General – Page 24 – The Laughing Wolf

Lite Day?

I had planned to get a lot of things done yesterday, but that was before I remembered it was a holiday for many. So, things got shifted to the right. I’m jumping through some hoops, trying to get records, juggle prescriptions, and see if I have enough funds to go to the grocery store here soon. Here’s hoping more people remember to switch their phone systems back off holiday mode here soon…

A Happy New Year

Happy Hogmanay! This evening, celebrate as you would and enjoy. Please, just be safe and DO NOT result in a safety brief. May 2023 be a better year!

One More Day Off

I hope that all of you had a Blessed and wonderful Christmas! Mine was good, though I eagerly await a return to the 50s after the storm. Thankfully, we did not get hit as bad as predicted though it has been cold and icy.

Which is why I’ve taken a few days off. The weather has done a job on my joints, and there was one morning I just went from bed into the shower for about 20 minutes to get the arms working. Getting my cookware from the top shelf of the cabinet has been interesting a couple of mornings.

Still no word from the SSA, which sadly doesn’t surprise me. Going to wait and see, really not expecting anything this week. The complaint I filed with the Indiana Attorney General about PayPal refusing to close my account got the attention of some people at PayPal. They swear there really is a technical issue, they are working on it, please be patient: I just want the account closed, now.

More soon, and if you are a Russian businessman or woman, don’t go near the windows.

I’m not optimistic for parts of 2023, but I also hope and pray that it is a good year (on some levels at least) for us all!

Weather Incoming

Getting hit by lightning is not fun! If you would like to help me in my recovery efforts, which include moving to the SW, feel free to hit the fundraiser at A New Life on GiveSendGo, use the options in the Tip Jar in the upper right, or drop me a line to discuss other methods. It is thanks to your gifts and prayers that I am still going. Thank you.

As I noted earlier this week, we have a severe winter storm approaching. It is accompanied by several sides of hype (bomb, cyclone, historic) but if it doesn’t fizzle it is going to be an interesting few days. As in we are supposed to go today from near 40 to -8 in just a few hours.

The reason I think there is any chance of a fizzle is because of our dear mayor, Boss Hogsbreath (aka Photo-op Joe), who apparently has called it historic. Given his accuracy and track record with such pronouncements, there should now be a line in Vegas for betting that it turns into a bad rainstorm.

Meantime, I’m as prepared as I can be. I admit, if more money suddenly appeared in my account, or someone called the Total Wine and More up on the north side of Indianapolis and arranged a gift certificate, I would go out so long as I could be home by about noon. Really don’t see it getting bad before about 1500, but driving and traffic are both already atrocious and getting worse. Besides, want to see if I can talk the landlord into letting me salt the entire driveway after the rain stops so as to prevent icing.

Fantasy aside, my plans for the day include cooking my Christmas entree in case we do have power issues, and maybe doing some almond flour shortbread. Entree is a play off some rabbit I had in France years back, which was amazing. It was flattened and wrapped around a minced mushroom concoction that was absolutely delicious. No rabbit, so going to flatten some chicken and do the same thing with some truffled mushroom mix I found. Put it in a pan, crust with pesto, and put in a bit of a very nice pinot grigio, and bake. The pinot grigio is one I found for about $5 at Aldi. Same one as Thanksgiving, and remember: if you would not drink a wine, you don’t want to cook with it. Going to serve it over mash, know I should have a green of some type, but just couldn’t come up with anything I really wanted. Going to have a proper English Christmas pudding for desert. Not sure it qualifies as a figgy pudding, but it should be tasty. No, not on the diet, but don’t care.

Which reminds me, there was no posting yesterday as I went and did my shopping early. I really expect it to be horrible today, and it was not fun yesterday. Had to hit more stores than planned even on my reduced list given some of the things that were not in stock. Oddly, hardest thing to get was some star anise, which I only found at my (least favorite) Indian grocery. I went early, thank goodness, as it was picking up quite a bit after noon. By the time I hit my FI/broke point, I was probably twitching like Inspector Clouseau’s boss in the movies. Don’t like crowds at the best of times (esp. after Iraq), and rude crowds are not a delight. Things were getting rude there towards the end.

Did I get everything I wanted or needed? No, but I got enough to get by for several days at need. I have coffee, and thanks to a very kind person I have some Sambuca to go in that coffee on Christmas morning (or tomorrow morning if the power goes out overnight). The last bottle of red wine in the cellar is earmarked for mulling at some point this weekend. BTW, you want a fruity red to mull, not a dry red. Easy to do: 1T whole clove, 2 star anise, 2 cinnamon sticks, 2-4 oz brandy, orange peel, and about 1T of raw honey (to taste). DO NOT BOIL! Heat gently until steaming and don’t let it get past that point.

If I haven’t said it before, do take advantage of various store frequent customer programs. The one for The Fresh Market has been really good at lowering my bill with both discounts and various certificates. Next time I buy coffee, going to get it for almost half off. Yes, they can get a lot of info from you, but you can set limits. Also, rules can say what they want, but there is no law requiring information to be accurate or precise. I usually decline to answer a number of (so-called optional) questions and if not allowed to decline, well, if some store thinks I am really a 101-year-old lesbian who makes $500,000 a year, well, that’s their problem.

Depending on how energetic I feel, I may go ahead and put up some aluminum foil in strategic locations. My room has a decorative fireplace (really hope no one ever tried to use it because even before it was closed off it would have killed everyone in the house) that I’m lining so the multiple pillar candles in the holder in it can really get some light out. Otherwise, not much to do to prepare.

Have told the housemate that if he does go into work tonight (good odds they may close anyway), that I will loan him one of my assault rucks provided he puts blankets, extra clothing, food, and water in it as his drive is interesting. Not sure going into work would be bad, but thinking getting home tomorrow morning could be more than a little interesting. Have warned him about sweating in severe cold.

Speaking of which, would there be any interest in a post on cold-weather emergencies and survival? Just some high points, because provided you are dressed properly, you can work in some dangerously low temperatures. Been there, done that, -45 wind chills and all. Really do need to share the story of some friends who had to open the freezer up so things in it would stay frozen, and close the refrigerator periodically to keep the contents from freezing.

Sorry for the ramble, but I didn’t plot things out this morning. Just decided to wing it. If you are in the path of this storm, be prepared. If not, be glad. Be safe and take care of yourselves and those you love as we approach Christmas. May the stress and worst of the season avoid you, and you avoid it.

Bleep The RLF!

Back, sorta. Even with the new fiber optic modem, we’ve been having some issues with bandwidth and service. On Saturday, the problems increased and by Sunday morning we had no service at all. I’m able to do a bit by cell phone, but not a lot. Really need to set up at least some emergency posting on the site from the phone…

Yesterday, we had two different technicians out, and found out we were not the only people in the area who lost our fiber optic service. The culprits are well known to the company: the Rodent Liberation Front. Turns out that their shock troops, the squirrels, are well known to the company to be active in this area with the chewing of cables and terminals. On the latter, they chew or claw enough for water to get it, which then freezes, which takes out multiple households.

It was interesting watching the second technician back a bucket truck down the driveway (old and narrow) to get to the terminal, but he did it. Things are fixed, and it is nice to have full bandwidth back.

Posting may still be lite this week for a couple of reasons. First, the body and I have been having a series of disagreements. Part is weather, which is locking me up and making me very unhappy about the incoming winter storm. In fact, I’m having to change my plans and schedule in regards grocery shopping as my planned foray may not be able to take place. The other I’m not sure about but boy howdy has my body been cranky with me. Not a fun time at all.

Second, between the body being cranky and and some unexpecteds, I may be offline a bit. I really don’t have much family left, but will be reaching out to several and some friends over the next few days. If you have friends and family, do reach out. Remember, Christmas is a rough time of year for many, check in, check up, and reach out!

Frankly, I wouldn’t be surprised if the RLF waited until the storm hit to send out a suicide squirrel to take out power to as many as possible. Be just their style.

Meantime, stock up and prepare, as it looks like winter weather is going to hit a large part of the U.S. here shortly. Be safe, be good, and survive with style no matter what the weather or the RLF try to do.

UPDATE: I saw something somewhere from someone letting me know my RSS feed may have issues. Thanks for letting me know, and I will be looking into that.

More soon.

The Reason Behind

The lite posting of late.

Back in September, I reluctantly made the decision to both apply for disability and to take early retirement. Theoretically you can do both at the same time. Sadly, theory rarely seems to work with the SSA. Once disability is filed, you lose the ability to file online for retirement, or do some other things apparently. Which means you have to go into a SSA office or work over the phone. However, they are still in full COVID mode and many offices are closed or appointment only, with a number of hurdles in place to get one.

I’ve been told multiple times now that nothing can be done in the office, it all has to be by phone, and the wait time for a phone appointment is now about three months. So, something that should have taken 15 minutes has dragged out since September. Thursday was supposed to be the day, and I sat ready on my end as the time came and went. Called Friday morning, finally got a person, and was told that when the office called my number, they were told can’t be completed as dialed.

Was advised to go to the downtown office and ask for the manager. Went to downtown office, and after an hour got sent to a window. Nonce on the other side grandly informed me that I should be glad a bureaucrat deigned to talk to me, and that waiting until Feb was a privilege and I should shut up and accept it. When I asked to speak to a manager per the instructions from the SSA person on the phone, boy did it get huffy. How dare I! I dared, and he (?) flounced off after grandly telling me they didn’t have managers, just supervisors.

I was also advised it would do no good and might make things worse. Go for it Scooter. After a while, he flounced back to his chair and grandly informed me to go to a certain spot where the supervisor would put me in my place in the fullness of time. Took a while, but supervisor came and was a nice, polite, and helpful person. We talked, he listened, and net result is that some things are getting corrected, he’s reaching out to the office that needs to be involved, and will be keeping me in the loop.

We tested my number, and for some reason they can’t call it. So, he has my email and such and will get me one way or another at need. I should be hearing from the people I need to hear from next week. If he does what he says, some or all of this could be resolved next week. We will see. Right now, still not a lot of faith but if he does what he says he will, I will have to admit that there is at least one good man in the SSA. That, and it pays to be a Karen and ask for the manager. Hopefully, this isn’t going to drag out into Feb. and Mar.

So, several hours of my time, $10 in parking (out of the grocery budget), and that is why I had a drink yesterday.

Lite Today

Have several appointments today, so posting may be a bit lite. Mostly non-medical, which is a nice change.

As for the ICBM the Russians put in a silo that seems to have a number of media panties in knots, don’t let yours join them. May do a fuller discussion tomorrow, but for now don’t see it as anything other than Vladimir tweaking noses.

If you are in one of the many areas experiencing, or getting ready to experience, winter or interesting weather, hope you are prepared and ready for it. Forget milk and bread, think bourbon and beef. Steaks, or a good beef stew, along with some wine or other spirits, that’s called surviving in style.

More soon.

Monday Update

Sorry that there’s not more today, but it turned into a day for filling out paperwork. As I’ve mentioned before, I have reluctantly begun a disability claim and am looking into what it takes to retire early. I need something regular coming in, as while I appreciate and desperately need the donations to the fundraiser, being able to pay the bills reliably is paramount. Especially given the way the economy is doing.

Saturday saw a huge amount of mail come in, which was all from the government and included 17 pages of forms related to the disability claim. This morning has been spent filling out all those forms. I strongly suspect they are going to regret paper forms that I have to fill out by hand as my penmanship, never good to start with, has gone downhill since all this started. Even when I print, it’s a challenge. I also suspect they are going to regret the instructions ‘answer in detail.’

One good thing did come out the medical issues last week. With me not feeling good, I had an “attention lapse” and let the coffee steep in the French press for about eight minutes. Most coffees take 3-4 minutes to get the best flavor. I figured that so long as it wasn’t too bitter, it would be okay. It was freaking delicious! Strong, not bitter, more of the chicory and other notes came out. So, I’ve been playing with it a bit and am finding 6-7 minutes works very well with this coffee.

No, I don’t have a post office box yet, but working on it. With fees and rent, the smallest box offered is going run about $115 for three months. Since I don’t even have bill or real grocery money right now, will be a bit. Meantime, looking at other options on a temporary basis as gift cards were mentioned as a possibility.

Watching what is going on in Russia and the Ukraine, leaving the combat reporting to others who are doing an excellent job overall. In political terms in Russia, not much has changed though there are some interesting maneuvers underway. Some of it suggests that a sacrifice/scapegoat short of Shoigu may be offered up. Also, trying to confirm a report that Russia was so short of precision air launched cruise missiles that they took some out of nuclear service to use with conventional warheads in strikes on the Ukraine.

Today’s strikes may have taken a rather large chunk out of their precision ALCM stockpile. Logistics rules, and Russia is not alone in being short. Right now, with all we have sent to the Ukraine, we better hope a war doesn’t start as we can’t sustain a fight for long. What’s worse, a number of the lines needed are not even running I hear. If we had competent leadership they would be moving on this. Given what we have, well, maybe North Korea will sell to us too. (/sarc) Pro tip: in any fight with peer or near-peer opponents, your ammo and related will be used at several times the rates predicted by the paper pushers. Just take a look at how many years worth of production has been used in Javelins and other systems in less than a year.

More soon.

Happy Thanksgiving

A Happy and Blessed Thanksgiving to all! May your spirit be as nourished today as your body, and may you be blessed with abundance in all aspects of your life.

Giving Thanks

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, which began as a celebration of life, abundance, and thanks. I’ve long tried to stop each year and give thanks for all that is good in my life. That can include things that may not seem a blessing, but often in those mysterious ways turn out to be so. So, I give thanks to God and thanks to those here who have impacted my life.

First and foremost, I am thankful to still be here. A year ago last June, lightning entered my life and started a most interesting journey for me. A year ago last October I had open heart surgery so they could take care of three different issues that had cropped up. The strike itself was a series of small miracles that made the difference between my getting up and going to work not realizing I had been hit, and my landlord finding my body instead. The last year plus has seen a number of medical and other challenges, and we seem to be holding on fairly well.

While it is hard, I try to be thankful for my memory issues. Right now, my short-term memory is, ah, limited. There are portions of my long-term memory that I can’t access. I’m told that this too shall pass, and while it can be frustrating (or worse) it also reminds me to be thankful for what I have, and that in about three years my brain should have healed and most of these issues will then pass. Until then, I’m thankful that there was no major physical damage (fractures and the like) to the brain, that it will heal, and that I have methods of coping that help a lot. I may still have to put my morning pills in a bowl, count, and verify to be sure I take them all; but, I can do that and pretty much everything else on my own.

I find it very hard to be thankful for the hearing loss. In addition to general loss in both ears, and an increase in tinnitus, I lost all the upper frequency hearing in one ear, and the nerves are dead so no getting it back via tech. Things sound strange, different, or missing. That said, it does force me to slow down and actually listen on occasion, which in this world can be a good thing. It also makes me appreciate what I still can hear even more. For that, I am thankful.

I am thankful for the open heart surgery, as it seems to have worked well and from which I have bounced back amazingly well given all. Still working on endurance and more, but it is a blessing to be able to get out and walk and enjoy the beauty of God’s creation. And to meet a number of the neighborhood dogs. That’s really fun to do.

I am thankful for my regular medical team, and for the team at RHI who have helped me develop some of the methods of coping that allow me to function well (most of the time). For all that I sometimes do resent having to live off lists and such, I’m also thankful I have that option and that it works as well as it does as much as it does.

I am thankful for all who have offered support and encouragement through the fundraiser. I never expected that I would get hit by lightning, much less that it would lead to a year-plus of medical and other challenges or that I would be out of work so long. The prayers, encouragement, and financial support are amazing and why I am still going. With the medical on an even keel for now, though it took much longer than planned/desired, working hard to get moved out to the Southwest. Thank you all!

I am thankful for you, my readers. There is overlap between this group and the fundraising group, but you too have offered prayers, encouragement, and financial gifts. Some of you have offered tech support and other information as this blog has changed hosts and otherwise started on the path of being a well-read blog once again. Again, thank you all!

Finally, I am thankful for my friends. As with all such dramatic changes in life, one finds out who one’s friends truly are in times like these. I have met friends I didn’t realize I had, and I’ve seen true friends stand out like wheat from chaff. I have seen kindness unbounded from strangers, and have reconnected with friends from the past. For it all, I give thanks and say to you, thank you all.

There are many more blessings in my life, but for now I share these with you and encourage you to take the time this Thanksgiving to list the blessings (even in disguise) in your life and give thanks. It is right and proper to do so. Equally, it is a good reminder of all that is good in our lives in these interesting times.

The times are not good, but in the face of it people still do good things. Have Faith, as even when things are dark and tight, there is good and help in this world. Also, remember that together we can do more than alone, and we need to stand with our brothers and sisters during this great challenge.

Be not despondent, be not afraid. Instead, give thanks and do what what you can so that all of us can move forward together.

Happy Thanksgiving.