I haven't wanted to bore you with all the go here go there family and friends kind of posts, that would explain what I have been up to....
So other than driving down to the Lake on Saturday, that is all that has happened here in Biscuit and my lives...
We did have a nice outing going to the lake on a 51 degree day, and found nothing out of place once we arrived..... The heat was working and the water was off from the last time we were there so no problems were to be reported..
I did go down to the dock and inspect the pontoon boat and its lift, cycling the lift up and down with its air pump... As the air in the pontoons of the lift contracts with the cool temperatures, the lift rides lower in the lake.... So blowing it up with the cooler air returns it to the correct height... As the temps warm up, the air is expelled out the bottom of the lift floats as they are open to the water...
We do cycle the water in the pipes of the home, by turning the pressure back on and running every faucet... This fills the drain traps as they tend to evaporate and refills the toilet bowls as well...
It was three hours of driving to come back home arriving after dark...
Yesterday, I spent some of the football time with my cycle riding friend Al at his home. We made hamburgers on the outdoor grill, but it was so cold outside that it took forever to finish them off..... Al is from Wisconsin, so we were elated that the Packers pulled out the game over Chicago at the very end in a thriller...
Today it was 10 degrees this morning as we woke for the day, so it has been an inside day cleaning up some of the laundry and dishes type chores....
I hope to be able to leave sometime in the near future, but have legal matters to look into before that can happen.... So for now, I remain cold in Kansas.....
Retired Rod
Monday, December 30, 2013
Friday, December 27, 2013
Its a Robot..!
My Christmas gift from the kids this year is iRobot Roomba... A robotic vacuum cleaner... It is the model that handles pet hair and their messes...
My older son Chris had researched this item as he has a male golden retriever.. Sammy, and he is a shed monster. Most of their floors are wood tongue and groove stained a deep reddish brown.. And Sammy's hair is light almost blonde... Needless to say, it shows up quite easily, since he leaves big globs of it where ever he has been.
So I must have been lamenting or complaining about having to run the vacuum over at my house, cause company was coming... And the next thing I knew, I was opening up this big box...
Both Chris and Ben chipped in on this present as I thought they were crazy spending too much money.... But, Thankyou thankyou..
I set the thing to do the floors on the lower level of the house this afternoon after the company left for Iowa... and it went about its business.. I fell asleep in the recliner.... I heard it talking to me and alarming, but I was zonked and didn't get up....
Well when I finally did go see what was wrong, it had gone off completely.... And I couldn't find it.... I searched all over the house.... No Roomba... It has a cliff sensor, so it didn't fall down the stairs.... So where's Roomba?
I kept asking Biscuit where the roomba went, and remember she really isn't overly fond of this device... She thinks it is chasing her, but if it bumps her it will turn and then bump her again... Really this is the feature where it is cleaning against the wall... It returns to the wall over and over again moving only slightly forward each time.... Biscuit thinks its the devil inside.... She barks at it when it bumps her. It doesn't seem to listen to her..
So as I was asking, where's Roomba, Biscuit promply ran over to the couch and got down on her paws and barked at it underneath... Yep, there it was...!
Evidently the couch slopes toward the floor allowing the machine to go under the front but then wedging itself as it pushes up against the fabric underside.... I reset the thing and pushed its dock button...
It beeped making a kind of squealing sound and went right for its corner where the charging stand was plugged in... It climbs up on this stand and makes contact with the electric elements and turns itself off.... The top light turns orange, meaning it is getting its batteries recharged....
And now Biscuit can go back to her nap... But she still has one eye open looking at that infernal machine...
We had a wonderful Christmas where the center attraction was the standing rib beef roast on the Ronco set it and forget it oven rotisserie.. I wasn't involved in that part of the cooking, but it came out delectable... We cut off the ribs and sliced it like prime rib... We had all the regular side dishes as well and several kinds of pie...... And the mess was all over at Chris' house.... Thanks Melissa for putting up with all of us....
This morning we all went over to a breakfast restaurant called Eggtc.. This is the best brunch in our town here, and we had to wait quite a while for a table.... Obviously we haven't been starving here in KC....
Retired Rod
My older son Chris had researched this item as he has a male golden retriever.. Sammy, and he is a shed monster. Most of their floors are wood tongue and groove stained a deep reddish brown.. And Sammy's hair is light almost blonde... Needless to say, it shows up quite easily, since he leaves big globs of it where ever he has been.
So I must have been lamenting or complaining about having to run the vacuum over at my house, cause company was coming... And the next thing I knew, I was opening up this big box...
Both Chris and Ben chipped in on this present as I thought they were crazy spending too much money.... But, Thankyou thankyou..
I set the thing to do the floors on the lower level of the house this afternoon after the company left for Iowa... and it went about its business.. I fell asleep in the recliner.... I heard it talking to me and alarming, but I was zonked and didn't get up....
Well when I finally did go see what was wrong, it had gone off completely.... And I couldn't find it.... I searched all over the house.... No Roomba... It has a cliff sensor, so it didn't fall down the stairs.... So where's Roomba?
I kept asking Biscuit where the roomba went, and remember she really isn't overly fond of this device... She thinks it is chasing her, but if it bumps her it will turn and then bump her again... Really this is the feature where it is cleaning against the wall... It returns to the wall over and over again moving only slightly forward each time.... Biscuit thinks its the devil inside.... She barks at it when it bumps her. It doesn't seem to listen to her..
So as I was asking, where's Roomba, Biscuit promply ran over to the couch and got down on her paws and barked at it underneath... Yep, there it was...!
Evidently the couch slopes toward the floor allowing the machine to go under the front but then wedging itself as it pushes up against the fabric underside.... I reset the thing and pushed its dock button...
It beeped making a kind of squealing sound and went right for its corner where the charging stand was plugged in... It climbs up on this stand and makes contact with the electric elements and turns itself off.... The top light turns orange, meaning it is getting its batteries recharged....
And now Biscuit can go back to her nap... But she still has one eye open looking at that infernal machine...
We had a wonderful Christmas where the center attraction was the standing rib beef roast on the Ronco set it and forget it oven rotisserie.. I wasn't involved in that part of the cooking, but it came out delectable... We cut off the ribs and sliced it like prime rib... We had all the regular side dishes as well and several kinds of pie...... And the mess was all over at Chris' house.... Thanks Melissa for putting up with all of us....
This morning we all went over to a breakfast restaurant called Eggtc.. This is the best brunch in our town here, and we had to wait quite a while for a table.... Obviously we haven't been starving here in KC....
Retired Rod
Monday, December 23, 2013
Company's coming..!
Who are these folks called company...... ? Anyway... What's the big deal....?
Just because of them, my dad rounded me up right after I had been outside in the awful cold weather and took me upstairs.... It was sooooo cold out there that I couldn't do my thing... I just sat on the snow and shivered... He let me back inside so I could warm up..... for a while, but then booted me right back outside screaming at me to go potty...
So that's all I heard about when he tossed me into the bath tub up stairs and made me take a long bath.... I tell ya, he used the soap on me twice, claiming I was gravel to the bone... Company......... why can't they go somewhere else....?
Then it was the hair dryer... The dreaded hair dryer... He put a chain on my collar and sat on the leash so I couldn't run away... And while he was blowing my ears and face, he was talking to some of that "Company" on the phone.... Hey let me talk to em, I'll tell em what I think of this company bit......
But that's when I heard my cousin Lilly Belle's name mentioned, that she is coming along too.... We chase each other all around and around... Maybe this won't be so bad.......
And tonight I am finally dry, and that's good too, because its almost 8 F outside and its to be 2 by morning......... I wanna go back to the desert!!! Its warm there......
So MERRY CHRISTMAS To Ya and remember, I'll be dealing with these folks called Company........ who ever they are.......!
Biscuit Doggy...
Just because of them, my dad rounded me up right after I had been outside in the awful cold weather and took me upstairs.... It was sooooo cold out there that I couldn't do my thing... I just sat on the snow and shivered... He let me back inside so I could warm up..... for a while, but then booted me right back outside screaming at me to go potty...
So that's all I heard about when he tossed me into the bath tub up stairs and made me take a long bath.... I tell ya, he used the soap on me twice, claiming I was gravel to the bone... Company......... why can't they go somewhere else....?
Then it was the hair dryer... The dreaded hair dryer... He put a chain on my collar and sat on the leash so I couldn't run away... And while he was blowing my ears and face, he was talking to some of that "Company" on the phone.... Hey let me talk to em, I'll tell em what I think of this company bit......
But that's when I heard my cousin Lilly Belle's name mentioned, that she is coming along too.... We chase each other all around and around... Maybe this won't be so bad.......
And tonight I am finally dry, and that's good too, because its almost 8 F outside and its to be 2 by morning......... I wanna go back to the desert!!! Its warm there......
So MERRY CHRISTMAS To Ya and remember, I'll be dealing with these folks called Company........ who ever they are.......!
Biscuit Doggy...
Saturday, December 21, 2013
I do need the Jeep
Oh boy do I need the Jeep.... I would take a picture but its way after dark outside.... Besides there isn't any reason to go stand in Ice Pellet Rain that is freezing on the ground at and alarming rate...
This was supposed to happen last night but somehow it went South of us here in Olathe.... But about noon, as the daughter in laws were having the annual cookie party at my oldest son's home, it began to rain, and since it was 28 outside, that rain coated everything in ice...
I delivered some frosting and other supplies during this time of the afternoon and used 4 x 4 drive to get over there... I'm reasonably certain that the front wheel drive car would have been fine, but my rear wheel drive hobby car is now stored in the garage....
But as it became dark tonight, the temps dropped even further freezing everything up solid... It is to change to snow here around midnight and we are to have 5 - 7 inches before morning....
I haven't done anything important the last few days other than clean the house and strip the beds and do the laundry.... We really haven't done any of the floors since the last part of the summer.... Given that I have been gone out of here for most of that time.....
I'm sure you aren't interested in my domestic chores so I'll let that info slide...
Some folks have stated that the conventional Jeep is unstable in icy conditions, but today I didn't notice that my 4dr model had any more tendency to slide sideways than any other car I have driven.. Perhaps because it is longer wheel based with its extra doors and length it is more stable...
We had the 4 dr Ford Escape for a number of years, and they seem to be very commensurate... This Jeep has larger and wider tires than the Escape had, so the contact with the ground seems better.... But that's not to say that if something caused me to make an avoidance maneuver it wouldn't immediately go out of control and into a non recoverable slide....
I do think the shorter 2 dr would be much more unstable that way as well... Just the same, I think I will wait for the roads to be a lot more clear and clean before returning to the Southwest...
Here's hoping the weather is much more agreeable in your neck of the woods....
Retired Rod
This was supposed to happen last night but somehow it went South of us here in Olathe.... But about noon, as the daughter in laws were having the annual cookie party at my oldest son's home, it began to rain, and since it was 28 outside, that rain coated everything in ice...
I delivered some frosting and other supplies during this time of the afternoon and used 4 x 4 drive to get over there... I'm reasonably certain that the front wheel drive car would have been fine, but my rear wheel drive hobby car is now stored in the garage....
But as it became dark tonight, the temps dropped even further freezing everything up solid... It is to change to snow here around midnight and we are to have 5 - 7 inches before morning....
I haven't done anything important the last few days other than clean the house and strip the beds and do the laundry.... We really haven't done any of the floors since the last part of the summer.... Given that I have been gone out of here for most of that time.....
I'm sure you aren't interested in my domestic chores so I'll let that info slide...
Some folks have stated that the conventional Jeep is unstable in icy conditions, but today I didn't notice that my 4dr model had any more tendency to slide sideways than any other car I have driven.. Perhaps because it is longer wheel based with its extra doors and length it is more stable...
We had the 4 dr Ford Escape for a number of years, and they seem to be very commensurate... This Jeep has larger and wider tires than the Escape had, so the contact with the ground seems better.... But that's not to say that if something caused me to make an avoidance maneuver it wouldn't immediately go out of control and into a non recoverable slide....
I do think the shorter 2 dr would be much more unstable that way as well... Just the same, I think I will wait for the roads to be a lot more clear and clean before returning to the Southwest...
Here's hoping the weather is much more agreeable in your neck of the woods....
Retired Rod
Thursday, December 19, 2013
Carbondale, Kansas not Illinois......
Point B on this map is Carbondale, a community so small that its name only shows on a much larger detail map view... The restaurant had only been open for four weeks.... The Pepper Patch.... A Mexican place without a Mexican in sight.....
But a Taco Bar with flour and hard shell tacos and all you can eat chips and salsa, is a good thing no matter what..... They had a big pan of refried beans too, but I stayed away from those...
We Rode out from my home on the Southern most line which was about 68 miles... The wind was from the Southwest at 15 with gusts to 25... The temperature was about 50 on the way out.....
The gusts went right thru you even though I had three shirts and three pairs of pants on.... The liner was in the cycle jacket as well... My friend Al's wife had made me a neck wrap out of fleece... It was a life saver as it covers your chin down into the top of your jacket.... Its very cold under your helmet otherwise...
We left the restaurant a little after noon, and it was in the 60s by now, but with that wind it was still really cold... Our coffee stop was at the Mc Donalds in the Southern end of Lawrence where I put the dot on the map...
It was almost 4 PM when I got back to let Biscuit out, and she looked at me like "Where have you been?"
Our weather is supposed to go into the tank from here on out, with much colder and rain turning to snow by the weekend.. So the motor bike is put up now.... But we had a couple of good days, even if I was wondering how nuts we were in the cold wind this morning.....
We are all just as nuts, as there were 40 or more cycles outside in the parking lot...
But a Taco Bar with flour and hard shell tacos and all you can eat chips and salsa, is a good thing no matter what..... They had a big pan of refried beans too, but I stayed away from those...
We Rode out from my home on the Southern most line which was about 68 miles... The wind was from the Southwest at 15 with gusts to 25... The temperature was about 50 on the way out.....
The gusts went right thru you even though I had three shirts and three pairs of pants on.... The liner was in the cycle jacket as well... My friend Al's wife had made me a neck wrap out of fleece... It was a life saver as it covers your chin down into the top of your jacket.... Its very cold under your helmet otherwise...
We left the restaurant a little after noon, and it was in the 60s by now, but with that wind it was still really cold... Our coffee stop was at the Mc Donalds in the Southern end of Lawrence where I put the dot on the map...
It was almost 4 PM when I got back to let Biscuit out, and she looked at me like "Where have you been?"
Our weather is supposed to go into the tank from here on out, with much colder and rain turning to snow by the weekend.. So the motor bike is put up now.... But we had a couple of good days, even if I was wondering how nuts we were in the cold wind this morning.....
We are all just as nuts, as there were 40 or more cycles outside in the parking lot...
Wednesday, December 18, 2013
Riding in the cold, and some more thoughts on routers...
It was 26 degrees when I got up this morning, and we were going motorcycling...? So I put on long sweat pants under my jeans.... And three shirts.....
And it was still darned cold at 50 miles an hour.... The good thing is that we were only going over to Belton, Mo about 15 miles away... Seemed like we stood around out in the parking lot before they opened for forever...
This was Snead's Bar B Que, and they had quite the turnout... Many folks brought their wives, as this was the Christmas luncheon... Pulled Pork Sandwich with overly greasy fries and a diet coke.... The sandwich was good, and I managed to give some of the fries away...
Al and I took a long way around coming home, and sat in a McDonalds until 3 in the afternoon.... By then it was 50 degrees, which is still rather brisk at speed...
We are just nutty enough to take off again tomorrow.. The Eastern Kansas group is meeting in a small town South of Topeka.... This will be a different bunch of our bandits from here in Kansas, so we will get to do Christmas Lunch all over again... I think there will be a number of the same guys that went today as well.
From there on, the weather is supposed to go to rain and then snow and ice.... That will stretch right up to Christmas day, so the bike will have to be put up for the rest of the time I will be here....... I got Al to agree to that, for now anyway...
Several folks remarked about neighbor's WIFI routers without security... I never understand why folks would do that because folks like me can log right onto their access points and change the programming... I can see when they are loged onto their own routers... I could even kick them off of their own routers....
I could start up security on their routers with access names and secure passwords that they wouldn't know.... At that point they wouldn't even understand where their router went to... It would look like another neighbors machine...
Even if you decide not to make your router secure, please change the SSID to something of your own invention, and set the password to something an intruder couldn't guess....
Here in Kansas, there is a guy that has his SSID set to "I see your files"...... And down in Arizona I find a router called "Free Virus." What a scream!
I think now days, that most MIFIs come with a unique SSID and a preset pass code... So you don't have to learn how to program it.... The most compelling reason for this is that intruders can get right on your machines and look at everything you have stored.....
Retired Rod
And it was still darned cold at 50 miles an hour.... The good thing is that we were only going over to Belton, Mo about 15 miles away... Seemed like we stood around out in the parking lot before they opened for forever...
This was Snead's Bar B Que, and they had quite the turnout... Many folks brought their wives, as this was the Christmas luncheon... Pulled Pork Sandwich with overly greasy fries and a diet coke.... The sandwich was good, and I managed to give some of the fries away...
Al and I took a long way around coming home, and sat in a McDonalds until 3 in the afternoon.... By then it was 50 degrees, which is still rather brisk at speed...
We are just nutty enough to take off again tomorrow.. The Eastern Kansas group is meeting in a small town South of Topeka.... This will be a different bunch of our bandits from here in Kansas, so we will get to do Christmas Lunch all over again... I think there will be a number of the same guys that went today as well.
From there on, the weather is supposed to go to rain and then snow and ice.... That will stretch right up to Christmas day, so the bike will have to be put up for the rest of the time I will be here....... I got Al to agree to that, for now anyway...
Several folks remarked about neighbor's WIFI routers without security... I never understand why folks would do that because folks like me can log right onto their access points and change the programming... I can see when they are loged onto their own routers... I could even kick them off of their own routers....
I could start up security on their routers with access names and secure passwords that they wouldn't know.... At that point they wouldn't even understand where their router went to... It would look like another neighbors machine...
Even if you decide not to make your router secure, please change the SSID to something of your own invention, and set the password to something an intruder couldn't guess....
Here in Kansas, there is a guy that has his SSID set to "I see your files"...... And down in Arizona I find a router called "Free Virus." What a scream!
I think now days, that most MIFIs come with a unique SSID and a preset pass code... So you don't have to learn how to program it.... The most compelling reason for this is that intruders can get right on your machines and look at everything you have stored.....
Retired Rod
Tuesday, December 17, 2013
Butterbean was a kind friend, and an internet connection.....
First of all I would like to mention the passing of James Butterbean Carpenter... He was an avid blog reader and left comments on almost all of our blogs... He often used vernacular language in those comments, and at first I wondered who in the heck was this fellow......
But then one day he emailed me with a comment and that vernacular was completely gone.... It was kind of a ruse... But that was OK with me, as I always knew he had a heart as big as the West end of Texas where he lived...
I haven't been able to find out what happened other than a Traffic Accident, but perhaps it is just as well that I don't know... But what I do know, is that he sent me some very kind and helpful messages at the time of Loyce's passing and was a true internet friend.... I wished I could have met him, but we never went thru his part of Texas since he introduced himself with emails.....
I can only hope that God has a special place up in Heaven for our brother Butterbean, as he has earned it with his wit and kindness here on earth...
I emailed my friend Al today asking if we were going to the Romeo Christmas lunch at a BarBQue over in Belton, Missouri.... I suggested by car..... And heck yes he is going, but with his scooter....
Seems he has been awarded the Polar Bear award for showing up on his bike when all others have used 4 wheel protected conveyances, and now needs to maintain that image....
That meant that I needed to get the charger on the Suzuki Burgman and try to get it started... It only took about 3 hours and the bike popped right off... Started much better than the cars did...
So I rode over to Al's home just to see how he was getting along... And of course we got into another philosophical, technical, and religious discussion... It was mostly dark by the time we came up from his basement office..
And during that discussion, he showed me how fast his internet connection was... Almost 18 megabits..... Wow... I knew mine was slower than sin over here, but we are connected to the same service provider..............?
So I tested my speed tonight and found that I was at 3 mbps... What? I messed and messed around.... Couldn't improve it one bit... I'm going to have to call and give these folks the what for, I reasoned...
But just a few moments ago I happened to look at my wifi connection in the bottom right of the screen... I only had one bar.... I'm not ten feet from the router but its on the other side of a wall... Still.... So loading the connection program yielded that I am connected to a distant neighbors open security wifi, rather than my own.... How did that happen...?
Oh well, I'm back up to 10 mbps now and still scratching my head....
Retired Rod
But then one day he emailed me with a comment and that vernacular was completely gone.... It was kind of a ruse... But that was OK with me, as I always knew he had a heart as big as the West end of Texas where he lived...
I haven't been able to find out what happened other than a Traffic Accident, but perhaps it is just as well that I don't know... But what I do know, is that he sent me some very kind and helpful messages at the time of Loyce's passing and was a true internet friend.... I wished I could have met him, but we never went thru his part of Texas since he introduced himself with emails.....
I can only hope that God has a special place up in Heaven for our brother Butterbean, as he has earned it with his wit and kindness here on earth...
I emailed my friend Al today asking if we were going to the Romeo Christmas lunch at a BarBQue over in Belton, Missouri.... I suggested by car..... And heck yes he is going, but with his scooter....
Seems he has been awarded the Polar Bear award for showing up on his bike when all others have used 4 wheel protected conveyances, and now needs to maintain that image....
That meant that I needed to get the charger on the Suzuki Burgman and try to get it started... It only took about 3 hours and the bike popped right off... Started much better than the cars did...
So I rode over to Al's home just to see how he was getting along... And of course we got into another philosophical, technical, and religious discussion... It was mostly dark by the time we came up from his basement office..
And during that discussion, he showed me how fast his internet connection was... Almost 18 megabits..... Wow... I knew mine was slower than sin over here, but we are connected to the same service provider..............?
So I tested my speed tonight and found that I was at 3 mbps... What? I messed and messed around.... Couldn't improve it one bit... I'm going to have to call and give these folks the what for, I reasoned...
But just a few moments ago I happened to look at my wifi connection in the bottom right of the screen... I only had one bar.... I'm not ten feet from the router but its on the other side of a wall... Still.... So loading the connection program yielded that I am connected to a distant neighbors open security wifi, rather than my own.... How did that happen...?
Oh well, I'm back up to 10 mbps now and still scratching my head....
Retired Rod
Sunday, December 15, 2013
Weather and the DMV
So what do you talk about once you get back here to the Midwest.....? Why the weather of course..... Because of IT, you don't really have much else in your life....
So after a nice day on Thursday where it was sunny and below freezing, then the bottom fell out for Friday... But back to Thursday....
One of the beauties of having too many real estate properties, is property taxes, and just like out in Arizona, I had to run back to Kansas and go to the county court house to pay the delinquent taxes... I thought they were due on Friday and I wouldn't have enough time to mail a check......
So after driving to the local county office, I learned that I was a week early... Its next Friday........? dah... How did I mess that up? I'm always late, but not this year.... LOL.. And yes I paid them while I was there... I'm not going to wait until next week... Be my luck I would forget them or something....
And then it was over to the DMV to turn in the Camry License Tag..... Oh Joy.. I love the DMV.... But get this, I walked in and took a number and there was no one waiting.... Not a single soul.. There were ladies behind windows that weren't doing anything.... but cleaning their nails...
Of course I didn't have the registration, just the plate.. Uh, its back in Arizona, but I didn't say that.... But for only a green dollar bill, she poked a couple of buttons and printed out one... Kansas doesn't miss trick.. You forgot it, so it will cost ya!
So after filling out a lot of information, and signing in three places, they will mail me a check ...... In six weeks........................................!
Lets see, that was the night that it started to rain and then snow... so Friday was a hang around the house kind of day...
So moving ahead to Saturday, I spent the day with my younger son Ben and his wife and the grandkids... After all, that's why I came back here isn't it...
We went to dinner at the 54th street bar and grill... A local chain here in KC.. Kansas was playing New Mexico on the TV so the place was packed with game watchers.. The bar was very busy....
The game was slow for the first half, and almost tied at half time, until a run in the second half made the score way too much to not near enough.... With New Mexico on the short end of the stick... But Kansas lost the first game this week to one of the Florida teams, so perhaps they were making it up to themselves...
Still below freezing outside, and the ice hasn't gone anywhere on the new Jeep.. But the roads have evaporated dry... Couldn't have been from the sun, since we haven't seen that... Where does the ice go, when its below freezing....?
Retired Rod
So after a nice day on Thursday where it was sunny and below freezing, then the bottom fell out for Friday... But back to Thursday....
One of the beauties of having too many real estate properties, is property taxes, and just like out in Arizona, I had to run back to Kansas and go to the county court house to pay the delinquent taxes... I thought they were due on Friday and I wouldn't have enough time to mail a check......
So after driving to the local county office, I learned that I was a week early... Its next Friday........? dah... How did I mess that up? I'm always late, but not this year.... LOL.. And yes I paid them while I was there... I'm not going to wait until next week... Be my luck I would forget them or something....
And then it was over to the DMV to turn in the Camry License Tag..... Oh Joy.. I love the DMV.... But get this, I walked in and took a number and there was no one waiting.... Not a single soul.. There were ladies behind windows that weren't doing anything.... but cleaning their nails...
Of course I didn't have the registration, just the plate.. Uh, its back in Arizona, but I didn't say that.... But for only a green dollar bill, she poked a couple of buttons and printed out one... Kansas doesn't miss trick.. You forgot it, so it will cost ya!
So after filling out a lot of information, and signing in three places, they will mail me a check ...... In six weeks........................................!
Lets see, that was the night that it started to rain and then snow... so Friday was a hang around the house kind of day...
So moving ahead to Saturday, I spent the day with my younger son Ben and his wife and the grandkids... After all, that's why I came back here isn't it...
We went to dinner at the 54th street bar and grill... A local chain here in KC.. Kansas was playing New Mexico on the TV so the place was packed with game watchers.. The bar was very busy....
The game was slow for the first half, and almost tied at half time, until a run in the second half made the score way too much to not near enough.... With New Mexico on the short end of the stick... But Kansas lost the first game this week to one of the Florida teams, so perhaps they were making it up to themselves...
Still below freezing outside, and the ice hasn't gone anywhere on the new Jeep.. But the roads have evaporated dry... Couldn't have been from the sun, since we haven't seen that... Where does the ice go, when its below freezing....?
Retired Rod
Thursday, December 12, 2013
1150 Miles
Al was talking about a grueling 9 hour 450 mile drive over on his site today, and I couldn't help but wonder what he would think of my drive.....
You see, it is 15 degrees outside tonight here and the grass and leaves are all frozen and brown..... Kansas...... Yep, I'm back in Kansas....
I turned the heat up to 68 when I got here at 7 PM, and it has run on continuously ever since.. And its midnight now.... It was set at 55 when I came in....
We are to have a sunny day tomorrow, but cold... And then on Friday it is to warm up a little which will bring on a snow storm......
I have been watching the weather here, and cursing my bad tooth for not letting me leave Arizona... I was trying to be good on Monday and sit and bear the remaining pain.... But it was getting better....
So on Tuesday when I determined that I had an envelope of weather all the way from there to here, I tossed the stuff in the Jeep and lit out.... Longer term readers know how I am about these things...... Get a wild hair and I'm outa here...
The sun was shining brightly as I climbed out of Mesa for Payson, but it was suddenly in the 40s.. Over the mountain it was 25 on top... Gas stop in Holbrook, and then again in Albuquerque...
I stayed Tuesday night in Tucumcari, NM.... The Rodeway Inn accepts dogs, but I never even mentioned Biscuit, cause they like to charge extra... She sleeps under the covers with you, so I know she isn't messing on the floor... LOL.
Today I was on the road by 8AM, but that turned into 9 the moment I crossed into the pan handle of Texas... We ate lunch in Liberal, Kansas and drove the rest of the afternoon...
Its about 21 hours all told, and 1150 miles.... The Jeep got about 19 miles per gallon, which is about normal for the four wheel drive vehicle...
My tooth was still causing me to take the tylenol last night, and I think I will take some more here in a few minutes, but for the most part its much better... Well for now anyway until I have to go back again when I'm back in Arizona.....
I had to go over to Wal Mart a few moments ago, as I have absolutely no groceries in fridge.... Not even a cracker....LOL
Retired Rod
You see, it is 15 degrees outside tonight here and the grass and leaves are all frozen and brown..... Kansas...... Yep, I'm back in Kansas....
I turned the heat up to 68 when I got here at 7 PM, and it has run on continuously ever since.. And its midnight now.... It was set at 55 when I came in....
We are to have a sunny day tomorrow, but cold... And then on Friday it is to warm up a little which will bring on a snow storm......
I have been watching the weather here, and cursing my bad tooth for not letting me leave Arizona... I was trying to be good on Monday and sit and bear the remaining pain.... But it was getting better....
So on Tuesday when I determined that I had an envelope of weather all the way from there to here, I tossed the stuff in the Jeep and lit out.... Longer term readers know how I am about these things...... Get a wild hair and I'm outa here...
The sun was shining brightly as I climbed out of Mesa for Payson, but it was suddenly in the 40s.. Over the mountain it was 25 on top... Gas stop in Holbrook, and then again in Albuquerque...
I stayed Tuesday night in Tucumcari, NM.... The Rodeway Inn accepts dogs, but I never even mentioned Biscuit, cause they like to charge extra... She sleeps under the covers with you, so I know she isn't messing on the floor... LOL.
Today I was on the road by 8AM, but that turned into 9 the moment I crossed into the pan handle of Texas... We ate lunch in Liberal, Kansas and drove the rest of the afternoon...
Its about 21 hours all told, and 1150 miles.... The Jeep got about 19 miles per gallon, which is about normal for the four wheel drive vehicle...
My tooth was still causing me to take the tylenol last night, and I think I will take some more here in a few minutes, but for the most part its much better... Well for now anyway until I have to go back again when I'm back in Arizona.....
I had to go over to Wal Mart a few moments ago, as I have absolutely no groceries in fridge.... Not even a cracker....LOL
Retired Rod
Monday, December 9, 2013
Oh My,
What did I start here..? I had X Rays of all of my teeth and there were no cysts or abscesses anywhere.... I have used this dentist for 5 years and he is my primary dentist... I have only had cleanings back in Kansas...
I got this guy when we first came to Mesa and never got a guy in Kansas when we moved there from Iowa... So I have a good track record with him... He is honest as the day is long....
He does good work, and did a good job on my crown... Its just that my teeth seem to hurt more than other folks... Overly sensitive I think he called it...
When they took the temporary plastic cover off of the tooth to put the crown on, the surface of that tooth was overwhelmingly sensitive... And it wasn't getting any better with the new crown on... In fact it was getting more and more painful..
This sometimes happens with us sensitive folks... So the dentist and I had a heart to heart and decided to do the root canal... And I wondered what I was in for at that time...
The Endodontist agreed that the way to fix this deal was with the root canal.. The tooth was broken too close to the nerve and just the crown wasn't going to do the job...
The endo guy was as professional as I have ever seen a dentist be.... Very careful with excellent technique.. In his defense, he told me it would hurt like holly heck on the second day after the procedure... because the nerve was severed at the bottom of the tooth and removed...
And that was an understatement..... Oh my, I used the hydrocodone at night and probably should have used more... The pain isn't just in your tooth, it went all over my jaw and face..
Being completely by myself, and with Biscuit needing to go out every little bit, I didn't want to knock myself totally out with the hydrocodone....
Today things seem to be improving, to the point where I am just using Tylenol and perhaps with one more day, it will be better... And yes, I wonder what it will cost to fix up the now broken new crown.. But it will be what it will be....
Thank you for all of your caring notes and suggestions, as I appreciate your concern... But I don't feel that the folks here are leading me astray or taking advantage of me.. Mesa is just as much my home as Kansas is and in some ways the doctors and medical folks here are even better...
And, after all, I did bite down and break the tooth in the first place..
Retired Rod
I got this guy when we first came to Mesa and never got a guy in Kansas when we moved there from Iowa... So I have a good track record with him... He is honest as the day is long....
He does good work, and did a good job on my crown... Its just that my teeth seem to hurt more than other folks... Overly sensitive I think he called it...
When they took the temporary plastic cover off of the tooth to put the crown on, the surface of that tooth was overwhelmingly sensitive... And it wasn't getting any better with the new crown on... In fact it was getting more and more painful..
This sometimes happens with us sensitive folks... So the dentist and I had a heart to heart and decided to do the root canal... And I wondered what I was in for at that time...
The Endodontist agreed that the way to fix this deal was with the root canal.. The tooth was broken too close to the nerve and just the crown wasn't going to do the job...
The endo guy was as professional as I have ever seen a dentist be.... Very careful with excellent technique.. In his defense, he told me it would hurt like holly heck on the second day after the procedure... because the nerve was severed at the bottom of the tooth and removed...
And that was an understatement..... Oh my, I used the hydrocodone at night and probably should have used more... The pain isn't just in your tooth, it went all over my jaw and face..
Being completely by myself, and with Biscuit needing to go out every little bit, I didn't want to knock myself totally out with the hydrocodone....
Today things seem to be improving, to the point where I am just using Tylenol and perhaps with one more day, it will be better... And yes, I wonder what it will cost to fix up the now broken new crown.. But it will be what it will be....
Thank you for all of your caring notes and suggestions, as I appreciate your concern... But I don't feel that the folks here are leading me astray or taking advantage of me.. Mesa is just as much my home as Kansas is and in some ways the doctors and medical folks here are even better...
And, after all, I did bite down and break the tooth in the first place..
Retired Rod
Sunday, December 8, 2013
Friday, December 6, 2013
The dental trips continue
So this started out to be a normal but painful day, as I had struggled with the crowned tooth all night.... Seems like each night has become more painful...
I took some tylenol and talked to my son for a while on the phone... But it still was hurting.... So I called the dentist.... They said come on over but before noon because we close then.... It was already 11 AM... So after a really quick shower and driving like crazy on the superstition freeway I made it..
The dentist came in and tapped on my newly crowned tooth with a heavy handled tool and sent me to the moon..................! And then broke the news to me that I needed a root canal.... Oh, eww....
He had made an appointment for me at 4:15 at an Endo dentist..... Ya like this afternoon at 4:15...
So without much time to dwell on it, I came home and let biscuit out and was back at the Superstition Mall area again where the Endo Doc was located....
They drilled right thru the new crown like it wasn't there...... The procedure took over 2 hours and it was almost 7 when I was back at Wal Mart getting the really strong pain meds filled....
The novacane has now worn off as I type this, and sleep will require those strong pills...
I will have to go back to the dentist and have the crown repaired again... This is getting expensive... But this afternoon I learned that I do have some dental coverage, and should not have paid so much for the first crown..
I guess I can apply for some money to replace part of what I spent... Today would have been twice as much without the delta dental coverage from AARP..
But then I have made the payments every month for the last year, so that makes it about even...
They keep talking about us freezing here in the next few hours and for the next few days.... So this cold weather is here at the desert as well... I covered the hibiscus bushes again tonight, as I did last night.... I have heavy plastic grill covers that go over them... It worked last year, so I hope it will again... The trees and stuff will all loose their leaves and look bad, but eventually come back ok...
For those that have palm trees, they are usually mostly dead at 25 degrees... There was a lot of that last winter, so I hope we won't get there again....
Retired Rod
I took some tylenol and talked to my son for a while on the phone... But it still was hurting.... So I called the dentist.... They said come on over but before noon because we close then.... It was already 11 AM... So after a really quick shower and driving like crazy on the superstition freeway I made it..
The dentist came in and tapped on my newly crowned tooth with a heavy handled tool and sent me to the moon..................! And then broke the news to me that I needed a root canal.... Oh, eww....
He had made an appointment for me at 4:15 at an Endo dentist..... Ya like this afternoon at 4:15...
So without much time to dwell on it, I came home and let biscuit out and was back at the Superstition Mall area again where the Endo Doc was located....
They drilled right thru the new crown like it wasn't there...... The procedure took over 2 hours and it was almost 7 when I was back at Wal Mart getting the really strong pain meds filled....
The novacane has now worn off as I type this, and sleep will require those strong pills...
I will have to go back to the dentist and have the crown repaired again... This is getting expensive... But this afternoon I learned that I do have some dental coverage, and should not have paid so much for the first crown..
I guess I can apply for some money to replace part of what I spent... Today would have been twice as much without the delta dental coverage from AARP..
But then I have made the payments every month for the last year, so that makes it about even...
They keep talking about us freezing here in the next few hours and for the next few days.... So this cold weather is here at the desert as well... I covered the hibiscus bushes again tonight, as I did last night.... I have heavy plastic grill covers that go over them... It worked last year, so I hope it will again... The trees and stuff will all loose their leaves and look bad, but eventually come back ok...
For those that have palm trees, they are usually mostly dead at 25 degrees... There was a lot of that last winter, so I hope we won't get there again....
Retired Rod
Thursday, December 5, 2013
Rainy Day in Arizona
The sun was going down and illuminated the face of the mountains for a moment…. These clouds had this mountain obscured all day…
And just like that the sun was gone….
The sun under the clouds…
The bougainvillea are blooming like crazy here in Arizona this fall… It has rained several times in the last couple of weeks and the natural rain causes them to be prolific…
Spinning around and taking a picture in the golden light of nightfall….
I was over at the storage lot where I drained the water from the motorhome’s water heater and the Ice maker.. The last time I was there, I opened the low point drains on the 50 gallon water tank and the water system. So the largest amount of water is now gone…
The internal water lines inside of the coach still contain some water…. It will take a complete and solid freeze for all day long to break those lines…. We did get a freeze like that last year here in Arizona, and I went to the rig that day, and it still wasn’t below freezing inside… But I wouldn’t like to chance that..
There is some chance that I might end up going to Quartzsite in January, so perhaps I might be out and about when it gets cold like that… But last year I got freaked out and winterized with the pink stuff… So stay tuned, if it gets that cold again this year….
Retired Rod
Wednesday, December 4, 2013
More stories.....
On Tuesday, I awakened way early in the morning with the same sore mouth and gums that I went to bed with... So several Tylenol later, I went back to sleep... It was already daylight by then and Biscuit was awake.... She tried her very best to let me sleep, but eventually she just had to go outside..
So up on the bed, and lick my face was her best alarm... I kind of sat in a stupor for a while.. Eventually getting going on the daily projects around here... Clothes in the dryer that were neglected yesterday and the dishes in the sink.... Loyce spoiled me by doing all that stuff..
Rather than sit around and keep thinking about my sore gums, I went out for a walk with the dog... She always likes to do that, and afterward I took the motorcycle out for the rest of the afternoon... I went over to Trader Joes.....
Biscuit likes the dog biscuits that they sell... All of them, but today it was Sweet Potato and Chicken roll ups... Like pigs in a blanket... And that was where I did a bad thing....
At the cash register, I dropped the bike keys on the floor next to the credit card machine... Of course it was only a couple of minutes later in the parking lot when I found that they were missing... After searching all of my pockets and the bike's compartments... They had to be back in the store somewhere...
I looked on the floor around the dog supplies and in front of the two buck chuck wine, but nothing... I asked the fellow at the elevated desk to see if they had been turned in, but he was annoyed at me bothering him... Finally, getting down and looking below the checkout counter where a customer was working the credit card machine, I could see the yellow and green plastic braided lanyard that grandchild Ema had given me to put on the ring...
They had been kicked back under the counter... Makes me wonder what I would have done if they couldn't have been found.... Its hard to hide a key on a motorcycle......
Retired Rod
So up on the bed, and lick my face was her best alarm... I kind of sat in a stupor for a while.. Eventually getting going on the daily projects around here... Clothes in the dryer that were neglected yesterday and the dishes in the sink.... Loyce spoiled me by doing all that stuff..
Rather than sit around and keep thinking about my sore gums, I went out for a walk with the dog... She always likes to do that, and afterward I took the motorcycle out for the rest of the afternoon... I went over to Trader Joes.....
Biscuit likes the dog biscuits that they sell... All of them, but today it was Sweet Potato and Chicken roll ups... Like pigs in a blanket... And that was where I did a bad thing....
At the cash register, I dropped the bike keys on the floor next to the credit card machine... Of course it was only a couple of minutes later in the parking lot when I found that they were missing... After searching all of my pockets and the bike's compartments... They had to be back in the store somewhere...
I looked on the floor around the dog supplies and in front of the two buck chuck wine, but nothing... I asked the fellow at the elevated desk to see if they had been turned in, but he was annoyed at me bothering him... Finally, getting down and looking below the checkout counter where a customer was working the credit card machine, I could see the yellow and green plastic braided lanyard that grandchild Ema had given me to put on the ring...
They had been kicked back under the counter... Makes me wonder what I would have done if they couldn't have been found.... Its hard to hide a key on a motorcycle......
Retired Rod
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
The rest of the story...
I wasn't really looking for sympathy when I was explaining the trip to the Dentist, but rather just kind of dreading the experience.... And just like Murphy's law, it all kind of went South...
They fit the crown before putting the cement on it and it seemed to fit over the stub they left remaining of the old tooth.... The gal had to pull kind of hard to get the temporary off, and I jumped quite a bit...
But then when they cemented the new crown in, it didn't go on straight... It was like I had a marble in my mouth.... So he fairly quick like had to yank that back out.... Again, I jumped rather high... But by now, they had given me two different shots of the Novacane.. So the pain wasn't as sharp...
He then left the dental assistant to sit and grind down the crown inside where the glue had hardened to near concrete.... While he went off to another room to work on a different patient...
When he came back, he ground down my stub tooth some more carefully fitting the crown in and out several times... Then he filled it with more cement... a lot more...... Which oozed out all over the place inside my mouth...
Once the tooth had set in place, they had to grind and pick the extra cement out and off of all my adjoining teeth.. This took more than another half an hour... They had scheduled thirty minutes for this whole thing, and it took an hour and a half...
Tonight, my mouth feels as though a war has taken place inside.... The numbness is now gone, and I'm sure it will take a number of pain meds to get thru the night....
The dentist was upset that it took so long and messed everything up calling it a bad procedure, as if I had done something wrong.... If this was my first time at these folks, it might well have been the last... But I've been going there for 5 years, so everyone has a bad day once in a while... Biscuit has licked me all over since I came home.... She knows things aren't right..... Tomorrow will be better.. It has to be...
Retired Rod
They fit the crown before putting the cement on it and it seemed to fit over the stub they left remaining of the old tooth.... The gal had to pull kind of hard to get the temporary off, and I jumped quite a bit...
But then when they cemented the new crown in, it didn't go on straight... It was like I had a marble in my mouth.... So he fairly quick like had to yank that back out.... Again, I jumped rather high... But by now, they had given me two different shots of the Novacane.. So the pain wasn't as sharp...
He then left the dental assistant to sit and grind down the crown inside where the glue had hardened to near concrete.... While he went off to another room to work on a different patient...
When he came back, he ground down my stub tooth some more carefully fitting the crown in and out several times... Then he filled it with more cement... a lot more...... Which oozed out all over the place inside my mouth...
Once the tooth had set in place, they had to grind and pick the extra cement out and off of all my adjoining teeth.. This took more than another half an hour... They had scheduled thirty minutes for this whole thing, and it took an hour and a half...
Tonight, my mouth feels as though a war has taken place inside.... The numbness is now gone, and I'm sure it will take a number of pain meds to get thru the night....
The dentist was upset that it took so long and messed everything up calling it a bad procedure, as if I had done something wrong.... If this was my first time at these folks, it might well have been the last... But I've been going there for 5 years, so everyone has a bad day once in a while... Biscuit has licked me all over since I came home.... She knows things aren't right..... Tomorrow will be better.. It has to be...
Retired Rod
Monday, December 2, 2013
Back again....
Pausing a few moments to gather my wits and inner strength.... Why? Because in about 15 minutes I have to jump in the truck and head off to that dreaded office up on University Drive..........
The DENTIST!!! Capital letters means screaming doesn't it....?
Today they have to install that crown that they took the mold of from my now long defunct original molar... I have one of those plastic caps over the little part they leave behind.... Sore is an understatement....
Anyway I will again have a fat lip and a bad attitude when I get home, and Biscuit is sitting right on top of the keyboard as I type wondering what's so wrong with dad.....
Retired Rod
The DENTIST!!! Capital letters means screaming doesn't it....?
Today they have to install that crown that they took the mold of from my now long defunct original molar... I have one of those plastic caps over the little part they leave behind.... Sore is an understatement....
Anyway I will again have a fat lip and a bad attitude when I get home, and Biscuit is sitting right on top of the keyboard as I type wondering what's so wrong with dad.....
Retired Rod
Sunday, December 1, 2013
Last weeks bike ride
On the day that I rode the bike out to Saguaro Lake, I called my friend Al back in Kansas where it was only about 20 degrees, to see if he had driven his car to the Romeo Luncheon, but he hadn't.. Seems that he and another fellow had gone to lunch by themselves... No wonder I felt my ears itching...
But as I sat there, a fellow on a dark Goldwing and his side kick on a white Burgman rode into the Lake parking lot where I was sitting.... They looked amazingly just like Al and I as we rode around...
Tonight Al sent an email asking about who they were so here is my response.....
The fellow with the Burgman had only had it a couple of weeks... It was older like an 04 or something... They all look alike, but it had fairly bad rash once you got up closer to it... He had a Piaggio that was smaller in CCs and had sold it for the Burgman... This fellow seemed to be on a budget that was limiting his cycle expenditures... But just the same, he said there was no comparison between the Italian bike and this bigger one... By the way he said his nickname was Scooter....... LOL
The other fellow had an 07 deep blue metalic Goldwing... He was 73 years young and was having trouble keeping the thing upright when he maneuvered it with his feet down... It was just too heavy.. So he spent a bunch of money on it making into a trike... $15K to convert it... Probably more than the bike was worth to begin with.... But he loved his bike so money didn't seem to matter...
I had to hear the complete story, which seemed to bore ole Scooter... Bet he's heard it a thousand times.. I kept thinking about my friend Al and his people skills... LOL
They had ridden from over in the West side of Phoenix and much of it was thru the city streets, so eventually they had to get rolling again and we parted company...
I came back into the city and got a burger at Wendy's... They have a free frosty for those of us with a special tag on our key chain.... I can't have them very often with the diabetes.. But they are baby sized... But I needed my friend Al with me because senior coffee out here is free too... But alas, I sat there all alone....
Thought you might be interested as well... Note, Al always gets a senior coffee and McDonalds, but they charge 60 cents... He would really like the free thing at Wendy's...
Retired Rod
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