(Old) A Day Off in the MMP

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
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One of the pistols in my collection is a Colt’s Government Model (1911) that was made in 1916 (I think), and which has a civilian serial number.

It was refinished at some point. I put the new wooden stocks on. It’s a ‘shooter’ (though I’ve never fired it). One thing that’s nagged at me is that it has a stainless steel barrel. I’ve finally ordered a vintage blue one. It was made by Colt, and is a National Match model. Good rifling. It could use refinishing, but it will look more appropriate than the stainless steel barrel.

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And a good evening to all. Been a fairly busy afternoon, got my swimming and gyming in early then spent 30 minutes pushing weights as instructed by the trainer, then came home and decided to do the first mowage of the season. However I discovered that I had used up the last big trash bags in November and not gotten any replacements. so off to Kroger I went (also got some tomatoes) and then the lawn got mowed. Two 40-gallon bags worth of clippings are now at the curb for Moanday pickup.

Also found a couple of neighbors; two bunnies (young ones I think) huddling near the side of my house. Managed not to run over them with the mower, although they tried a few kamikaze moves. Hope Mom bunny comes back for them, i have dogs on either side of me and while they are good-natured, seeing a rabbit…well…meanwhile I tossed some lettuce leaves over the fence to the area i saw them in…

My Dad controlled his diabetes via diet, but I’m sorry that I have no idea how that was done, shoe, red, and Pilot offer some good advice.

It was 72F today, so don’t think I have any worries…

Coppertone, enjoy the coffee and manage the removal.

Pavo,feel for your lonely cat; is another one a possibility?

Dicey, I’ve got a down payment on a April 2026 cruise on a sailing ship around Spain. Hope your cruise is fun too.

Oopsie, free food is always nice at work. Happy Lego-ing.

JtC, must have missed the part where you’re going to be a working stiff again. Hope the negotiations work out. They are talking about paying the referees at the soccer program, I don’t need or want to get paid, so we’ll have to work something out if they decide to do that.

Knots, hope wife is right on the taxes.

flyboy, glad you could get a more genuine part for the old Colt.

And that’s all I wrote.

123

Howdy Y’all! We went to Jack’s to break fast. MetalMouse I highly recommend doin’ that. They have dang good breakfast options. Before we left, both of my functionin’ brain cells bumped up against each other and I remembered that there’s a Food Kitty across the road. Matter of fact it’s our favorite one. So we went there to get foodstuffs we needed. No extraneous stuff leaped in the buggy today. We achieved nappage and went to the Wednesday doin’s. Chikin parm sammiches, a green sallit, a broccoli sallit, chips and cookies were served. YUM! However, the broccoli sallit could have used some red onions IMO.

Afterwards, Priest wanted to speak with other verger and me about Holy Week and Easter Sunday stuff. OYKW was patient as that took about forty-five minutes. I can’t bake goodies until Easter, but he will be rewarded with chawklit chip/pee-kahn cookies that week. I haven’t promised him so it will be a surprise. Well sorta, cause he will figure it out when he sees butter out to soften along with all the ingredients.

I do have a sad. The son of two of my favorite church folk died yestiddy afternoon. He had problems with drug and alcohol abuse, so I suspect that played a role. They don’t want a service until after Easter, so the tentative plan is for April 26th. I had gotten to know Lucas and really liked him even though I am well old enough to have been his father. His folks and his sister were over to look at a spot in the columbarium so we got a chance to speak to them. We were both glad we could do that.

OK, enough gloomy. I shall go and see what’s up on teh intartoobz for a bit.

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I don’t know why my back still hurts. It used to get painful when I stood or walked.
Now it hurts when I sit!

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That’s because it isn’t a real job…kinda. The owner of the fruit stand will be going to AZ for a couple of weeks to look at colleges with her kid. I offered to help out because I get stupid happy when I find some perfect tomatoes this time of year and wanted to encourage her to keep the store open.

She buys produce from local farms so I never know what she will have when I stop, but everything she has on her shelves is fresh and good tasting.

I originally offered to help out for a life time discount on fud and posies but she refused because she isn’t sure she will be able to pay the rent next year so that wouldn’t be fair in her mind. Next I offered to have her pay me with produce and she thinks that’s not fair to me either. It’s never been this hard to convince someone to take advantage of me before, life here is so much different than in AZ.

I am very sad for you, him and everyone involved. It is such a shame that money to treat addiction has dried up, it ruins so many lives.

Maybe she’ll figure out that she can hide inside and slap him every time he sticks his nose in!

How tall is it? Do you think that George would fit in one? I’ve seen them online and I like that they can be opened for cleaning, but it would be mean to buy something that George couldn’t share with Jolene. He really doesn’t like her chair, they can’t cuddle up together in it and he always ends up on the floor.

Which is one of the reasons I don’t want to have to deal with reporting income. I still haven’t forgiven myself for forgetting to tell the state retirement system to stop taking state taxes out of my retirement until January this year.

The forest continues to beautify. It is already so breathtakingly beautiful that I sometimes look out the window and forget what I was doing because it is so distracting. There are so many colors and shades and it is so loud and everything moves all of the time.

I’m going to miss it tomorrow. The view from our window is the side of a movie theater. I could see the cut side of the mountain around it which is interesting for a few minutes. I do appreciate the thoughtfulness of the desk clerk, though. We are on the top floor, on the back side away from the parking lot and shopping center traffic.

I think she likes cats cause she sure acts like she knows them!

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it’s an early late-night final as I have a morning eye Doctor appointment and a few other things to get done. Given all the exercise today I probably won’t have any problems getting to sleep early, as long as my bladder cooperates. Down to 55F now but still a warmer night than the last two.

Swampy, already have a big bowl of Cocoa Krispies waiting for me tomorrow, but Saturdays i try to work my eating somewhere around all the soccer games and the local Jack’s is less than a mile from the field–now, Bacon Biscuits or Pancakes… And sorry for your friend’s loss.

JtC, thanks for the update, I so dimly remember you mentioning that (but I remember most things dimly these days…).

And that’s all. Good night and good luck.

127

Spot and I npped. I had chicken with cavatappi and a martini for dinner. Spot had dry, flavorless bits and water.

Nice!

{{{{swampy}}}}

128

2 pics.

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We haven’t really talked about it yet (it’s a little too soon), but I’m thinking not. I think, at her age (she’s almost 20), it will be easier for her to adjust to the emptier house than to a new cat.

I also kind of want our next pair of cats to know each other from a young age so they’re well bonded. My wife’s allergies won’t allow for a three-cat household.

130

JtC I forget that some places don’t have the change of season greenery. My back yard goes from frozen tundra to jungle over about 6 months. Late August I have vines climbing off of trees, January I have snow and no green.

Pavo So sorry for the loss, and I think you are wise on your cat pairing thoughts.

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Last night I had to do a home sleep study. (Sleep apnea runs in my family, and docs are thinking the polycythemia (too many red blood cells) they found some months back might be from sleep apnea. Sometimes I snore, sometimes I don’t. Actually, I did one almost 2 months ago and hated every minute of it, but the results came back as no data captured or some such thing, so I had to repeat it. I woke up with the sense I hadn’t snored at all, but we’ll see what the results show. I loathe the idea of using a CPAP. My brother hates his, as do two of my nephews.

So today I walked to the place to return the machine. (So afraid I’d drop it, as it costs $5,000.) Then I walked home. Then I helped my sister book her flights to and from Chicago this summer. Then I walked to an oncologist appointment. She said, “All the labs look great!” Then she said to cut back on calcium a little. Then she said, “Huh. They didn’t do a CBC (to check for polycythemia)!” So I had to do that one. I asked her to run an ANA panel, as I haven’t seen a rheumatologist since I was declared in remission–it requires a trip to Seattle, often overnight–and five years is a long time to go without checking.

Anyway, did six miles. I was locking my apt. door to leave when I saw a sweet little pup on the lawn straining at her leash to get to me. I’ve never seen her before, so thought she must have decided I smelled like a poke chop or had insider trading tips to share. Her owner said she always does that when she sees me at a distance, so she must really need stock tips. (I have none.)

Tomorrow morning I get my semi-annual Prolia injection to stave off osteoporosis. Then I’ll be freeeee of medical appointments until Wednesday.

My cousin’s husband is diabetic and has found that quinoa is a good substitute for rice and pasta. It has a low glycemic index and contains both protein and fiber. I just now looked it up because relying on a stranger’s cousin’s husband for this sort of thing is kind of sketch. Here’s the result from an NIH study that might be particularly relevant to FCD:

Adding quinoa to staple food intake can reduce postprandial blood glucose, and improve lipid metabolism and insulin resistance, delaying the progression of diabetes in people with impaired glucose tolerance.

I defer to pilot and Boo and other experts. I just thought quinoa might be helpful to know about.

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Actually, driving home from the grands just now I was musing to myself about recommending quinoa to FCM for those very reasons. It’s quick and easy to cook, comes in several colors so you can have some variety. It’s filling and satiating too. Red quinoa is my favorite.

My daughter with celiac disease serves it a lot because it is a whole grain and unrelated to wheat, making it safe for her. I’m always glad to hear it is on the menu.

Cooked from scratch oatmeal can be your friend too (not the instant packets that are flavored~gah! those are the pop tarts of cereal). Lots of fiber, a whole grain, not white, helps with lowering cholesterol and again, it is filling, satiating and sticks to your ribs. I like Bob’s Red Mill Extra thick cut oatmeal. Costs a few cents more but the taste and texture is worth it. Cooks in 2minutes in the microwave and has a bit of tooth. My grand daughter likes to put about 6 chocolate chips in hers, my grand son prefers a big dollop of peanut butter in his.

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Morning, mumpers! It’s currently 9c/48f with a predicted high of 17c/63f and mostly sunny. Weather app says “While I fucking enjoy mild weather, I’m not a fan of the fucking sun.” Neither am I, my eyes definitely don’t like so much shiny bright stuff!

I don’t think she will easily adjust to being around other cats, my plan at the moment is to keep her in one room so that she feels safe there, and then hopefully she’ll start responding positively to human contact. She will eventually, I hope, be rehomed somewhere she’ll be the only cat in the house. Some cats just don’t tolerate other animals, and she’s been Queen Muffin all her life, so I think that’s how she wants to continue.

I’m not surprised, she’s missing her friend and she probably doesn’t understand why things have changed. Cuddles and attention will help both of you.

I’m hoping I can buy her affections with food! She arrived with a large bag of assorted cat foods when she was dropped off at ours, but she wasn’t keen on any of them. I’ve managed to find something she does like, so we’ll continue with that. More than anything, she needs to stop seeing us as the enemy and work out that we are on her side.

Awww…that was very good of her, I’m glad you were able to persuade her to accept the tip!

Sounds like she had a good and productive day, and she’s lucky to have you to on hand to help her out.

I am sorry for your loss, that must be a tough one to deal with. The parents are lucky that they have such a supportive community around them to help with the grief process.

Yesterday I had the foresight to check the rail app before I left the office. It told me my usual train from campus was cancelled so I scooted out early in order to catch the train before that one. Made it to Big City Station in time for the local service home, half an hour before my usual time. Bonus!

I spent a bit of time attempting to reassure Muffin that I was not going to eat her, she rewarded that with a massive stinky poo. Fortunately I was able to move the puppy pad out from behind her without too much drama, and put a fresh one down for her. She decamped to the other side of the room in the time it took me to refill her food bowl, and growled at me several times. I had dinner, fed the girlies, and went to the pub.

Got home just before 11pm and gave everyone treats for the evening. Muffin got hers on a plate, and tolerated a few seconds of fuss before hissing at me. I retreated gracefully and left her to her treats. This morning she’d scoffed them all, and eaten everything in her food bowl. Growling continued, but this time from a different part of the room!

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Up, caffeinated, and sheveled. Off to heave. It’s a balmy 44 degrees Ferret Height(6.6 Centipedes) out.

In damn fine shape, you could fight off six or seven beastly Huns with that.

If nothing else, it’s tasty.

135

I’m sorry about your friend, swampy.

Today we’re off to the vet for a checkup after the surgery. I also have to take my mom to the dentist at about the same time. I hope I don’t take the wrong one to the wrong place!

In other news, MusicMan has to work again this Saturday. Yuck. And to add insult to injury, after going to work at 5 yesterday morning, he didn’t get home until 6 because he had a flat tire at one point and got stuck in bad traffic after that.

More later when I remember what else I wanted to say!

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Good Mornin’ Y’all! Up and caffeinatin’. YAWN ‘Tis 47 Amurrkin out and clear with a predicted high of 76 and N.O.S. We shall go through at least one of the cabinets in the garage today and get rid of more extraneous stuff. Afterwards we shall return to bein’ our usual RDOS selves. Sup shall be bacon cheese burgers with fixin’s and oven fries just cause.

Now I need more caffeine and to feed rumbly tummy. Then, onward into the day! Rah.

Happy Thursday Y’all!

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It’s Thursday (Praise be to Thor,) so it’s time for a fresh batch of towels and a new razor blade. Big excitement, right?

I’ll spare you the paragraph of political grumbling.

Be well, be safe, an be You.

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In my unprofessional opinion, I think this is correct. Losing her friend is stressful, but adding a new one would be another stress..

Interesting - I saw quinoa come up on several meal planner lists - I’m guessing that’s why. I sent his doc a message asking about the calorie/exchange target. Then I can start working up a plan of attack. It can’t hurt me, either. I did a lot of stress-eating in MIL’s last months and since and my jeans are too tight…

He does like oatmeal. I’ve never cooked from scratch, tho when I bought the packets, it was the plain, unflavored stuff. But I like being able to nukelate it.

I wonder if that’s why Ziva has started coming out of late. With Taz and HIggs both gone, the house is hers. Except I haven’t seen her this morning and she’s usually waiting for me so she can get her morning treats. I’m wondering if our sleeping in (till 7:30!!) messed with her schedule and she just retreated under the bed for her morning nap. Trying not to overreact here…

As mentioned, we slept in way late for me - I guess the fatigue is catching up with us. I wish FCD could sleep thru the night. He always seems tired, and he often refuses to nap or stay in bed because he feels like he should be doing something, even tho there’s nothing that’s time-critical. He can’t seem to get into proper RDOS mode. I’m hoping if nothing else, our cruise will force him to switch gears, but that’s not till July.

He went to check on the manufacture of our fuel tanks and other parts. He rejected 2. One was bent too much and wouldn’t fit where it needed to go. And one of the tanks had cracks because of the way they bent it. This does not bode well. I am assuming part of the problem is that they work mostly with steel, and aluminum needs to be processed differently. I’m just glad FCD is experienced enough to know they screwed up. Especially for what this is going to cost us.

I forgot to share a couple of Roxy gems. I may have mentioned that she and her classmate John are going to get married when they grow up. Apparently this is a mutual plan. She tells me they’ll get married in London but near as I can tell, they plan to live in different places apart from each other. She also wonders what color their children will be - she knows that it depends on the parents, and since she’s brown and he’s white, I guess she’s trying to figure what shade of tan her offspring will come in. That girl does crack me up.

Today for sure I’ll start sewing the weather cloths. Yesterday I got motivated enough to take the foam out of the cushions - they used closed-cell for the backs by regular furniture foam for the seats. It’s not a huge deal, but I needed to order waterproof pillowcases to put over the seat cushions. The upholstery fabric I bought isn’t waterproof, which means when it rains, the seat foam would soak up the water and take ages to dry. Now they won’t.

Anyway, I got all the measurements I need, then I removed the mesh panels. I need to scrub them (they just look ick) before I start assembling everything. The paired back cushions will be a challenge. I saw how they were put together in the first place and while it’ll be rough, I know how to rebuild them. At least the fabric I chose isn’t as stiff as sunbrella so it’ll be less of a fight. But that’s a project for after we return. Weathercloths first.

I’m almost completely caffeinated and shortly, I’ll shower and dress before heading downstairs.

Happy Thursday!

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Morning all. Stayed in the sack until after 8am so slowly starting to process the day. Big event is the eye exam at 10:30am, the place is only 3 miles or so away so shouldn’t be a hassle. Some gym time and coaching soccer (if the weather lets me) will keep me moderately active the rest of the day. Headed to 75F with a chance of rain popping up later.

Pavo, makes good sense, a 20-year old cat doesn’t need the stress.

nellie, hope it was sweet dreams from the test. And sounds like you know more about your health than the docs; of course you are the most concerned about it while they have hundreds of cases to deal with. I trust the pup got scritches.

boo fae, sounds like a plan. Good luck to both you and Muffin.

FCM, hope the tanks get a good welcome…eventually. And Roxy does think deep thoughts for one so young…bodes well for her, I think. And happy sowage.

And been enough time for the thyroid meds to take effect so off to break my fast., Have a good day all.

140

Mystery pills in my purse - the other day while we were out, FCD needed some pain meds and I thought I had some ibuprofen in my purse. But the baggie I pulled out had neither than nor acetaminophen, and I was confused. Well, I just googled the number on the tablet - naproxen sodium - generic Aleve. So now I know.

One more batch of ice, then off to the basement with me.