I Think

It will take much adjustment, on all fronts. I thank FDR for SS and Medicare.

bap

Rocky, Rocky - Going out the gate this morning, he surprised mrs edgarblythe by squeezing between her and the gate post and dashing off. She came to the door and told me to get my shoes and try to get him back in the yard. As I worked to comply, she went out again and saw him crawl beneath my truck and grab a young possum. He took it into the yard and around back. By the time I got there, it was thoroughly mangled. Since possums have litters of six, he may do this four more times. My other dogs did not have this desire to hunt. They seemed to coexist with the little animals. Rocky tries to catch the birds that swipe at your head from behind. I have never had another dog like him.

Sigh. I like possoms.


What can you figure out? Rocky's breeding? history before you? of course he thought he was being good.

It must be the shepherd in him. I never had a lab that wasn't mellow. I have nothing against possums, except if they get underneath the house. They are destructive under a mobile home. Right now I have the skirting buttoned up tight. Problem is, possums can't just move on. This is where they lived, long before I came here. I don't know.

I am retiring with more than 470 sick hours accumulated. I only took sick time for a few fairly minor accidents.

Hopefully, you get to cash it out, right?

Sadly, no. Use it or lose it is the motto.

This past five days is a sort of limbo. I've had no energy for my projects or much of anything else. The only real accomplishment, I have been able to produce an average of two pages of manuscript per day. This is a good pace for one like me. The retiring thing is a two week ordeal. I sort of think, since they don't really need me, anyway, except symbolically, any more, I could have quit with no notice, with few hurt feelings. I'm not sophisticated about these things. I just follow my nose.

The boss has always said, she could not imagine these apartments without me. I used to feel the same. They were much more to me than a job and an endless stream of new friends and acquaintances. The people and situations were my therapy, for I knew not how to approach people and deal with them, or to carry on more than the most basic conversations, when I arrived. I was forced to stand my ground and speak with these folks, even when my attempts to talk intelligently failed, and it soon became evident I was improving. Before I arrived there, I ran into situations, in which the ability to speak, and often to even think, failed me. I still have episodes, but now I can overcome them, for the most.

The office staff insisted I set aside time to visit now and then and I intend to do so. The boss's assistant is giving me a turntable. She says all it needs is a new needle. I can likely get one on line.

I have been in the habit of making my own colloidal silver for between twelve and fifteen years, I think. I've always used room temp water and been happy with the product. But I have recently discovered that heating the water makes for even better. I just made some, very warm. Now to see how it is, when I have the evening dose.

Re finding a source for turntable styli replacement, here's a good source:
http://www.needledoctor.com/Online-Store/Shure-Stylus

As for the whole cartridge replacement, I'm a fan of the omnipresent Shure cartridges...generally they're not costing much more than the styli itself. For example..a basic common stylus is often $25, let's say. An inexpensive basic cartridge might be around $50.

Furthermore, a replacement cartridge is not a bad way to go, rather than fiddling with the tiny stylus and extracting it. As a young man, I had a steady and good vision..now I don't.

Cartridges don't last forever, either. One excellent inexpensive cartridge choice that is very neutral and pleasant sounding in Shure M92E for $40.00. compatible with over 85% of turntables. If needed, the replacement stylus for same is N92E for $21.

Lastly, depending on the type of turntable, if it has a belt, I'd replace it. It is basically a rubber band..that is often $6 -$25. http://www.needledoctor.com/Online-Store/Turntables?search=belts

They lose elasticity after 10 years and either won't move the platter or will make the 'wow' sound prevalent with old turntables.. Most turntables you get from the scrap heap...or as a give-away are often 30 yrs old need a new belt and a few drops of a special lubricant on the base of the spindle inside near where it joins up with the motor.

Once this is cleaned up most turntables will sound like new as long as the tonearm and it's support hasn't been beaten up.

I have not yet seen the turntable. If it is not a direct drive model I don't even want it.

Eggs-ack-lee! Although, I've got love for both types. but in the inexpensive tables, direct drive will save you some grief.

She didn't work today, so I didn't get the turntable yet.

What Spring means to me:

Among other things, it's that time of the year when it's too warm to get away with wearing a sweater to class, so I have to start ironing the backs and sleeves of my shirts again.

Lay them beneath the mattress at night.

Good idea. It will require that I think about what I'm going to wear in advance. I'll see if my brain can make the adjustment...

Today has been a dull, overcast affair, with scattered showers. More forecast for the rest of the week. I don't function well in that scenario. Hoping the wet cycle goes away after this.

Sitting in the living room, when the overhead fan and light quit. The double switch controls the porch light too. It also quit functioning. But both fixtures were getting current. I plugged my handy dandy checker in the plug near the switch and it showed the ground to be catching current. I failed to locate the source last night, so turned off the breaker. Discovered next morning the line also passed through my wife's computer room and all of her electric was cut off by the same breaker. That also gave me a new place to seek out the problem. Funny thing about it, her electric seemed just fine with the breaker on, but the living room still did not work. But I determined the problem almost had to be in her ceiling wiring. Took down the fan and prodded the white wiring, which sparked, even with the switch off. Turned off the breaker, came back and spread all the ceiling wiring at the box. When I turned the breaker on, all had gone back to normal. All I had to do was reconnect the ceiling wires properly. Mobile home wiring is so shoddy in the first place, it had me worried for a time.