[Old] GoGo On Vacation! -A Holiday MMP

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
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Good morning, kids!

Got back from my trip to Pennsylvania on Monday. Tuesday I went to Fargo to get my car fixed. Today I’m finally back at work, just in time to help with graduation rehearsal for this year’s students. My mom’s staying with me for the week, which is really swell. I seem to have picked up some kind of bug while traveling, which sucks, but it seems like a very mild cold.

… A bird just hit the library window. So now I’m crying about that. Ugh. I realize it’s hypocritical to be upset about that when I eat meat and such, but… Idunno.

Edit/update: The bird got up and flew off. I’m very surprised, it was twitching and… I was very upset. But I guess it was at least OK enough to get moving again.

shoe, I’m so glad your li’l pal got back!

GodBod, congrats on the college acceptance! Where my journey ends, yours begins, I guess. :stuck_out_tongue:

Sensei, geez, that’s… That’s rough. I do think that cruel gossip reflects more poorly on her than it does on you, though.

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Winner winner chicken dinner. Had one for 14 years. Best dog ever.

All Mumper pets, keep yo’ asses in the house!

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Aww… :people_hugging:
I don’t see such a thing as hypocritical. A lot of times when we eat meat, we don’t really think of it as an animal; we just see it as food. But when the animal is alive, we care about it a lot more. There’s no shame in how you feel. :heart: :people_hugging:

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Thanks so much for this - it was really helpful. I think this is probably the direction we’ll take as well. I don’t want to force the conversation, and to your point, I do think it is partially religious for her as well as just plain terrifying to contemplate what she views as giving up.

This whole experience - my dad in late 2021 and my mom now - has definitely motivated me to write down exactly what I want and where things are. I don’t want my family to have to think much after I go.

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Yep. I think I’ll build it the way I want, and raise it up on cinder blocks in the greenhouse. Maybe have a couple of 2x4s with holes in them to put the feet in and keep it from shifting off of the blocks.

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Oh, I totally understand why. It’s just still amazing to me how much they run any of us ragged. Remember my wife’s daughter has 6 foster kids + an adoptee, 3 of whom are barely-verbal toddlers. Throw in two infants, a tween, and a high-powered 6yo and the adult energy required just to observe the chaos, much less manage it is simply insane. Wears me right out and I don’t do it very often.

Speaking of whom, the infant twins have just been bundled off to their new life with relatives out of state, never to be seen again. Soon two new pound puppies of some age will appear to replace them.

[four hour break]

Aye, that’s a tough one. Knowing or not knowing are both real bad, just in different ways. I’m sorry you’ve learned a bad score, but of course the score was already bad.

Back in the days before mobile phones or affordable long distance when a pilot was on the road they were nearly incommunicado until their expected return e.g. this Fri at 3pm.

There was a saying: “Spend a dime; save a marriage.” As in if plans change and you’ll be home early, whether by hours or days, call ahead before driving from the airport to tell your family of your impending arrival. Don’t just show up unannounced and maybe walk in on something you’d rather not have seen.

The details have changed but the saying still applies.


This is all true. And smart planning.

The other thing you want to do is have conversations about extended illness, infirmity, heroic measures, hospice, etc. Ideally both you and your extended family become used to the idea that you will not be healthy forever. Far too many people enter these situations either as patient or as caregiver, or simply interested family, having never given the slightest thought to grave illness or mortality. And in their mad flailing panic to pretend this isn’t real, they do real harm to the patient. Whether that’s themselves or a loved one.

IME: don’t do that. At least avoid it as best you can by prior preparation. These conversations are much more easily had back when they’re completely theoretical rather than later while the crisis is enveloping everyone.

The Reaper is coming for you / me / everyone. Pretending otherwise just makes his eventual arrival worse, not better.


Yeah. You accidentally asked her what she wanted instead of what you wanted. Here’s an idea …

Sounds like time to build two. One to her specs for her greenhouse and one to your specs for your patio. Learn on hers and yours will be a work of art by comparison. Of course don’t mention your plan for a second one until the first is done. “Golly dear, I had fun with this woodworking stuff; I’m gonna try some more.”

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Actually, I told her what I was going to do. I wasn’t going to tell her I was going to build her a ‘potting table’, but I didn’t want her to go out and buy one. Once I told her, she started writing new specs for it. (She’s wrong about not needing the side slats, BTW. Those are what gives the table stability.)

I’d like to build two, but there’s no place to put a second one. There’s one place in the catio where there might be room for a second one. A good spray of Thompson’s Water Seal might protect it for a while.

Or I could offer it on Craigslist for $500 :wink: :stuck_out_tongue:

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As to me …

I slept in a bit, then was balconating with my coffee when a long-time pilot friend called. We’d been playing text tag the last couple days so this was expected.

5 years ago while my wife was deep in the throes of her cancer disaster, but getting along well enough, his wife developed the nastiest flavor of breast cancer. So we two helped those two learn their new hobby and get used to the new third member of their household.

Her treatment went very well with some of the new meds and 8 months later that chapter seemed to be over with. Ongoing monitoring visits became routine and life was 99% normal.

He called today to tell me she is now stage 4 with extensive lymphatic and thoracic metastases. She is fully doomed; the question now is how quickly and in what manner. Sadly, she did not absorb the lessons of mortality the first time and is in a full-court press to try every quack treatment on the planet. Every minute of every day is spent talking about, researching, or doing some self-imposed self-invented diet & supplement regimen to win the war.

Plus they’re about to begin conventional chemo treatment; she’s past the point where surgery or radiation are meaningful options.

She will likely be one of those people asking to have chemo pumped into her 3 days before her death. She’ll have given up on the last 6 month’s quality of life to live an extra 4 days. Dumb IMO. Understandable, and perhaps, if you squint enough, even admirable. But not IMO the smart percentage play.

I had to counsel him that although you or I don’t agree with that trade-off, she gets to decide. We get to support without judgment. They two are long past the point where he’s offered his opinion with which she vehemently disagrees. Now it’s time for him to zip-lip and work with her to her specifications. No matter how long or how hard that is. She may adjust her desires as things get worse. Or not. I have no doubt he will do his duty well.

That was not a fun conversation for me and brought up a lot of stuff I usually don’t have floating around top of mind any more. But he and she are worth it. Good luck to them both; they’re surely going to need it.

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Pilot, that was a hard place to be with your friends, but I think you gave him the best advice possible; I wish her well in her struggle, and hope if the time comes, she can face it with equanimity.

talkie, I have a will made out and notarized and have given my brother a list of my assets and liabilities, which I will update over the years (albeit I might outlive him). Hopefully it will be many more years before it needs to be employed.

Sensie, that will really mess up a day. Sometimes I think the ease of communication via e-mail/text/twitter is a mixed blessing; do we really want to know what is in other people’s minds?

Niner, glad the bird is (apparently) OK. The nest above my door is deserted, so I need to clean it out and bag it, and then think of what I can do to prevent another one–I like birds ok, but the crap piling up in front of my door is not very tasteful…

OK, need to see if the pool has been heated up and get some swimming and sauna in before the soccer Champion’s league game at 2pm. After that we’ll see. Alarm clock bought at Target and 3 pairs of jeans (1 at 44" and 2 ‘on spec’ at 42") at Duluth Trading, so have stimulated the economy for the day. Weather is still holding out for a nice day.

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Pilot, I am very glad that they have you. I hope you recognize what a comfort you are to people having to endure what you endured.

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On a lighter note, today my pet tower crane is breathing its last gasp of tallitude.

First thing in the morning they took the last of the ballast blocks off the back end using the other tower crane. Then turned it rump on to me so I had no view at all of the next step, but guys were crawling everywhere.

Soon the other tower crane was hooked to the outer segment of the long boom, then it was detached and lowered to the ground. Then they turned the now half-amputated stubby crane sideways to my POV so I could watch. Thank you gentlemen, that’s much appreciated.

A truly ginormous portable tractor crane appeared on the street behind the building from my POV and rose into the sky. Now I know why nothing was seemingly going on yesterday; they were probably putting that little 18 story erector set together unseen by me.

Once ready, it took a strain on the inner section of the tower crane’s boom, then tilted it up to put slack in its truss cables that were released from the cupola tower, then they unbolted the inner end from the central pivot and cab module and down it went. Leaving just the vertical tower, the central pivot and cab section with its short cupola tower, and the counterbalance boom with its motors & cable reel.

Next they spun the tower crane around to put the counterbalance end towards the street where the portable crane was, and did the same thing. Lift the boom slightly to slack the truss cables, detach those, then unbolt the inner end and lower it to a waiting flatbed truck.

So now we have a shortened but still 11-story tall tower with a pivot, a cab, and a cupola up there on top and that’s it. Guys are crawling around in there just below the central pivot section now. I don’t know if they intend to start removing more tower segments from the top with the staging gizmo, slowly dropping the cab section one segment at a time, or whether now they intend to remove the cab section from the top of the stack and then simply lift each plain tower section off the top of the stack until they get down to the ground.

Whichever way they go, I’m going to lose sight of the project soon in between the buildings it built.

I imagine all the pieces they’ve removed are being driven to another job site where it’s being reassembled to do it all again for another 6-12 months. Pretty amazing really.

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Evening all. Having One of Those Days here, really- woke up and looked out the window and thought ‘Hmm, that’s interesting, I’m sure my car wasn’t parked halfway into the road last night’ (it’s OK, thankfully, and didn’t hit anything- the handbrake was on, just apparently not on quite tight enough).
Got into work to find an email saying my flight in 2.5 weeks has been cancelled due to the plane not being delivered, and I needed to phone the booking company to get it changed, at which point I realised I left my phone at home- the office phone has been disconnected.

So I went into the canteen, to find the coffee machine was broken…

I’m slightly proud of myself for not just giving up and going back to bed at that point, about 10.30 AM…

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You should be proud of yourself. That much adversity, and wacky unrelated adversity at that, all but demands a do-over.

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pilot Thanks for the update on the crane deconstruction. I was wondering if they would just keep putting up new cranes to get the old one down, but now I hear of the real hero, the mobile crane. I was beginning to think it was just cranes all the way down.

nut We all have those days. Good on you for toughing it out!

I got a quote out the door on the likely new project. It came in at about 6% above the estimate I told them, so I think it’ll fly. Wish me luck.

Now, onwards into the evening. I’ve got the windows open, cuz it’s lovely outside. Pondering pork chop for dinner, but I don’t know what I wanna do with 'em. Perhaps fire up the grill for the first time this year? But the first grilling should be, IMHO, burgers.

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Happy Wednesday!

We got Echo off to daycare.
I’m not sure we should have taken her.

I fell walking out to the truck, No idea why, my son says it looked like I rolled my ankle.
He got me a chair to lean on to get up and I got cramps in both calves.
We should have just gone back in the house, but we took Echo anyway. It hurt to push the brake pedal.
When we got back, I could barely walk because both calves hurt.
Getting to the deck was okay, it’s only two steps and there is a railing on both sides.
Getting on the porch was a problem. There are only two steps but the first step is higher than a normal step and there’s no railing.
Now my left leg is fine, but my right leg is still tight, stiff, and sore.
My right ankle is swollen with some bruising.
I have a bruise on my nose, and it is sore, but I’m pretty sure it’s not broken. I made the mistake of eating something spicy for lunch and blowing it hurts.
I’d like to soak in the tub for a bit, I think it would help, but that means going upstairs.

I told my son I know he doesn’t want to move. When we get the estate money, if we don’t move, we are going to figure out how to put a full bath downstairs and add a small room so I can sleep downstairs if I don’t feel like going upstairs. And add a laundry room.
Or put in an elevator.

It’s spring and the critters are everywhere.
When I got home from taking my son to irk, the black and white cat was in my parking pad. Not the same black and white cat who jumps up in my window, this one is smaller.
Echo sees the cat and goes off. I was talking with a friend and thought no biggie if we sit for a few minutes and wait for the cat to leave.
Then the bunnies came out. Two of them chasing each other and hopping around the truck.
Echo was losing her mind, going from window to window, whining and gurgling.
Then came the squirrels. Of course, there are always squirrels, but usually not so many of them.
Finally, the cat was gone, the rabbits disappeared behind a privacy fence, I will deal with the squirrels.
Echo doesn’t go quite as crazy with them.
Then I heard her go off again, and here comes a possum. They don’t go anywhere in a hurry.
They are her favorite because they aren’t fast enough to get away. Also, they let her think she’s killed them.
I decided I would drive around the block, and hopefully, everything will be gone when I get back. I saw white tailed cat on my way around.
They were, I grabbed Echo’s leash and jumped out of the truck and rushed her into the yard before anything else popped up.

This morning when I went out to take her to daycare, she was sniffing all around the shed. I sat in one of the chairs waiting for my son to come out. I knew something must be under the shed.
Then I see this grey and white cat come out from behind the shed. It looked at me and I said, Cat, You Better Run!
Echo came out from the other side, saw the cat, and the chase was on.
Back around the shed, through the yard, across the deck, up onto the porch, and the cat got over the fence. Barely.

I’ve had enough critters. I don’t need any more of them coming around here.

Welcome back Nuts
Some mornings it doesn’t pay to get out of bed.

You always give good advice Pilot
Happy Birthday Celebration tonight.

Congrats Niner on graduation

MetalMouse, when I had the bird nest over the front door, it was a mess. Not just bird droppings, but every time the door was opened bits on nest would drop, and the parents were a bit protective and would fly at people who came close.

Sensei, it sucks when that happens. It’s always good to know who your friends are though. Better than thinking someone is a friend when they aren’t.

{{{Talky}}} I’m so sorry about your mom. Having your sister there will help, I am sure.
When my mom was sick, I let her decide what she wanted, even if I didn’t agree. I wish the others would have given her that space.
Hospice was very helpful for my mother.
They came out once a week at first, but near the end, they came every day.

Glad Monkey made it home. Adam disappears sometimes, usually when it’s cold out. I can tell by the tuna smell on his breath that he’s been cheating on us.

Happy MIL moving FCM

Congrats GodBod
I had started taking cyber security, but life got in the way.
I liked the computer classes, the law classes, not so much.

Still no name for the pup, Boo Fae
The breeder says he is a very chill, laid-back puppy. He follows her everywhere and loves to be held and cuddled. Ever since then
Mellow Yellow
has been stuck in my head.
Mellow could be a nice name, except a friend named his cat that.

Glad there is no malaria or scurvy in your life Swampy.
I wonder what would help my poor sore leg.

I do wish Darci would come home.

Good Luck on the offers VanGo

In sad news today, my cousin called to let me know that my aunt is not doing well. She has had health problems for years, and is in her 90s. My cousin is sure the end is coming soon. My aunt is going into a nursing home today as my cousin can no longer care for her at home.

I had a lot I wanted to do today, and not much got done.
The only things I can do are things I can do while sitting down.
A friend volunteered to pick up Echo if I can’t get out.
My son said he can call in sick. Last year he didn’t even use all his sick days. This year he has already used 2 of them (they renew Feb 1) and has only 1 day and 4 hours left.
I don’t want him to use it, he doesn’t want to take an Uber. A friend could take him to irk, but we never know what time he’ll get out. He got out at 1am this morning. We can’t call somebody to pick him up in the middle of the night.
I have been on his ass to get his license. I told him something like this could happen. I need a knee replacement and he is going to have to drive then.
Now we are in a situation where if he had his license, there wouldn’t be a problem.

We’re going to go get Echo early and see how I do walking.
Then my son will decide to call in sick or not.

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And the saga has almost come to an end.

Next they used the mobile crane to lift the cupola tower off the central pivot & cab. One man standing on the tipmost top on a platform the size of a dining chair seat 14 stories up in a good breeze. While this gigantic crane maneuvers a pulley & hook the size of his torso into position where he can reach it & then he attaches the cupola’s sling to the crane’s hook. He clambers down and then he & his pals detach the bottom of the cupola from the deck of the central pivot and away it goes. Next lift they take the upper & lower layers of the pivot turntable & control cab off as unit. Now there’s just the stack of a dozen tower segments standing there decapitated in the sun. And just barely taller than the finished building.

Next they disassemble & use the mobile crane to remove the staging gizmo in several big subassemblies. That done, now they’re simply unstacking the tower one segment after another. I can’t see it any more, it’s now shorter than the building.

It’s about quitting time now, so they won’t finish today, but it won’t take long tomorrow. Most of tomorrow should be disassembling the mobile crane.

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Have you ever looked at your cat and thought, “Jeebus, you got huge feet.”(I’m thinking Dad was either a Maine Coon or a cougar). As far as painting, that was not off white Or perhaps it was < looks at mixing label on side of can > in 2018. oh well, I’m only out $2 for the roller cover at the moment. Martini time!

Ouch, sari! hope it doesn’t hurt long.

Spot has promised to take care of things.

I wonder if there’s a traffic cam covering that section?

That’s up there with that day back in 2000 where I got a BSOD on the work computer, and the driver for the delivery 18 wheeler got deported.(the coffee machine thing would have killed my will to live, though)

{{{{wordy}}}}

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Yay on the new gig VanGo!

I’m glad Monkey got his furry little butt back home shoe.

Yay on MIL moving day Moooooom!

{{{sari}}} I used to dogsit a yellow lab mix named Mellow Yellow. She had a very loud snore. :slight_smile:

I’m miserable. I don’t know what the heck is blooming right now, but it has me lit up with a scratchy throat, alternately stuffy / runny nose and itchy eyeballs. I may be going in for another allergy shot Friday before Nelson’s vet appointment.

Stay safe and healthy y’all!

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Evening all. The swimming got put on hold since the heater for the pool still isn’t working and while I am many things, a walrus is not one of them. So extra time in the sauna and whirlpool and I was going to go out walking tonight, but the promised rain and tunder-boomers finally showed up so had to skip it. Ham-n-Cheese on Rye was quite good, however.

Hope the allergy settles down, red

Another fan of your crane saga, Pilot. When I lived in Abu Dhabi (99-03) they were just hitting the big construction boom there and in Dubai and there were high-rise cranes everywhere you looked.

Sari, ouch!! on the leg hurts; hope it’s nothing too serious, but the son has a chance to learn a lesson about being somewhat independent; hope it takes. And Echo versus the Vermin of…wherever you live…made me grin, even if it probably wasn’t funny to you at the time.

Luck has been wished, VanGo.

Nut, glad car wasn’t harmed and hope the flight got re-booked.

OK, nighttime beckons and much internettin’ still to do. Take care all.

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Would have been the end of me!