I am rather slow to come around to "change", as a matter of fact, I am against most of it. However, SKYPE the free internet based phone and video service is my newest addition into the present world.
Actually seeing Zac when we talk is a great comfort for this old dad. If you do not presently have it, you might want to check it out. I will bet your kids already use it.
Tuesday, September 01, 2009
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Zac and ABD
No my son Zac does not have an awful disease. As long time visitors know, Zac has been at Penn State studying for his PhD in French. Well he is now ABD (All But Dissertation) meaning he is through with all class work and exams. All this is great.......................
But!
He flew out of New York City today heading back to France to teach for a year (again) and do research for his dissertation. When I asked about his dissertation subject, it took two minutes for the explanation. I didn't understand a thing he said. The boy is just to damn smart for his old man. Before he gets the big head he needs to know that I have a ball pien hammer that is also smarter than me but not as hard headed.
But!
He flew out of New York City today heading back to France to teach for a year (again) and do research for his dissertation. When I asked about his dissertation subject, it took two minutes for the explanation. I didn't understand a thing he said. The boy is just to damn smart for his old man. Before he gets the big head he needs to know that I have a ball pien hammer that is also smarter than me but not as hard headed.
Wednesday, August 05, 2009
A Busy Month
My wife had a "total knee replacement" (her second) four weeks ago today and she is starting to show real improvement in the last two or three days.
When she had her left knee replaced about five years ago, they keep her in the hospital about 4 days and then transferred her to the rehab wing of the hospital for another 10 days. In the rehab wing she was cared for by nurses and physical therapists.
This time the knee was replaced on Wednesday and they sent her home on Saturday. I got to play nurse and a physical therapist came by twice a week. Luckily her daughter came over to stay with her while I was at work but it has been a stressful few weeks with very little sleep.
Guess you could say I received a taste of a working mom's life. Work all day, come home and fix the meals and up every few hours to add ice to her ice pack or help her to the bathroom
(ALWAYS, five minutes after I had gotten the ice pack on her knee and her settled back down).
Thankfully she is starting to move around and do for herself and every day is an improvement. I'm amazed at just how quickly the turn around has been. She went from crying half the night and counting the hours until she could have another pain pill to taking a single pain pill for the night in just a span of 3 or 4 days. After two weeks of misery it was a fast turnaround.
The operation didn't kill her and I resisted the same.
When she had her left knee replaced about five years ago, they keep her in the hospital about 4 days and then transferred her to the rehab wing of the hospital for another 10 days. In the rehab wing she was cared for by nurses and physical therapists.
This time the knee was replaced on Wednesday and they sent her home on Saturday. I got to play nurse and a physical therapist came by twice a week. Luckily her daughter came over to stay with her while I was at work but it has been a stressful few weeks with very little sleep.
Guess you could say I received a taste of a working mom's life. Work all day, come home and fix the meals and up every few hours to add ice to her ice pack or help her to the bathroom
(ALWAYS, five minutes after I had gotten the ice pack on her knee and her settled back down).
Thankfully she is starting to move around and do for herself and every day is an improvement. I'm amazed at just how quickly the turn around has been. She went from crying half the night and counting the hours until she could have another pain pill to taking a single pain pill for the night in just a span of 3 or 4 days. After two weeks of misery it was a fast turnaround.
The operation didn't kill her and I resisted the same.
Sunday, July 05, 2009
Mother Jones
Mary Harris Jones "Mother Jones" is not a name that many of you have ever heard , but she was one of the most famous women of the first half of 20th century. I originally heard about her when I did a little research on the publication named after her, Mother Jones magazine.
Her burial place and memorial is just off the "mother road" (old route66) in Mt. Olive, Il.
She was called "The most dangerous women in America". Not because she was a gangster mama, but because she was a union organizer.
Every coal miner, union worker, and American owe a great deal to this small (about 5ft.) fireball lady. After losing her hustand and children to Yellow Fever
and then everything she owned in the great Chicago fire, she sent on a crusade to make America a better place for all workers.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Brooks Catsup
We took some time off and did a little roaming around last week and took a picture of the worlds largest catsup bottle. It was built as a water tower for the company that produced Brooks Catsup.
You can check out the official web sight here.
http://www.catsupbottle.com/
We were heading to Litchfield, Illinois for a family visit but took the indirect route there and back. An 800 mile round trip turned into 1500 miles with our sightseeing.
A few more posts about our trip will follow when I have time and energy.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Bail Out
Can I apply for a bailout?
Two years ago, I bought a 2006 Dodge 3/4 ton diesel truck. It is now worth less than I gave for it.
That's life, you say!
Wait a minute, my truck being worth less is dragging down the prices on all the 2006 Dodge trucks.
My truck is not going to be repossessed because I could afford it. Those that could not afford their trucks will have them repossessed. Do I care, NO!
Do I want my tax dollars bailing them out, HELL NO!
Two years ago, I bought a 2006 Dodge 3/4 ton diesel truck. It is now worth less than I gave for it.
That's life, you say!
Wait a minute, my truck being worth less is dragging down the prices on all the 2006 Dodge trucks.
My truck is not going to be repossessed because I could afford it. Those that could not afford their trucks will have them repossessed. Do I care, NO!
Do I want my tax dollars bailing them out, HELL NO!
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
About three years ago while on vacation, I wrote about the wind farm we spotted in Iowa.
http://1948model.blogspot.com/2006/06/windmill-farm.html
We have a new plant in Little Rock (a short distance from the dairy) that makes the blades for windmills. How cool is that!
As always, you can click on my pictures to make them larger.
http://1948model.blogspot.com/2006/06/windmill-farm.html
We have a new plant in Little Rock (a short distance from the dairy) that makes the blades for windmills. How cool is that!
As always, you can click on my pictures to make them larger.
Wednesday, January 07, 2009
Sunday, January 04, 2009
Lucky Me
Some times my good fortune even surprises me.
We still own our motorhome and it is sitting in the driveway until the time I am willing to sell it. The a/c plastic cover has become brittle over the years and is missing chunks that have broken and blown away. Not a very pretty site. A new cover costs about $125. A new cover would only help the a/c and motorhome cosmetically and I have had a hard time justifying purchasing one.
As you can see in the picture, the cover is held on by 4 studs that protrude through the top and 4 cap nuts and washers secure it.
I found a used one in great shape. No, not "I found one" used that I could buy at a reasonable price but "I found one", period!
It was sitting on the concrete retaining wall that separates our frontage road from the interstate. One had lost it.
I can only guess that the rv had been to the rv dealership (about a mile up the frontage road) and after working on the a/c, they failed to replace the retaining nuts. Someone must have found it after it had blown off and placed it on the retaining wall.
A lot of things had to fall into place for this to happen because these covers are very fragile and just falling from the top of the rv (10ft-13ft) should have destroyed it. Not counting another vehicle could have ran over it.
We still own our motorhome and it is sitting in the driveway until the time I am willing to sell it. The a/c plastic cover has become brittle over the years and is missing chunks that have broken and blown away. Not a very pretty site. A new cover costs about $125. A new cover would only help the a/c and motorhome cosmetically and I have had a hard time justifying purchasing one.
As you can see in the picture, the cover is held on by 4 studs that protrude through the top and 4 cap nuts and washers secure it.
I found a used one in great shape. No, not "I found one" used that I could buy at a reasonable price but "I found one", period!
It was sitting on the concrete retaining wall that separates our frontage road from the interstate. One had lost it.
I can only guess that the rv had been to the rv dealership (about a mile up the frontage road) and after working on the a/c, they failed to replace the retaining nuts. Someone must have found it after it had blown off and placed it on the retaining wall.
A lot of things had to fall into place for this to happen because these covers are very fragile and just falling from the top of the rv (10ft-13ft) should have destroyed it. Not counting another vehicle could have ran over it.
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