 vets left but many from Vietnam onward.  Y'all come!

memorial day

It's the official beginning of summer, you know.  But it is much much more.  This federal holiday is to honor those who died in defense of our country and other peoples who were being pushed around.  Wars are usually politically driven and orchestrated by world leaders like Putin.  Many times since we have felt the REAL threats of world wars and those that had nothing to do with protecting our citizens made me sick.  Vietnam.  Desert Storm.  Iraq. Afghanistan.  etc etc.  I have seen PTSD up close and personal through veteran friends of these wars.  One of the happiest stories, though, involves Joe Deak of the US Army. I first met him when we went on a beach trip long ago with his wife to be Heather.  He had been working as a contractor after his deployment and made a whole bunch of money.  He wanted to be a nurse, and not just any old kind.  He specialized in psych nursing and is the kind of guy who knows the horrors of violence.  

Guns.  We watched intently as all of the mistakes that were made in Uvalde were reported on the news.  A door propped open.  An hour of 911 calls with no breaching the building.  There were over 500 kids in there.  The classroom was locked but they had to find janitor to get the key.  Tick..tick...tick.  Parents were trying to storm the building and the policia kept them out which was a good idea I suppose.  They said they didn't want to add to the death toll.  I can guarantee you if my kid was in there I'd be knocking the damn window out and daring the "mentally ill" person to drop the weapon.  I'd probably get shot in the process but that's a parents' instinct.  

Stop telling me that it's not about availability of repeating long guns.  That is the coward's way out.  And as for Governor Abbott, he blamed it all on mental illness for which he cut funding recently.  Thoughts and prayers.  There are stations set up every which a where for grief counseling and assistance through June 3rd.  Meanwhile the NRA is up there in Houston letting Trump run his mouth.  It's disgusting.  

This is, indeed, a partisan dilemma.  The vote for gun safety legislation depends on the Senate and they're kind of stubborn about the second amendment.  Afraid to piss off that financial sector, so to speak.  Mental illness is indeed a big part of the problem because it's all about people who can't control their anger.  Yet mental health evaluations are hard to come by even for us normal folks.  The entire healthcare system is screwed up because of profit driven delivery of care.

In other news, Rosie caught her first mouse in the middle of the night and woke me up doing it.  Last I knew we were snoozing together and next thing I find her chasing Mr. Jingles under the staircase.  She had him but I didn't want to deal with mouse guts at 3AM so I pulled her off and put her outside.  Then, back to sleep.

We are all in shock about all the news these days.  Inflation is starving folks to death and fuel is just ridiculous.  Everybody is struggling with something.  But you know what?  We're all in it together.  Unity can be had when differences of opinion are respected and we meet in the middle^j^

thoughts and prayers

I am totally done with the Senate's inaction on approving background checks for gun purchases.  A waiting period is also not a bad idea.  To think that some guy whose entire family was scared of him went in and bought two automatic rifles at the age of 18 stunned me.  I flashbacked to Sandy Hook where what's his name killed his mother and stole her guns.  Not much has changed since then thanks to the NRA, the most powerful lobby in this country.  The second amendment guarantees the right to bear arms and it will always stand but....damn.  Something's gotta' give.  Long guns should be out of the picture except for law enforcement or military.  Period.  You want to shoot a duck or a quail?  Sharpen your skills with just a rifle.  Same for deer.  Hell no to open carry.  I guess that way at least you see them coming.  There is an entire empire devoted to selling repeating weapons with little to no oversight.  It has a lot to do with mental illness but that is no excuse and could be remedied with sensible laws.  Everybody cringes at the phrase "gun control" because they think the boogey man is gonna' come get your guns.  Not if they're legal kids.  The ghost gun industry particularly scares me.  These fools are on a mission and there should be serial numbers.    Rant over.

The Dyer County Farmer's Market opens in a couple of weeks which I look forward to.  My little crop is coming along and it looks like I'll have 'maters, squash and peppers.  Plus a shit ton of herbs.  We have baby peaches AND apples in spite of the high winds of late.  There are a bunch of bags of mulch out there too heavy for me to carry so I'm going to ask Ryan if Cody can do some of that.  I'll pay extra.  

Y'all be merry and bright.  Love ya' like chicken ^j^

you can't fix crazy

Me and Joy took a road trip to Ridgely today and had a very nice visit with Marilyn and Freddie.  It's like a zoo up there with all the hens and roosters running amongst the garden.  We were happily enjoying Kelly when Lester Holt broke in with the news about the latest school shooting in Texas.  Details are still sketchy but the whole thing is, as usual, horrific.  I think that some of us have become immune to it all just to preserve our sanity but this one hit home in a big way because Reaves will soon be in a public school at the age of the Sandy Hook kids.  

I am all for packing a gun if it is legally bought after a background check. I'm considering getting one myself just for protection.   Despite the fact that I'd probably shoot my foot off, it's better than being a sitting duck.  I will definitely have to take lessons.  At this point all I know is aim for the jugular.  Or have wasp spray.  

The DHS class of '73 is in the early planning stages of getting our old selves together sometime next year.  Darryl Partee is helping to dig up people's addresses and contact info and at some point we'll make it happen.  He lives close to the Panama City beaches and does cruises often with his wife.  She knows all the skinny on deals!

Keep on believing that good is stronger than evil ^j^

thunderation

I sat on the front porch watching storm #1 roll in and thought it was over.  I was hunkered down watching Ozark when round 2 hit and knocked out the power so I gave it up and stumbled to find a candle and into bed.  There were outages with both the city and Forked Deere with FD lasting for five hours.  I woke up when it came back on and all the lights were blaring so I turned them off, turned on the box fan and went back to sleep.  It was a booger of a storm with tons of lightning and thunder.  Oscar was, of course, terrified and when I tried to lift him up on the bed with me and Rosie he got me.  Not bad but still.  I guess I'm going to have to get him some doggie nerve pills!  

Since then and now, the girls have come and gone and it was the usual whirlwind.  All is quiet now and I'll bet Reaves is asleep on 412.  The three of us played multiple rounds of hide and seek and discussed how next weekend's swim date depends on her being good this week.  We are not above bribery. Just five days of respect for authority and you get to swim in the big pool chile'.  She actually asked me what I've been doing today which is a first.  Then she got impatient with me because I was on the phone with Tommy.  We catch up when he's driving ya' know.

It's like a circus at Gaga's house but we all love it and cherish the memories.  When we went imaginary swimming we had to come home and take a nap because we were tired.  That lasted about 3 minutes and involved turning all lights, closing the door and the blinds.  I don't take naps but that was a nice one.

Y'all be blessed and happy.  I'm a gonna' go catch the SNL season finale on Sunday afternoon.  Pete and Kate....I will miss you ^j^