Winter Chest Cold - Shucky Darn

 

Getting Old – Getting Weak

Recently I had my hands on a M-1 Garand, a weapon I qualified Expert in 1963 Army Basic trailing. Automatically opening the bolt the Army approved way; I didn’t have the hand strength. That shocked me. Back in the day I spun one around like it was a toothpick. Now I felt the weight.

I still exercise but obviously not enough.

In my youth I was great at spotting game. In my dotage, porta-pottys.

I’ve been under the weather for about a week. Nothing serious, just a winter chest cold.

Still Have Youthful Skills

 

As always, YMMV

Colorado in One Picture

 

No hoisting the black flag; back to the usual scatter gun blog of unrelated nuggets that interest me (and maybe you). Hopefully, there is something to offend everyone.

Madness – All Renewable by 2060

I’ll be dead by then but my grandchildren will be alive.

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Inconvenient fact. Renewable energy hardware and infrastructure will require amounts enormous of materials extracted from Gaia.

What will exist is the historical effort of the eaters to tax and live off the doers. Unless the Almighty decides to change things, mankind will keep doing what they always have.

And a 500 year plan to save mankind.

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Caused by eating too much Asian food?

A reminder of how most people get their food

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Cartridge discussion 6.5 Creedmore

A topic of interest to hunters and shooters.

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I don’t have a dog in the hunt. After developing macular degeneration I gave away all my long arms, those not lost in the boating accident, to those who would use them.  What I used back in the day was a .30-40 Kraig, .30-30 Model 94, a .308 Mannlicher and a 20 gauge Stevens single shot.

The last paragraph of the article is the definitive answer.

My absolute favorite? The M1 Garand I shot in basic training. Not pretty, probably had been rebuilt many times, but I hit what I aimed at. Qualifying, I missed one target for sure, 25 yards, 5 second duration, went high. The other target, 350 yards, 10 second duration, the scorer missed because of the heavy rain. I damn well hit that target.

The rifle I disliked, intensely, was the M-14 I carried in Germany. I’ve since learned two manufactures made them. One used a M14 production line modified from M1s. The other built a new line from scratch. The one I was issued was a p.o.s. Accurate, yes. Reliable, no.

Only 19, and already an overachieving criminal

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I’m amazed there is a car lot manager that spot delivered an expensive car to a kid before ‘starching’ the check.

Old age frustrations

Loss of fine motor skill/feeling in hands probably bothers me the most. There was a large gap in a cabinet letting in cold air.

After my ‘fix’.

I never claimed to be good at this (h/t Casey LaDelle,  YouTube).

More truth about getting old.

 A cousin’s sense of humor

(P)regressive politics bite (P)regressives in the ass-Colorado Edition

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And the beat goes on. More taxes, less accountability.

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I’m not laughing being, a taxpayer that foots part of the bill.

Speaking of pissing away tax dollars on ‘green’ bullshit, here is a gem from a ski area.

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Electric buses in one of the colder winter places in one of the colder states makes no sense, IMO

Thar’s gold in them thar hills!

Watch the environazis got ape shit over this. Open pit mining near I-80 and a state park? The horror! Can’t have a payroll with decent paying jobs, no-no-no. We must preserve the area for the trust fund snots to have awesome back to nature hikes two or three times a decade.

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 Wyoming, so they will likely be thwarted.

 Colorado Wolves

They didn’t get the memo about the areas they were to stay. Shocking, isn’t it? Next on the environazi list, re-introducing grizzly bears.

An oops I'm not smart enough to fix

 

As always, YMMV

Missed Us By Thirty Miles

Blizzard 

 Last week saw a major blizzard roar through the Dakotas, Wyoming, Nebraska, and Eastern Colorado. I have several assignments in the area that are not getting done. Even when the roads are “open”, the condition of those roads doesn’t make for safe travel and none of my assignments are life and death.

 How bad was it? This is from Falsebook.

 For the first time in about a decade, the Alliance, NE based rotary snowplow unit BNSF 972559 and rotary snowplow power plant BNSF 972572 lead a southbound W-ALNALN2-16B, seen stopped at MP 21.1 on the BNSF Angora Subdivision at Angora, NE with BNSF 8796 and 8490 shoving on the north end. Multiple attempts to clear the hill between Dalton and Bridgeport remain unsuccessful, as deep snow drifts and high wind speeds continue to challenge the crews working to clear the line.

2 trains were parked side by side at Dalton early this week, and the train in the siding was drifted in by snow so badly, it couldn’t move even after adding extra locomotives, and Hulcher was called to dig it out once roads reopened. A Jordan spreader was sent south from Alliance Thursday night, where it too fell to the mercy of the deep snow, and the plow separated from the locomotives when they backed up to get another run at the drifts, and the snow had built up under the pin lifter and wouldn’t recouple. State highways have been shut down since early Tuesday morning, further adding to the challenges of keeping rail traffic moving.

A remark

They demanded crews to show up. Said there would be no leniency on their attendance even with the road closures. They even had to walk a mile with all their gear to get on tbe trains. They were charged 7 point per call off.

ADDENDUM: Picture taken from the BNSF Rotary.

Side note: The looming nationwide rail strike isn’t about wages. Rather, work conditions and quality of life. BNSF demanded crews show up for their assignments even if they had to walk. Roads closed? Tough shit! Show up or get docked. If/when the workers strike the blame falls on management. WSF predicts the strike will be long and bitter.

After the blizzard North of Kimball, NE. There are cows scattered all over and these don’t belong here. Ranchers gather cows and wait to sort out who owns what.

Getting Old  

A neighbor is a Korea War vet (15 months starting in 1953). Great guy. A few days ago he was standing outside the entry not dressed for the temperature. Banner and I opened the doors for him. He told me his key didn’t work and showed me his keys. To open our doors after hours you need a fob that unlocks the doors. He didn’t have one and seemed confused by his situation.

Is that my future? I’m fighting against it by staying active, watching my diet, and taking a lot of supplements. 

Brutal Beast  

Banner is a gentle soul, a wimp unless severely provoked, which is a good thing. He isn’t allowed bones as his powerful jaws break them and he swallows the pieces. These are his chew toys. They keep his teeth and gums clean but last about three months.

While he will eat nearly everything (except garlic stuffed olives) he is quite particular about chew toys.

 

Outrage and Getting Old

You bloggers who can put up something worth reading every day, or even twice or more every day, have my admiration. The muse doesn’t come around and kick my ass that often. I sincerely appreciate those of you who do this, add to my knowledge of the world, and make me think!

Life with Banner is fairly mundane. He has no interest in politics which nicely balances my daily, sometimes hourly, outrage as I read politically slanted blogs, Falsebook positings, and news article. As an example:

https://nationalfile.com/joe-biden-quietly-signed-an-executive-order-seizing-control-of-cryptocurrencies-to-create-a-cashless-society/?fbclid=IwAR0tx4idZPHC-iEaXgznz6hE3tYS3bYUAOwm1KPPJr1RCSi8godKAE_wm_Q

Xiden continues to rule by decree with no enabling legislation to support his actions.  The Constitution? The (P)regressives regard it as some archaic impediment in the way of their “Build Back Better” pipe dreams. After all, they know what is best for us dirt people.

Perhaps Trump’s greatest legacy will be the number of judges he got nominated and appointed to the Federal Courts. A special shout out for keeping Garland off the Supreme Court.

Speaking again of (P)regressives and the Constitution, will they abide by the provisions of the separate but equal provisions? (Yes, I hear the laughter of a certain globetrotting Arizona resident).

One value in my life is, “Don’t bitch about something if you don’t offer a solution and are willing to implement it”.

I can’t stop bitching and am frustrated that I don’t have solutions beyond voting and resisting. I see this at a national level. So many of us “Deplorables” are fed up but are disorganized and fragmented. How does this change?

Also in the mix is the whole getting older business and awareness some mental abilities are deteriorating. The 5am bladder call followed by an hour of the uncontrolled mind going over a lifetime of errors and omissions. The obituaries of people you knew who are younger than you dying. The checklist by my door that includes keys, wallet, glasses and Zipper!

Banner provides a nice counter balance. Food, naps, walks, car rides, stays with Sisty, and the many neighbors who feed him treats and give him lots of petting is his life. He makes me laugh and smile several times a day. His biggest concern is when he gets to prewash the dish will used to microwave my breakfast bacon.

Not winning the lottery means I should keep working. This inflation is devastating to those who only have social security. Many of my neighbors in this 96 unit Senior apartment building rely on the food bank. Today we have a community cookout that may be the only big meal some will have all week. Sad state of affairs.

To end on an upbeat personal note, my health is good with no crippling ailments and, thanks to a CPAP and pacemaker, I’m still able to do much of what I want. Probably won’t try climbing Longs Peak this year, not that I ever did or even want to, but can do short hikes and make minor vehicle repairs.

As always, YMMV.

ADDENDUM; This is a serious news article? More like floating a balloon propaganda. Maybe the Big Guys 10% has been cut off.

https://www.greeleytribune.com/2022/09/04/biden-weighing-actions-to-curb-us-investment-in-china-technology/?utm_email=2324337475602411D46EA5DA6A&g2i_eui=Lx4rIdmvnRa7A%2bqYE6zWoV9Xr2DQfA63&g2i_source=newsletter&lctg=%c2%a02324337475602411D46EA5DA6A&active=yesD&utm_source=listrak&utm_medium=email&utm_term=https%3a%2f%2fwww.greeleytribune.com%2f2022%2f09%2f04%2fbiden-weighing-actions-to-curb-us-investment-in-china-technology%2f&utm_campaign=pmp-greeley-tribune-headlines&utm_content=curated

Dealing With Aging Parents

Mine are gone and I will soon be 77. So far, my children haven’t had to deal with my problems and I hope they never are faced with the issue.

My apartment is in a 90 unit senior housing building, minimum age 65, with most residents in their 70’s and 80’s. Accepting limitations of failing bodies, and especially failing brains, is very hard for any of us to accept.

Many residents know I was in the car biz, and I get questions from time to time. One resident, Beverly, asked for my help in buying a used car. She just wanted something to drive to Wal-Mart. I asked her what was wrong with her Buick and got a long explanation about a dead battery and a son-in-law that wouldn’t come over and charge it. Big red flag! Two days ago, without my help, she bought a used car. We will see how long it takes her to crash it. Hopefully, no innocents will be hurt.

I’m reminded of my own mother who would ignore red lights and cross a busy 4 lane highway to get to McDonalds for free coffee. She had a Ford ½ ton conversion van. When she wasn’t looking, I crawled under it and disconnected the negative battery cable at the frame, insulated it, and reattached it. She would get her various boyfriends to jump start it. Of course, as soon as the jumper cable came off the van stopped running.

In this city there is a free ride service for those over 60. While not as convenient as your own vehicle, you can get to doctor appointments and grocery shopping. Users among my neighbors say the service is reliable and fairly convenient.

Thanks to a CPAP and a pacemaker, I’ve beaten the actuary tables. Looking at my extended family, those who dodged cancer have lived into their 80’s, even 90’s, so maybe I will. Not being a burden on anyone is my desire. The rest of life’s journey I will cope with.

Aging

A neighbor is becoming a nuisance, ringing my doorbell daily if not more often. Poor soul is in early stages of dementia/ Alzheimer’s.  She gets the correct apartment number, but the wrong floor, of her friend.

This building has 92 apartments with a minimum age to rent of 62. The on-site maintenance man is the only resident younger than 62. We have residents in their 80’s. Other than the lady ringing my doorbell, most are still mentally sharp. There are lots of wheelchairs and walkers.

Living around these residents keeps me both humble and grateful. Humble as I see folks dealing with their problems. Grateful I’m still in reasonably good health. Mental? Opinions vary.

Remember your school years hanging around the popular kids so as to be part of the group? The only thing that has changed is my dog is now the popular kid. He gets petted several times a day by as many as a dozen people. He graciously accepts the attention.

I avoid all the cliques while remaining friendly with everyone.

In the car biz we often spoke of, “A checkup from the neck up”. To that end, this is what I see each time I lock my apartment door.

We had a few thunderstorms pass today that went a long ways to clearing some smoke from the air. Saw the ¼ moon this evening and hope to see the mountains in the morning.

The state of our country troubles me greatly. Will things settle down after the election?  In the here and now it is still arise, and start putting one foot in front of the other. Tomorrow is a 375 mile round trip assignment and today was a 136 mile round trip assignment. I’m not complaining, I want the work.