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My thoughts released; a mind set free |
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These pages contain my thoughts, from meandering ideas and persuasions to deep cerebrations and serious mentations. Why, for what purpose? To release my mind and set creativity free. Somewhere inside the constraints of my mind dwells a writer, a poet, an artist who paints with words. In here I release those constraints and set the artist free. Perhaps, lost somewhere in the depths of thought, is a story or a poem, waiting to be written. 
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| My wife has ow been feeling ill since Monday, although she is getting better each day now. With that said, Murphy's law of illness seems to be holding true: you will not recover until you have successfully passed it on to another. Yes, today I'm feeling a bit run down, I'm a bit stuffed up, and my chest is feeling congested. I think I'm losing this battle of not catching what she has. But I'm still hopeful that with proper care and precaution I can refrain from getting as ill as she has been. She works in healthcare for the elderly, so she had to take a Covid test and we found out today it was positive, So, we are quarantining and making sure we don't pass it on to others. In fact, just to keep you all safe, I'm typing with latex gloves on. |
| What's different? The weather. It's been cold, single digits above and below 0 degrees Fahrenheit, but today it warmed almost to thawing. We also are getting a bit of snow, but less than an inch—for now. It sounds like it's going to yo-yo for a while; some warmer days, some frigid days and the possibility of six inches or more of snow this weekend. What's still the same? My wife's cold. She called in to work again today, and since she works with the elderly, she doesn't dare go back to work until she is over this round of the Yuck. Another thing that has not changed is my overall health. I've felt like I may be catching the same thing she has, but so far it hasn't gotten rooted in and I'm feeling pretty good. I'm hoping that I can fight this off and net catch her cold, but we all know it doesn't usually work that way. |
| I couldn't sleep last night for some reason so I read a bit and finally successfully went to bed a little after two this morning. I did manage to sleep in until almost ten, so a pretty good night. After a cup of coffee, I saw I had missed a phone call from the garage that's doing the oil change on my truck. They are also testing the charging system because the battery keeps draining. No message was left, so I enjoyed a second cup of coffee and called back. The truck was done and ready to pick up. Oil, filters, lube, all that stuff was taken care of, as well as a general vehicle inspection. The battery was at fault so he had replaced it, the alternator was working fine, and everything looked good except. I always cringe when my mechanic says except. Anyway, I was right to cringe, the left front wheel bearing is a tad loose. It's not bad—yet, but it's just a matter of time before it starts making noise and starts vibrating. How much? About $600.00! That's just a ballpark guess, it could be a bit higher, and possibly a bit lower. The good news is, he thinks it will get us by until spring, but he recommends we don't take it on any long road trips until after it's fixed. I stopped at the butcher shop on my way home and picked up five pounds of beef fat and a couple of nice chicken breasts. The chicken was for chicken noodle soup, homemade from scratch. My wife is still down with the Yuck (sinus cold or something) and she wanted some. The beef fat, fresh, is for melting down for tallow. I've been reading up on some benefits of frying in beef tallow, but to buy the stuff is kind of crazy expensive, and I can't find it close to home. So, After getting home I proceeded to trim up the fat, cut it into small pieces, and put it inn the dutch oven to melt down. Next, it was time to start making some homemade soup. Then, while the soup stewed and the fat simmered, I washed up dishes and my mess in the kitchen. I did take a few breaks in there to pop in and out of here, but other than that, it's been a busy day. But, I have about a gallon of beef tallow and the soup turned out scrumptious. We are fed, the dogs are fed, the dishes are pretty much all washed, and I'm pretty much beat. |
Today in "Question of the Day!"  , S 🤦   asked, "What inspired you to start writing?I couldn't give an answer other than,"I don't know." I briefly explained, I have always been a story teller (my mother said I could tell a whopper of a story shortly after I started talking) so I guess it was only natural to start writing them. I have also been an avid reader which also contributed to my need to write. Growing up I told some pretty wild tales. In third grade, my teacher asked my Mom how we managed all the exotic animals we owned. My Mom, of course, didn't know anything about this. The teacher informed her that I had told this tale so believably that she had honestly thought we had a small zoo on our farm. My Mom informed her we did not live on a farm, but in town, and we had no animals, domestic or wild. I don't remember the teacher's name, but she told my Mom not to be upset, I was a natural born story-teller and that I should be encouraged. I was with my Mom during this conference and was a bit embarrassed when it all came out. But, both my Mom and the teacher did encourage me, although they also emphasized the importance of also being truthful. Perhaps that was the beginning of my desire to write stories. I know that by the time I was in sixth grade, I wanted to be a writer. I was an avid reader and would read most anything available. I was also a pretty fast reader, and when we read in class I would be pages ahead in the book. Of course, we were called upon to read out loud randomly, and I would be a few pages ahead. So when I was called, I often didn't know where we where. Also, I tended to be shy and introverted, so reading to the class was very difficult. Between these two problems, my teacher assumed I had a reading problem and had me transferred to a special reading class. This was a blessing! The teacher of that class soon discovered that I didn't have a problem reading and soon let me go to the library and pick out books to read from any grade level and then write a report after I finished it. It was done one on one so it was enjoyable for me, and after he read a few of my book reports he told me I should try writing my own stories. Unfortunately, that same school year, we had an assignment in my regular class to do a report on what we wanted to be when we grew up. I wanted to be an author and did my report on that. The teacher read it to the class, not even trying to hold back her own laughter. In fact, she ridiculed me in front of the class and set a firm block in my mind that I would never be a writer. That blocked stayed there for many years, but in my thirties I decided to go to college and pursue a business degree. English Composition was required and I again had to write stories and poetry. I also had to take Business Communications which required being able to write various types of business letters and documents. I was very surprised when instructors confronted me about my writing and asked permission to use my writing as examples for future classes. It was there, in college, that various instructors encouraged me to again pick up pen and paper and write my tales and rhymes. |
| Yes, a note I made for myself. Why you ask? (or maybe I asked for you) It's been a rather lazy day for me. My wife didn't have to go to work until five this afternoon, so she took the dogs out while I putzed around most of the day. I made a kettle of soup, did a bit in here, worked on some surveys, etc... Since none of this required getting dressed, I did my putzing in my pj's; shorts and a sleevless shirt. I didn't even bother to put socks on today, since it's comfortable and my feet didn't get cold. But, about an hour ago, the dogs let me know they needed to go out and take care of business. Being only five degrees Fahrenheit with a bit of a wind, I knew they wouldn't be out for very long, so I slipped my jacket and bedroom slippers on and out we went. I felt the cold instantly on my legs and exposed head, but it was bearable and again, I wouldn't be out for very long. They did a bit of sniffing around, then took care of business. In five minutes or less, they were heading back to the door to go in. But, something distracted them and they went around the side of the house. I hurried over to see, and sure enough, the neighbor was heading my way. He was dressed for the temperature and carrying a cup of coffee in one had, a couple of dog treats in the other. "You must think it's spring dressed like that." "No, I just ran these two out and was heading back in. It's a bit too cold to be out here dressed like this." He gave the dogs their treats and asked how things were going. He also told me that the landlord may be changing our garbage pick-up and a few other things. I was polite and talked for a few minutes, but I was getting very cold, my legs were starting to burn, and my toes had gone numb; I told him as much, then added, I need to get inside before I freeze something. "Yeah, the radio says it's seventeen below with the wind, it don't take long for exposed skin to frostbite." I headed towards the door, but he continued to chew the fat. "Why don't you come in, I have a pot of coffee on and it should be done." "No, thanks, I just saw you out with the dogs and thought I'd come over and say hello. You better get inside, you're legs are either turning blue or it's the yard light making them look blue." "Yeah, I'm heading in. I'll have to stop over one of these days and visit. Thanks for stopping by." I started up the steps to the door as he turned to go back home. But, the dogs were still wondering if there was another treat and followed him. I had to go back out in the full exposer to the wind and call for them. They stopped following right away and Bellah ran back like she usually does, but Max, my Husky is a bit more stubborn. He looked at me and then back at the neighbor, sat down and watched until he was out of sight and then came back over, slow and sniffing along the way. I could no longer feel my toes at all, my legs felt like they were on fire, my ears were burning, and my fingers had begun to ache. I hurried up the steps to the door, opened it and Bellah went right in, but Max mumbled something (he is quite a talker) and ran over to the tree line to poop. After another minute or two of freezing, he started heading back, then saw a squirrel that he had to chase up a tree. I gave up and went inside and called for him from inside the door. He thought for a few seconds about his choices, and decided to meander his way up tot he door so he would get his treat for coming in when called. He did get his treat, they both did. I'm still thawing out, sitting her under a blanket trying to get my legs warmed up. Max is lying on my feet which warmed them right up, and my fingers have quit throbbing and just burn a little now. So my not to myself is: Don't be a fool and go out in the frigid arctic air unless your dressed warm enough to handle getting stuck out there for a half an hour or more. No serious frostbite damage, just well chilled, but I will say this, Baby it's cold outside! |
| Yesterday I signed up for a survey site to make a few bucks. I also set some small goals for getting my office organized, working on a few things around the house, and trying to write a little something. My wife has this weekend off, so the idea was to work together on some of this, then I could do my writing while she did her thing. But, for whatever reason, I could not sleep last night. I was tired until I got into bed about 1:30 this morning, then any plans on sleeping vanished into the dark of night. I got up and took a Unisom tablet and read a bit while I waited for it to do it's thing. I went back to bed about 2:30 and slept sound, waking up just before noon.. Getting up so late meant a change in my plans, which I made while I downed a few cups of coffee to shake the sleep-aid cobwebs from my brain, then set about starting the revised day. But, just as I was getting started, a vehicle pulled up and low and behold, my wife's cousin was here. Not wanting to be rude, I had a couple more cups of coffee and visited for a spell, then informed him that I had some stuff to get done. But, there was no getting much of anything done. As is the case most times, as soon as something is stated, it is regretted because it seems to trigger in a lot of people just the opposite effect of what was said. he finally left just before time to start dinner, and now it's late and I'm trying to get a few things salvaged out of my plans for the day. This is the reason I find it so difficult to make plans or set goals... |
| I posted a question in the Newsfeed earlier about ways to make a few bucks online. I looked into one (the only) response and gave it a try. I earned about two and a half bucks! Of course, I didn't spend much time there today, but hopefully I can set a bit of time aside most days to go in and do my thing. I think it's going to help out, but I doubt I'll get rich anytime soon. The way things are tight now, every little bit helps, and I'm grateful for the reply. If anyone else has any ideas, I'm always eager to listen. |
| We are two days into the new year, and I don't see any changes; is it broke? I took the Yukon in for an oil change and to have the battery and charging system checked, since it had a low battery a while back. The mechanic said he would get to it either tomorrow or on Monday. He's always busy, but I suppose that's the sign of a good mechanic. I could have scheduled an appointment for next week, but often something comes up and he has an open slot of time, so if it's there waiting for him, he can get it done sooner. My wife picked me up at the garage on her way to work; I took her car back home after stopping for some water at the store. That means I'll have to watch the time and go pick her up after her shift ends. While filling up a three gallon water bottle, a guy asked my why I buy water. I assumed right off he's not from around here, or he would know that the water in this area has a lot of iron in it. It's fine to drink, or at least the water reports indicate it's fine, but because of the iron it has an off taste and plugs up the coffee maker quickly. So, we refill three gallon bottles with water filtered by reverse osmosis for the coffee maker. While waiting in line to pay for the bottle of water, I overheard a couple of people complaining about the cost of groceries and gasoline. I understand, both have gone berserk, but what got me chuckling was the comment, "It's the new year, why haven't prices gone down? I thought 2025 was supposed to be better!" The other person replied, "They would have come done this year but that damn Trump got elected and messed it all up." Anyway, I do hope everyone has a wonderful new year. |
| Yesterday was the last day of the year, so as far as the year goes, it begins here. Not that I put much into the whole new year thing. Some people do, as if by some kind of magic the changing of the date will somehow bring in changes, but I have been around the block a few times now and know better. I do realize that there will be significant changes this year, like every year. But will they be better, or will they be worse. I take each day as it's given and try to make the most of it, and of course, I hope for the best. Did I make any resolutions? Of course not. I can't make any because years ago I resolved not to make resolutions and I'm still keeping that one. I do believe in setting goals, but I don't see any reason to pick one day over another. If you do make a New Year's resolution, I wish you the best in keeping it. How is the new year starting for me? It's also the start of a polar vortex bringing frigid air down from the arctic. We are in the teens today and it's dropping; for the next week or so we will be doing well to see single digits during the day and we will drop below zero at night (Fahrenheit). But that's normal for Minnesota so I guess the year is starting out normal. And, normal is good. |
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I wear a jacket when it falls below 70.
