We've Been Busy

Growing older makes doing the "hard stuff" more "impossible" than just "difficult."  At least for me.  But Sweetie keeps at it, and only occasionally asks for my help.  Or, sometimes, help from a neighbor.

The good news is that whatever needs doing, gets done - eventually.

Today seemed to be a good day to clean windows.  Not to make a fuss about it, I just used the window cleaning tool and some spray-on 'streak-free' cleaner that worked quite well, followed by a dry cloth wipedown that left the windows crystal clear.  The outside world looks much nicer now.

Last week, I clay-bared the car.  I had never heard of such a thing until a couple of years ago, and even then I could not believe that a clay-like substance would bring back the shine of a car.  

I had mentioned that I might try it, and he was kind enough to buy me a kit containing the clay-bars and spray-on liquid, along with micro towels.  And just as he said it would, it worked.  I was totally amazed at how well it worked, not to mention how easy it was to apply.  Now our eight-year-old car looks showroom shiny again.

I also pressure-washed the Coop and any other painted areas that were starting to get mold.  There was also a lot of Saraha Desert dusst on everything, not to mention pollen.  Looks great.

I'm, still having a bit of a vision problem, so I have been hesitant to use my tablesaw to make anything out of wood.  But Sweetie asked if I could just make a basic birdhouse without all the frills.  She wanted to cover it with stained glass.  That - I could do, and did quickly, without the loss of blood or body parts.  It felt good to do it, and now that she is applying her stained glass magic to it, I'm sure I could make more.

I see (pun intended) my optometrist this week and will ask her if I need better quality 'reader glasses' than those sold in drugstores.  Maybe I can see better with better glasses. 

So Far, So Good

 So far this year it takes about the same amount of time to answer someone's question, "How you doing?" 

"Great,t and I've got my doctor's okay on it." 

Eight seconds...

It hasn't always been that way.  But one by one, every medical challenge has met with success.  Well, except for some vision issues due to glaucoma, dry-eye, and vision loss. 

I've always liked the phrase, "    He's in full possession of all his faculties". 

I feel like it describes me best as I approach my 83rd birthday in 48 days.

Exactly 64 Years Ago Today I Became A Soldier

Yes, I swore my oath on this very day, sixty-four years ago in the Federal Building in Dallas Texas. I remember it like it was yesterday. A Leap Year, it was.

I was both proud and honored to commit myself to the good of my Country. And I would honor that commitment until I died, whether it be on a battlefield in some God-forsaken place where my blood would make little difference in the world of politics, with all its ugly faces, ill-purposed goals, grandiose dreams, and ego-satisfying bluster, none of which I could understand, much less care about.

By morning, I was awakened on a Greyhound Bus and told to "GET OUT" It was dark, cold, and snowing at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri.

From that moment on I followed the advice of a friend who had been in the Army. I did nothing except when told to do something. I did not talk unless I was told to talk. I did not move unless I was told to move. And I was not to volunteer for anything, no matter how good it sounded. I felt good having that advice.

I was standing in the snow, wearing thin dress shoes, dress slacks, and a thin cotton dress shirt. I put my hands in my pockets to warm them up. I should not have done that.

A gruff voice with stripes was suddenly blasting words in my face from three inches away. He was saying something about my hands in my pockets and did he tell me to put them in my pockets.

Before I could open my mouth to say something, he was yelling at me to drop to the snow and do some impossible number of pushups, apparently because I did something to anger him.

I dropped to the snow but tried not to go all the way down into the nasty stuff. His boot pressing down on my back clearly indicated that he did not care for my thoughts at the time. I did something over ten (could have been thirty) push ups, and he removed his boot and screamed at me to stand up.

Apparently, I missed the part about me 'snapping' to the standing position without brushing off the snow and black coal soot and something that made it stink.

Then he yelled at me to pick up two baseball-size stones and hold them. They were as cold as the snow, but I instinctively knew NOT to ask the obvious - How Long? He answered it for me.

He ordered me to stand at attention and say, "I WILL NEVER PUT MY HANDS IN MY POCKETS UNTIL TOLD TO DO SO!" 100 times.

That was when I learned to say, "SIR..YES SIR! THANK YOU SIR"

Then I started saying "I will never p....." "I CAN'T HEAR YOU!!!"

I started again, " I will never put my....." I CAN'T HEAR YOU!!!!!"

It was at that moment I grasped the gravity of the situation - He wanted me to hate him so much that given the chance I would not hesitate to kill him and any other SOB that got in my way.

"I WILL NEVER PUT MY HANDS IN MY POCKETS UNTIL TOLD TO DO SO...!"

"I WILL NEVER PUT MY HANDS IN MY POCKETS UNTIL TOLD TO DO SO...!"

"I WILL NEVER PUT MY HANDS IN MY POCKETS UNTIL TOLD TO DO SO...!"

And so on until another gruff voice stopped me. Apparently, I had learned something about the Army.

A few days later my fellow soldiers were on a parade field in uniform, lined up on snow, with M-1 rifles with bayonets afixed going through the motions of thrusting at the invisible enemy, while yelling KILL KILL KILL at the top of our lungs. I could not help but smile.

Now I was not only living up to my oath, but wearing the uniform and being trained to kill the enemy. And I was getting to be pretty damn good at being a Soldier.

I smiled because I was now a real soldier.

64 years ago, and I still think of those rocks every time I put my hands in my pockets, for any reason.

I also think of my oath a lot lately. And I smile. It still works for me.

1

Surprse

My ancient desktop computer crashed few months ago.  I got it working again, but it does strange things, some of which pushed me to breaking down and buying another computer.

One of the very annoying things it did was to forbid me from posting or updating my Texas Soring Chicken blog site.  That forced me to start a new blog site - Covngton Spring Chicken.  That forced me to have to switch between the two if I wanted something from the old site.

I've had my latest computer a few weeks and decided to post a link on my new blood site.  When I posted it, I was surprised to see the links show up on my old site instead.  Now I want to merge the two into one - the original blog.  But now that we live forever in Covington, Louisiana, maybe I should merge the old blog into the new one.  

I'm actually typing this to make sure it posts on the old blog site.

Another Week, Another Surgery

 The title suggests that I'm walking on banana peels, but this time it's just a simple, "look-see" called a 'veinogram' to check the veins in my legs for narrowing or blockages. It's done in-house by my cardiologist and we should be home in time for dinner. 

He is obviously taking no chances with my health.  I like that in a doctor.

I just saw him last week and I'm fine. My numbers are good, but he took the opportunity to offer some encouragement for me to sit further back from my plate.  I took the suggestion seriously and I'm happy to say I've already lost 10 pounds since last week.

The only thing I can't seem to get fixed is my vision.  I never know if it will be a good day or not-so-good day vision-wise until I'm up and about for an hour or so.  To be safe, I still don't drive.  And if I have to go to my grave without ever driving again, so be it.  I'll play on my big screen computer until I can't see it and then wait for "The End."  

Meanwhile, I will keep trying to cook things I don't know how to cook, or maybe paint something I can't see.  I wish I had learned to play the guitar or piano.  But if I can't make music, I can sure listen to it.  Some would consider me lucky to be able to do that...

The Loss of Another Good Friend

One of the saddest parts of growing old is that you are still alive while your family, friends, and salient people in your life pass on before you.  While some may consider it a blessing, others may consider it a sort of curse, or perhaps a God-Given opportunity to get your life together for when you too will come to your end.  

I just lost another good friend - Joe Tom Trunzler.  This is the link to his obituary:  Obituary

But no matter how sweet the words, obituaries only tell a small part of a person's life.  There are both fun and painful moments, mixed into a collection of fear and confusion, love and hate, loss and betrayal, and experiences that cannot be hidden away, never to raise their ugly head.

I knew Joe to be a friend before all else.  We even joked about being 'cousins,' in spite of at least ten generations of people separating us from our latest common ancestors.  At the same time, being 'cousins' gave us a reason to be even closer friends.

The last time I saw Joe, he was a patient in a nursing home.  His fragility was obvious, and there was  little talk between us.  But he knew I was there.  And that's all that matters now.

Goodby Joe.

La Maison des Poulets Gets a Bath

 We're waiting on our neighborhood handyman to pressure wash our house and Coop.  They both get dirty and moldy from the humidity and dirt in the air.  

The last load of dirt was sand from the Saharan Desert and it stuck to the white of the Coop, and brick on the house.  So Handyman Karl has got his hands full today.  

We removed everything we could out of his way so he can see the areas that need new paint..

There's also a board or two that needs replacing with Polywood, which is impervious to the sometimes standing water in the Coop, especially after heavy rain.  It dries fairly quickly, but the wood touching the Coop's concrete floor will wick up as much water as it needs to feed the rot.  

The clean-u/fix-up also gives us a chance to clean out items we no longer use.  Yeah!  Streamlining and Downsizing.  

After Karl leaves, I will pressure wash my Blackstone Grill.  It's going on 8 years old but works fine.  Sweetie wants to replace it with a new stainless steel version.  It sure would be nice. 

Now if the predicted rain will stay away until he is finished.