It's odd that I need braces for my knees when walking in the park or bringing in the groceries but when mowing the tough terrain of the backyard my knees are fine. Grammarly just urged me to rewrite my sentence. Sprig them. The project should be near to finished today.
Got the backyard, the hard part. I've taken to wearing a facemask and safety glasses when mowing. Too much crap in the air, not to mention bits of poison ivy. Ran out of gas too. I miss having the mowers we used in the 50s and 60s. But was glad today for the gas. It would have been a real workout the old way.
I experimented with a cane this morning in lieu of knee braces. Turns out I get better relief with the cane. A big problem with knee braces they are tight and make the skin sore. I'm sure it creates circulation problems. Plus, the knee braces are only marginally better than nothing for actual relief. Came home with comfortable knees. Of course, when I do neighborhood trash I won't use any protection. I need both hands for the picker-upper and the can.
Texas has some sort of bullshit program where they want to put a stupid star on everyone's driver's license or ID card. They wanted me to renew a year early because the star would be necessary if I wanted my DL to be accepted everywhere. The notice stipulated I must appear in person. I kept delaying into the pandemic and they suspended the urgency of renewal. Yesterday I took a shot and went online to test the system. Turns out I was now eligible to renew and do so online. The old one expires in the middle of September. But I jumped at the chance to get it done so quickly and simply. I should be in my mid-eighties when it expires. Likely this is my final go round.
@edgarblythe,
Would that be Patrick?
Sorry, reference to Spongebob.
@izzythepush,
Patrick Star is a very stupid starfish and the best friend of Spongebob.
@izzythepush,
izzythepush wrote:
Would that be Patrick?
Sorry, reference to Spongebob.
I wrote as derisively about the star on facebook. A friend said the star is a verification of my true identity meant to keep me safe from fraud and immigrants, or some such ****. In short a bit of a brainwash for the dummies who support certain politicians. It's still just an ID card.
There is one novel I truly loved but hated a central character. I found Pierre maddeningly painful to follow. For a lesser work than War and Peace, I would have left off well before the end. My regret is not saving the reading until I was older and likely retain more of it.
Employed the cane in the park again. It gets easier. My arm got an unexpectedly rigorous workout. The summertime traffic there on the trails is a mix of humans, dogs, bikes, skateboards, runners, walkers, singly, and gangs. I look behind us and the trail is clear. No sooner do I resume than a bike unexpectedly passes from behind. No warning. Little likelihood of slowing down. Daily walks can be actually dangerous.
My mother was in her teens when this pic was made. She was born in Oklahoma. Her mother died when she was three. She attended the 1st, 3rd, and 5th grades of school. She was a migrant worker, picking cotton, strawberries, and such. She married at 17 to another field worker. They had three boys before she left him and went to California. She married again and had nine more children. Her entire life was a struggle. She was quiet and good and if she had her way none of her children would have grown up and moved away. She died of pneumonia at 56.
Go Set a Watchman
I've just finished Go Set a Watchman, by Harper Lee. While I understand some people feel dismay to learn the original Atticus Finch was a racist, I have to say I was mesmerized by the whole story and will never regret reading it. She seems to consider the people of Maycomb a microcosm of the 50's south, overlooking lynchings and inflicting humiliations on the black folk as a matter of course, in other locales. Turns out, this book is most about Scout becoming her own person. It has been quite a few years since I last got so hooked on a book as to read nonstop until it was done.
@edgarblythe,
God, what a great picture of your mom
@Joeblow,
My little tribute to her didn't do her justice.
Off to the supermarket. We believe enough in the probability we will experience a hurricane this year we buy stuff we will need a few items at a time each trip. If we wait until a storm is imminent these items will be stripped from the shelves almost instantly.
I get a kick out of the clickbait titles of many Youtube videos. Rover Finds Smart Car on Mars type of stuff. The ones who do this consistently eventually get blocked, however, as they become too predictable. The headline about the smart car changes in the next video to Stuffed Giraffe found on Mars and I'm no longer clicking. I have much respect for many Youtubers. Just browsing can sometimes make my day.
The Texas governor says he solved the power grid problem and wants to move on now to build a wall on the border with Mexico. Apparently, his solution to the power grid situation is to tell us to not use it.
@roger,
Next he signed a bill allowing gun owners to carry without a license and training.
