The wife insisted that she be allowed to sleep in today, as she is again suffering from a round of insomnia. Her doc prescribed her an anti depressant at bedtime that really knocks her out, but she takes two instead of one, and hence; runs out. I gave her one of my gummies the other night, and did not help one bit. I told her next was going to be a Beastie gummy; 1/4 of one of those knocks me down.  Maybe she just needs to take one every night, until her body allows her the buzz.

Recall that some folks, even Methodists do not get high after smoking marijuana the first time…it takes several times, but when it kicks in…Oh wow man! Gimme some Pink Floyd!

I got up at 12:20 as I felt I had to get dinner started. Tonight, we will have beef stew with mostly carrots. I had some small sirloin steaks from Wal Mart, and used those. I finished up the baby carrots I had for the pot roast, and added a cut up tater, with about half a large onion sliced. That little crock pot is great.

The kid brought the boy over about 1:20, and she allowed me to finish prepping dinner. Meanwhile, the wife got up too as the kid passed the little one to me. I gave him to the wife after the kid left, and they both fell asleep on the couch. I gathered up the stroller, placed him in it, and the wife went for a nap. If history is any indicator, he will not sleep long in the stroller.

I still need to contact the mortgage company about their early withdrawal from the wife’s account for the mortgage payment.

Last night, I ate the Tyson frozen chicken breast tenders with the leftover Alfredo sauce. Good stuff.

I ‘modified’ the grandfather clock with my new rasp. It worked  just as I had hoped it would, without defacing the clock.

The rasp honed down just the right size of groove to allow the weight to pass smoothly. Winding that side is another issue, and will have to be dealt with accordingly, when the weight is raised up again. I’ll have to rasp down the underside also as the edge of the weight catches when I wind up that particular weight. No biggie.

Now I suppose I’ll find my original rasp in one of my other toolboxes. Such is life.

I got up today, and checked email on my phone, to find that Amazon wanted to verify a $1199 charge on my account for a new Iphone…yeah right.

So, I got up and came out to the kitchen area where my laptop is located, to further my investigation.

I got on Amazon’s site, and forwarded the spoof email to them as well as fill out a report on the scam. I also changed my password on Amazon main site. This is not the first time I have had a hack attempt on Amazon. Gone are the days when I could use the same password on all my password protected site.

‘Twas a shower day, but skipped that, as this seemed more important.

I also girded up my loins, and trekked out to the storeroom in search of the missing incontinence pads. I ordered like 100 several years ago, only to be astonished as to how large the container was. I was certain they were in the storeroom, in some handy shelves. The kid took a look when she found her black widow nest, but saw none. I did not believe her.

I went out there, and also found no diapers…I DID find a box of 59 gallon trash bags. Just in time, as the house supply is running very low. I also found 2 cases of gallon Ziploc freezer bags, along with about 100 red solo cups.

The wife brought up that I may have hauled the other diapers down to the other house when we had our estate sale before we moved here…that made sense, instead of my over active imagination making shit up.

So, I ordered more….from Amazon…I originally bought them so I could clean my guns on the kitchen table…right handy.

The storeroom door lock has been compromised by rotting wood, and will have to be dealt with someday. I left a scribble on the shelves in the storeroom stating that 3 years ago, I added Star Tron fuel treatment to all the gas cans…about 58 gallons total. I also have 3 of the 20 gallon propane tanks…If my storeroom ever took a stray RPG, there would be a big boom, with lots of fier.

I baked two boneless chicken breasts last night using Shake n Bake pork, and then made Alfredo sauce on the side. I cut up the chicken, and poured Alfredo sauce over it…man, that was really good. One more breast for tonight. My BS today was 121.

Speaking of over active imagination, several years ago, I bought a wood working tool called a hasp. It is very very coarse file, if you will. I likely bought it when I built the other grandfather clock. I needed to do some tweaking on the new clock, and had it in my head that the ‘hasp’ was in my woodworking tool box out in the shed.

I made it out there today, and could not find it. A little further research found my name for the tool to be “rasp” not “hasp”. Sometimes my mind uses single bit parity errors to fill in the blanks, and I get things wrong…just like Microsoft…single bit parity errors my ass.

So, back to the clock. As you know, there are three weights that run the clock. One to run the hourly chime, one to run the pendulum, and the Westminster chime weight is the heaviest on the right.

Because of a manufacturing flaw (my bad), the right most weight catches on the lower case as the weight descends. Just on the very edge mind you, but enough to stop the weight from ringing the chimes. See the pic

I made a mark on the case where I will use my “rasp” to slightly file down the case to allow the weight to pass without consequence. I tried to use the leveling feet to have the weight rest further towards the rear, but making that adjustment, also caused the pendulum to swing to the rear, and it bangs against the chime rods. I think this will work.

I fasted yesterday, drinking 2 cups of store bought bone broth, and a handful of almonds later. I weighed in today, and have lost 2 more pounds since last weigh in. The fasting makes a difference in the speed of the weight loss.

I watched longingly as the wife ate her Marie Callender roasted turkey and stuffing frozen dinner. Sigh.

The kid is turning out to be quite the chef, as last night she completed fettuccine Alfredo from scratch; and some advice from yours truly.

For me, I am Shake and Bake chicken breast using the pork coating, with Alfredo sauce. I never cared for the chicken coating as opposed to the pork.

The kid made butter and buttermilk and am using the buttermilk to marinade the chicken breasts.

The kid also went outside, braving the elements, and fixed the bird bath and filled the water troughs. Here are a pair of twin fawns who arrived to get their fair share of water. We usually have one pair of fawns each summer. They seem to be late this year.

The kid found a black widow nest in the storeroom yesterday. The kid is not like other girls. She handles all types of critters unafraid. She is not afraid to walk from her trailer to the main house in the dead of night, while pitch black…she does draw the line at spiders and scorps.

Notice the bodies of dead wasps on the floor. I think she may have stopped a major black widow invasion, given the number and size of egg sacks. She used my Bengal crawling insect spray, which is lethal to arachnids…and centipedes..

We just read in the local newspaper that the state is capturing white tail bucks, and sawing off some of their antlers to prevent them from becoming “trophy bucks” later in life. Well…a new level of ridiculousness…The whack job liberals are closing in.

The kid is going back to work next week…just in time as the wife’s seemingly endless string of doctor’s appointments begins. The wife has little or  no short term memory after her fall, and wants me to accompany her to her doc visits, to “fill in the blanks”..We will be unable to baby sit on those afternoons of doctor visits, and the kid is, needless to say, upset that things are not as smooth as she would like.

Trash day today, and I went outside, braving the 95 degree temp to retrieve the trash barrel and the mail, which also had some of the wife’s meds.

I rolled outa bed at 1:40 pm (yes, it IS nice), showered, shaved, and found the wife was up reading a catalog. The kid showed up with the baby about half hour later. Gone are the days when he would drink part of a two ounce bottle, and be done. I made a 3 ounce, and when he downed that, he insisted on more, so I made another. Aye, he’s a growing lad.

The kid made some homemade butter and buttermilk, which she gave some to me. I don’t know what I’ll do with buttermilk, but perhaps making a batch of muffins won’t send up too many red flags…I do need the fiber.

It’s looking like I may go with a fasting day to continue towards my goal of a total 50 lb weight loss by early September. I was really hoping that by losing 50 lbs, my BP would go down, and I would lose the AFIB…I fear that may have been a pipe dream. I still have over a month to attain the goal before I see the cardiologist. I am afraid that she may insist on a cardiac ablation, regardless of the weight loss.

I thought being obese directly contributed to high BP and heart problems, but I recall my skinny pop had heart problems, diabetes, and blood pressure issues. dang.

I got a notification from the heart monitor people that they had received the monitor, and information had been uploaded for the cardiologist to interpret. I doubt if I hear from her until my September 7 appt.

At least we have a roof over our heads, air conditioning, food in the fridge, and few bucks in the bank.

Man, the new baby really eats up our time. I didn’t even check my BP or BS for 3 days. The kid brought the little fella over yesterday at 9:45 am…I was unaware, but heard the cry around 10, but went back to sleep. I got up and around after a shower about 11:30 to relieve the wife, and she asked me to take over while she went back to bed. Well OK.

The little guy slept on my belly for two hours. His mom came by to check on him at 1:15, then went home to take a nap. She picked him up at 11:30 pm.

He’s now 47 days old. I just passed 25,000. Eventually, I’m gonna have to “kid proof” the house, as we have loaded guns lying around, and countless other hazards I am not even aware of, but that will be a few months away yet…I hope.

Hot and sunny is the weather here. it’s currently 96° at 2:00 pm. We did have a thunderstorm last week that dumped quite a bit in a short period of time.

We noticed yesterday that the deer, in their constant search for water, knocked the bird bath basin off its pedestal. The water troughs are empty, and when that happens. they go after the bird bath, since it  has a drip feed that keeps it full. They figured that out, and now pull the PVC pipe out of the feed, which causes the water to collect below, making a small pond. The bird bath basin is made of concrete or similar, and I could barley lift it when I was healthy.

We have been increasingly using Wal Mart delivery for groceries these days. It’s so very handy, and I do so hate driving to the big city for groceries, as my shortness of breath seems to be getting worse.

The wife is getting along OK, and has an appt with a new endocrinologist next week to check her thyroid…she had her thyroid irradiated decades ago, and depends on a man made thyroxin to maintain her levels…it’s complicated, and I’d be lying if I said I understood. She does, and thinks her meds are wrong dosage as wrong level T1 T2 T3 T4 and TSH levels can cause weight gain, extreme fatigue, anxiousness, and others which she has all experienced. Hopefully, she gets that dialed in.

The Texas Liver Institute gave her a pretty much clean bill, but ordered some labs for December…so no danger there. Those doctors are still scratching their heads that the wife’s local gastro wanted to remove her gall bladder, so he could get a “wedge biopsy” from her liver.

The pounds are still slowly melting away; my last weigh was 268 a couple days ago. To be honest, I’ve slacked off the bone broth diet since we’ve been given baby sitting duties for what seems to be nearly 12 hours daily..I am still not eating any carbs, so I have that working for me. I do miss my pinto beans and refries.

And nachos

and tostadas

and enchiladas

and breakfast burritos

and Dagwood sammich

I was awakened at 7:30 today a phone call from the driveway guy, who said the dump truck driver called him asking the kids to move their car so he could dump the gravel.

I’m tellin’ ya…kids these days…I made it clear to them that they would be dumping 5 loads of caliche early this week and well, today was the day..

So I called the kid and woke her, and she said she would get it moved…right now right now…

The things we do for our kids…

The baby has been going through his formula like he has a hollow leg, and I ordered more from Wal Mart…for $1, I got free delivery..well, delivery for a buck…

The kid is returning to the WIC program today to apply (again) for benefits, including free formula, among other things. I knew a woman years ago whose own mother was getting WIC benefits, and my friend would bring me 2 pound bricks of American cheese. Also included pinto beans, and I forget what else. Adult diapers I think are common as well

WIC stands for Women, Infants, and Children

Son in law is going to work, and the kid will have to drive him there, return here to the WIC program, and pick him up after work.

On the other hand, the wife and I are preparing for our trip to San Antonio to see the doc at the Texas Liver Institute. It’ll be a two hour road trip, coming and going, and I am hoping we get out of the city before rush hour.

She thinks her days are numbered, and I am having a hard time convincing her otherwise. Hopefully, they will have the answers she is looking for.

Other than that, we are free at last from doctors for the rest of this week.

I had a companion in my shower this morning as I shaved my head: a wasp. A bit creepy, as standing in the shower with a wasp, one is pretty much defenseless. I managed to splash him into the drain using Edge shaving gel…now, 1001 uses. The question always arises: how did it get in the house?

This is peak wasp season, with the heat and still air. I always have a can of wasp and hornet spray close by in the carport, as they seem to really like building nests out there.

 

The kids were off today, so Gramma and Gramps got to sleep in a little longer. I was up at noon thirty, and showered and shaved. I found something interesting next to my tub today…was it a scorpion? no..was it a roach? no…’twas a froggy.

My pop told me a story when he first built this place, that he found a frog in one of the toilets. He asked a buddy, and the buddy said that there was a break in the sewer line…somewhere.

So, the old man started digging up the sewer line, and found a break, and fixed it.

Me? I am not that ambitious to go outside and dig up the caliche ground to find a break in the line. With all the rain we just had, I would not be surprised to see an increase in frog/toad population in and around out water troughs bird bath…still…

It’s always somethin’

Another issue I have is with my current mortgage company. For whatever reason, they have begun taking out our mortgage payment from the wife’s account, 7 days before due date.

Now the wife gets her check on or about the 27th of every month, giving her plenty of time to have enough money to cover the payment on the first. They started doing this about 3 months ago.

We frantically called our bank USAA, and they mostly just shrugged and did nothing. I am thinking I’ll zero out her account around the 20th of next month, and see where the chips fall after the dust clears. Likely, USAA will charge on overdraft fee, and we will have to fight them over something that is not their fault…or is it?

One strange thing about USAA with direct deposit I have had for 25 years, I always got my check a day earlier than the rest of my co workers. Even now, I get my check early.

Admittedly, I do not know all the little secrets of the Federal banking system, but I would guess that it’s all about them.

Even though these people have taken out the payment, it does not show up on my mortgage account as payment received.

If my mortgage company is taking my house payment out early, and holding it for a week to get a few dollars in interest, I think that is illegal…but to whom do I direct my inquiry? or accusation?

I suppose I should call the mortgage company, and give them a chance to back pedal and feed me a line of bullshit. I found a number for the Consumer Fraud Protection Bureau Ombudsman….

I don’t think they realize who they’re dealing with.