Time ticks away

27 Jul 21

05:30 hrs

     Good morning Dear Readers!

     No, I am not getting ready for work. My project, rather the project i was assigned to provide security for, is temporarily on hold due to a miscalculation on the part of the engineers as to the number of components required. Once again technicians rule and engineers drool. The last piece of equipment is coming out of the Lone Star State so it might take a awhile. In the meantime my boss hasn't assigned me to anything in the interim. Since I am up early anyways I will be going for a walk around the neighborhood. This time of the morning is great as there is no one else out except other walkers. I'm not saying that I'm turning into a health nut but as my Lobster pointed out we are not getting any younger and if WE plan on spending some time lounging on a Caribbean beach at sometime down the road WE had Better be in shape to enjoy it. Yesterday was the start of the new regimen and the walking app said that I had trudged 3500 steps on my walk and 6900 by the end of the day. For the moment that's about as much as my joints can take. I bought my Better Half a set of hiking poles for when she goes on her walks. We would walk together but she  moves at a higher pace whereas I prefer a saunter. I also walk with a staff that the Elder Sage made. It makes me feel that he and are walking together.

     In another week or so I will be heading back to the Sage's. The Tribe will be gathering to pay their respects and for a private send off. A number of years ago we would all gather for a mighty shindig whenever a member reach their 50th birthday. It would be a long weekend of getting reacquainted and much testing of one's personal liver functions. 

06:30 hrs

     Out on my saunter I took some happy snaps of the four-plex rabbit hutch being built near the Wayward Inn. I will post them on the Comox Valley Views FB page. In one picture you will see that the buildings have underground parking but I don't think the Ram would fit through the entrance. Maybe, this particular rabbit hutch was designed so truck owners wouldn't live there? Stranger things have happened. My Lobster has a degree in such matters and knows about kinesiology stuff. She had informed me - years ago when she was managing the move to the new work site - that office equipment, its placement and even the design and structure of the building itself can make life better and enjoyable or the opposite for those who live, work or visit the premises. Think about it or better yet take a drive in your city. You have probably already seen the buildings that you wouldn't want to live or work in. Lots of cold concrete, small windows, towering so tall that only the upper floors recieve any natural light and not a blade of grass or a leafy tree for a country mile. Supposedly,  as I may have previously mentioned, these new rabbit hutches will have solar panels, a fenced dog run and other GREEN amenities. Of course, they will be cost prohibitive for anyone earning only a living wage. 

     Most of the new hutches in the Valley are like that. And there are many more going up but for the most part the are not affordable for those that need them. The government says that they are increasing the number of affordable housing - that which those only earning what is called a living wage.

28 Jul 21

05:45 hrs

     The obit for the Elder Sage has been posted on the web page for Fischer's Funeral Home. Just look for the one with my last name. The Younger Sage wrote it but I blame the typo on the business for not proof rading it.

     Later today the Jr. Couch Monkey and i will be doing a dump run. There is all sorts of crap that has to go. I got two bags of trash out of the garbage barrel from the shop alone. The problem with that is there was a fair amount of sawdust in there and by removing the trash the sawdust was swirling in the air. I'm paying for it this morning as sneezing over and over in an attempt to clear my teeny tiny sinuses.

     Can you believe that by the time I went to rack out I had walked over 10K steps? There are some who say to be healthy you gotta walk at least 5k steps and more than that if you wish to shed some poundage and shedding poundage is a good thing at my age. My Better Half signed both of us up for some university study in managing exercise and weight loss. I've put it off because in their description the coordinators were talking about exercising (raising your heart rate) by doing the step tests. That's the same method done while I served Queen and Country and with my knees it's not happening. Last night I received a call from one of the study coordinators asking why I haven't followed up with her messages - I guess that I'm a perfect specimen in their target group. I informed her that I will not do the step test and that I do not do ZOOM meetings. She said not to worry as her parents are not up on technology. 

     WTF!!!

     She explained that there was an alternative to the step test. Walking is an alternative to hammering you joints going up and down a set of stairs to music. What a fucking novel idea. Sounds like something I might have thought of.  Speaking of my walk. I have to get the garbage can out and start my trek. Take care.  I'll be back in a couple of days.

And then things went sideways!

17 Jul 21

05:10 hrs

     I have been back from the Sage's for little more two weeks. Well, maybe close to three. And since that time the situation at their place has rapidly changed. As I write this blog I do not know whether the Elder Sage is still with us or not. I am not being flippant. Last week he had an infection that made his condition worse. He had to be hospitalized and medicated. However, the infection went septic and a fever ensued. The fever has been treated but the meds to calm him have left him bedridden. The infection had also affected his mental and physical capability. The medical staff informed the younger Sage that the Elder's passing could be in hours or days but likely not weeks. You should know that the knowledge of what is surely to happen has shaken me to my core but I am coming to accept it as part of life.

19 Jul 21

07:45 hrs

     The Elder Sage passed away on Saturday morning. The Younger Sage was with him at the time. It was very peaceful. We are all progressing through our loss. The Younger Sage will be setting up the timing for the service. At this point I have no idea when that will take place.

     On to other things....

     I'm just about finished listening to that horrible audio book. As much as it pained me to listen to the persistent mispronunciation of common words and the horrendous inflection applied to the words spoke by a male character I toughed it out and now that the book is complete I can flush it from my jump drive and move on to something else that will hopefully be more enjoyable. I am also nearing the completion of Bourdain's book Medium Raw. If you are a foodie you have to get your own copy or at the very least check it out from the library. Be warned the book is raw in its language and chock full of F-bombs. 

     The monstrous book house has been completed and mounted in front of the Wayward Inn. I'm sure the locals will enjoy it. Now that this is completed I can push on to other projects. 

20 Jul 21

04:00 hrs

     What the hell is a rotator cuff?

     Well, whatever it is my left one snapped while I was helping Sensei move double sheets of sheet Rock out of the Ram. He had asked for help and I answered the call. My Lobster drove me to the hospital and after four hours (with no x-rays) I was cut loose with a script for a muscle relaxant cream. When it rains it pours.

Observances

07 Jul 21

10:00 hrs

     Hello Dear Readers, 

     Let's start off with some items of mutual concern, shall we? First off is the heat. Here in the Left Coast the heat has finally broken but there has been not precipitation in about a month. As a result the forest is as dry as a popcorn fart. There is a campfire ban in place and the usual summertime watering restrictions. I still say that if I was constructing a house I would have a huge underground tank buried in my yard that would collect all of the run off from my roof. This water would be plumbed for use to flush the toilets and to water the lawns which the two largest users of grey water. Figure it out. Even if you had older dunnies that used a gallon per flush and about 500 gallons for watering your garden. Of course, watering your garden can be curtailed to just the vegetables. So, a ten thousand gallon cistern would quite easily sustain a normal household during the summer months and if the level got too low alm you would need is a valve that would revert those two systems back to the regular water supply. Sounds like a good idea to me. You have to keep things simple because the more you overtake the plumbing the easier it is to stop up the drain. 

     Why not add a fire sprinkler system? When a house is being built it can be added for about 5K for the average 1800 square foot home. It would cost more than twice as much to retrofit a home once the wallboard is up. But when it comes to saving your house from a fire the cost would be worth it.

08 Jul 21

05:15 hrs.

     Here are some numbers that you may not know but you should contemplate - 

270 - the number of days for 1 million        people to die globally from the Beer Flu 

151 - the number of days for the Beer Flu death toll to pass 2 million

88 - the number of days for the Beer Flu death toll to pass 3 million

89 - the number of days for the Beer Flu death toll to pass 4 million

3 - fatalities in three countries make up 1/3 of all global Beer Flu deaths - Brazil, India and the Hugh-ess. Guess who the leader is?

606K+ - the number of people who have died from the Beer Flu in the Hugh-ess.

Here's another set of numbers for you - 

400 - the number of shootings in the Hugh-ess on July 4th

180 - the number of shooting deaths in the Hugh-ess on July 4th. 

     Pretty incredible isn't it? And scary too. Just think, 180 people shot and killed during the Hugh-ess Nation's birthday! Were they lined up against the wall and hosed by some deranged mass murderer? No. But I'm pretty sure some died as a dispute over the wearing of masks. 

     Do you want to see something incredibly funny (you may not think it's funny but I have a chuckle or two). Take a look on YouTube and search for "Karen" videos. I didn't know the term until my Couch Monkeys examined it. A "Karen" is typically a white woman, of privilege, who makes a scene in a public place often demanding that she is being oppressed or believes that by being white and rich allows her to ignore the law and common decency. Quite often she is blatantly racist. The funny part is these videos show the world how she truly is and how she was dealt with. 

09 Jul 21

07:30 hrs

     I have been listening to some audio books while driving the Ram - or as by Lobster calls it - The Franken-truck due to the add ins I have applied to it. Now, most of the readers are pretty good with one reader narrating the part of the character in the book that he portrays on the small screen. However, you would think that anyone reading for an audio book would know how to pronounce the written words. For example every one knows that the river flowing through the Hugh-ess capital is the Potomac which pronounced as pah toe mak not pot ah mak. And the horse name after a Hugh-ess First Nation is Arapahoe which is pronounced as ah rap ah hoe not air ah pay oh. I'm sure I will hear more mispronunciation which will drive me crazy. And you would think that sound editor would have spotted and corrected the mistakes before the pubic (sorry) public release.

     Yesterday, after I was finished in the Salt Mines, my Better Half informed me that we - she, me, the Jr. Loin Fruit and the Oma-nator - were taking a road trip to Hub City. There were several reasons for this. The Jr. Couch Monkey had to collect the stuff out of his destroyed automobile and we were going to assay a potential replacement. We would also take a look for anything interesting in the Big Book Store which is a place that has thousands of book titles but none of which is the one you are looking for. The Jr. Loin Fruit purchased four books and believe it or not I found a copy of a book from my favourite deceased chef that I did not have. The food court was blaise. The new car was not suitable and the trip home to the Wayward Inn uneventful except for the three dead and very bloated Bambi's seen on the side of the highway. 

     The left coast of the Rock hasn't felt rain in well over a month and is moving I to a Stage Four drought. Pretty soon all watering of lawns will cease. Vegetable gardens will be hand watering only. I'm just hoping that some precipitation will occur here and on the mainland soon or all activity Out in the Weeds will come to a grinding halt. Currently there are 219 wild fires here on the Left Coast. Be safe out there buckaroo.