10:07 – It was 48F (9C) when when I took Colin out this morning, with light winds. Barbara is off to a meeting this morning, followed by volunteering at the bookstore this afternoon.
I see the House Republicans have proposed an Obamacare replacement. I haven’t bothered to read it, because there’ll be many changes before the House and Senate can agree on something. Having read the high points, I can see why the GOPe didn’t want Rand Paul to see it. It’s essentially ObamaCare Lite. They are proposing to eliminate the individual and employer mandates, which is a Good Thing, but they apparently intend to keep some of the worst features of ACA intact, including the absolute worst feature of requiring insurance companies to cover pre-existing conditions. The subsidies remain, under a different name and with different winners/losers.
I turn 65 years old in about 15 months. At that point, I’ll go on Medicare and buy a good supplement. Barbara is 18 months younger than I am, so we’ll have to see what happens. This mess is unlikely to be sorted out by the time I’m eligible for Medicare, but it should certainly have stabilized by the time Barbara is eligible in December 2019, if only because the next election will be on the near horizon by then.
UPS delivered the four #10 cans of Augason powdered eggs yesterday, undented. Walmart is getting better about that. That takes us to a comfortable level on those for the four of us plus Colin.
Pat Henry has a post up that’s worth reading: Preppers: Now Is Not the Time to Let Your Guard Down
He’s right on all the important issues.. Trump is not a cure-all, not even close. I voted for him only because I thought he was marginally less likely than Clinton to get us into a major war.
But Trump, even given a completely free hand and even assuming he wanted to, cannot fix what’s wrong with this country. That’s going to take a complete reboot, which isn’t going to be pleasant. That reboot is coming. It may be a year, five years, ten years, or even longer, but it is coming.
There’ll be fighting in the streets, with our children at our feet. It will be a bloodbath, and there’s no guarantee that things will be better afterwards. In fact, if there’s one thing history teaches us, it’s that it’ll likely be a lot worse. When things come apart, they’re very seldom put back together in any reasonable way.
So that’s what I’m prepping for. No guarantees, but it improves our chances. Meanwhile, I’ll pick up my guitar and play.
* * * * *
Just like yesterday?
Gee, we all must have them Who lyrics embedded in our cerebrums. Or something.
I’ll pick up my rifle and play.
Reboot is mos def on the horizon. As RBT says, could be year or five or ten. If no Black Swan events or Perfect Shitstorms, I’m guessing five to ten, max. The financial house of cards alone cannot stand.
Laid low by a barking cough today. Headed to the doc later. Sucks. Got stuff to do but can’t.
n
Sorry to hear that. I can’t remember the last time I was too sick to do something I needed to do. I think it must have been when I first got hit by vertigo, several years ago. I’m guessing I’ve taken maybe four or five sick days total since Barbara and I got married in 1983.
I’m laid low today with a terrible hangover. Which is kind of a bitch, given that I don’t drink. Flu or something, I suppose. I’ve been sick more since starting the current contract than in the several years prior. The good news is, this contract ends in a couple weeks and I’ll be able to see if the well-nigh continual illness goes away at the same time.
Well our worries are over, the world as we know it ends on May 20, 2017. Planet X/The Dark Planet is coming to flip the earth’s poles and move the continents, destroying over 90% of the human population for starters.
http://www.coasttocoastam.com/show/2017/03/05
IMHO it is more likely that North Korea does something stupid with their missiles.
Remember, tomorrow is the day that all women disappear. We can burp, fart, not shave, and run around in our jockey shorts while drinking beer and eating wings.
It’s going to be a rough day for the transgenders who cannot figure out what they are.
The kids are down for the second day with what sure looks like Noro Virus, copious amounts of “stuff” coming from both ends. Good thing we have two bathrooms. In tracing back and doing some research it looks like whoever was dispensing the popcorn and drinks at the movie theater is the source. The Health Department assures us that they are on it. Right.
Check your stock of preps for supplies to handle severe diarrhea and vomiting and recovery from the same.
The Republicrats proposal to replace Berry’s Obolacare is a joke. They do not get it and neither does Trump. At least it is not 2000 pages, yet.
Yes, and that means oral rehydration salts, either commercial or the bulk materials to make it up. I’ll say it again, don’t depend on the substitute ORS formula that uses table salt and white sugar. Get the real stuff or the components to make it. I’ve covered that here more than once. What you need is cheap. I have enough on hand to make up 1,000 liters or more, because someone who needs OR therapy can easily go through 5 to 10 liters per day or more.
Also, I’m not a physician, but it worries me when people talk about stocking up on Imodium and similar products. Those are for minor diarrhea, not for the really bad cases. In the latter, you actually want people to keep shitting, because they’re shitting out the microorganisms that are causing the problem. Using loperamide or another anti-diarrheal just stops them from shitting out the offending bugs.
Similarly, administering antibiotics to someone in that condition can actually kill them. If they have a STEC infection, some antibiotics (particularly fluoroquinolones like Cipro or Levaquin) can actually cause the bacteria to produce more toxin. Short of a setup to culture the bacteria and run ELISA, you’re far better off just letting the body do its thing by shitting out the bad stuff. Replace what goes out one end with as much ORS solution as the patient will drink and that’s the best outcome you can hope for short of a hospital.
Good thing we have two bathrooms.
In an emergency, you can always setup another potty. If, you have one of these in a box in the garage.
https://www.amazon.com/Drive-Medical-Folding-Bedside-Commode/dp/B001HP7AQE/
If your butt can fit in it.
If your butt can fit in it.
No worries mate. If I can take a dump in a six inch (0.2 m) diameter potty seat on a small powerboat, anyone can use this. I must admit pumping out the resulting waste into the open sea was a challenge in figuring out the correct valve sequence.
Oh wait, you are meaning if your butt can fit between the handrails. Well, the weight loading limit is 350 lbs so, that might be a hard limit right there. So here is the 1,000 lb capacity model with drop rails so your butt can hang over the side. And a 12 qt capacity (oh my !).
https://www.amazon.com/Drive-Medical-Bariatric-Drop-Arm-Commode/dp/B002VWK0PU/
It’s 35F here, with very light snowish-rain falling. Nothing sticking, although there is a winter weather warning in place for the AO down to sea level. We’re at about 170′ above mean sea level, but near the Puget Sound, so the snow only sticks if it is really cold. Plus, we are in a ‘rain shadow’ that minimizes storms when they go along their usual SW-NE track. (You can see how the rain shadow works in a pix in today’s post on my blog – link below.)
Working on the Reading program mostly. Progress is being made.
Replaced all of my ‘can’ lights with LEDs (dimmable LED); got 3 six-packs of lights for a reasonable price. There’s about 20 can lights in our house that were a mixture of regular and fluorescent bulbs. Replaced them all, so electrical savings will allow payoff of the LED purchase in about 2 months. And, that will help when I connect the generator to the bypass switch during power outages. I’ll be able to supply power to the TV/DirectTV, master bedroom, kitchen outlets, and refrigerator and freezer. With that and all of my FLASHLIGHTS, I’ll be in good shape for the relatively short (under 8 hours) power outages we get here during the winter.
Starting to get back into the habit of posting to my blog at http://digitalchoke.com/digitalchokeblog/ . Need to get into daily posting habits. Even though my life is not much to write about.
Well, at 170 feet elevation you should be fine initially even if the Cascadia fault lets go big-time, unless you’re at the mouth of some kind of funnel.
Back from Dr visit.
Definitely flu. Tamiflu, tylenol, and cough suppressant.
They did two things I’ve never had before. They did a finger stick blood test to check for infection, and a nasal swab to check for flu. Right there in the office, only took minutes. Much more scientific than guessing, and no wasted antibiotics.
Since several people in the office said they’d already had flu this year, I’m gonna guess the shot missed the hot flue this time…
n
I got a flu shot yesterday down at the VA and they took a blood sample to check my potassium level. No flu here so fah. Just the sciatica acting up periodically. IIRC, the very late Samuel Taylor Coleridge had it and took opium or something for it; wrote some of his stuff via hallucinatory episodes.
And from what I gather, the Stupid Half of the Party basically has an ObolaCARE LITE package to dump on us, with different people raking off the loot, and that’s about it. I doubt we’ll see any positive changes to our benefit down at this level.
40s and extremely windy today. Supposed ice storm in Moh-ree-all prevented the cah swap yet again.
I voted, seemed to be the usual light turnout; mostly budget issues and a few town committee slots to fill.
And from what I gather, the Stupid Half of the Party basically has an ObolaCARE LITE package to dump on us, with different people raking off the loot, and that’s about it. I doubt we’ll see any positive changes to our benefit down at this level.
Looks like a giveaway to me. I can just see it now as the value of the dollar tracks to zero, some truck pulls up, the back opens, and some loser throws money out using a laundry basket.
The USA is financially broke. Pray that we do not become bankrupt also.
How do Rick’s can lights relate to the discussion of emergency toilets?
We’re at about 170′ above mean sea level, but near the Puget Sound, so the snow only sticks if it is really cold.
So, you will only be 46 ft under water when Antarctica, Greenland, and Iceland melt according to the Global Warming fascists. Of course, we will be 136 ft under water here next to the largest hot tub in the world (some people call it the Gulf of Mexico).
* the calculated sea rise is 216 ft when Antarctica, Greenland, and Iceland melt
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2013/09/rising-seas-ice-melt-new-shoreline-maps/
The best thing about selling on ebay, I’m home sick in bed all day, except when I went to the Dr office, and I sold 4 items. Sure, I had to pack them when I’d rather be laying in bed, but I grossed over $600 in a couple hours.
I think everyone should find a secondary income stream, or a home based business, to bring in some extra cash. Like gardening, it takes time to figure it out and get good results. Get started.
n
Right on, Mr. nick!
Jobs are so…so…20th-century.
Jobs are dead.
And after age 40 or so, at least in IT, nobody wants you.
Meanwhile guys I was on The Job with in the cop shops down in MA have all retired, some with multiple pensions, plus $ added on for college and graduate degrees in the field, plus SS, plus any 401K’s or Roth plans they had. I’m a 1980 graduate of the Massachusetts State Police Academy and by 1989 had my BA. Using the Quinn Bill down there and grabbing an MA or MS in Criminal Justice or related, and taking the various rank exams, and maybe doing evening law skool like my ex-wife, I coulda, woulda shoulda retired by 2007 with 30 years on the gig, plus all the OT capers. There were regular patrolmen down there who made more money than their chiefs, via the OT stuff. Of course they worked 16-hour days in the warm weather.
Retired at 54.
Of course a surprising number of my former partners and chiefs are now deceased, too.
Working on a secondary income stream here, whether or not that Fed job ever comes through.
I think everyone should find a secondary income stream, or a home based business, to bring in some extra cash. Like gardening, it takes time to figure it out and get good results. Get started.
I bought some commercial real estate five years ago and rent it out to three tenants (one is the business that I work for). It is returning a very nice income for us and has increased in value by 50% according to the County Appraisal District who upped the property taxes accordingly. Especially since I took a significant pay cut last week from the primary job.
I had to think outside the box to buy the property. I bought a large property and split it at purchase time between me personally and my IRA. My IRA now owns the front five acres with 330 ft of road frontage. The wife and I own the back nine acres with the office building, the office warehouse, and 70 ft of road frontage. My IRA is held by the trustee at:
http://irainnovations.com/
“Of course a surprising number of my former partners and chiefs are now deceased, too. ”
There is that too. It’s a hard life, and takes its toll.
For my fifth career, maybe I should just accept — junkman.
nick
We’re at 3,000 feet, so we’ll be fine.
I’ll be living in the Venice of the South!
n
I’m at about 300 feet on a bluff above the valley floor. Looking forward to my future beach property.
We’re at 3,000 feet, so we’ll be fine.
Probably. However, there is always the flood apocalyptic event:
https://www.amazon.com/Flood-Stephen-Baxter/dp/0451463285/
There’s not enough water on the planet to submerge us.
Today has gone to shit. My Daughter is now in the hospital in renal failure a direct complication of Norovirus and exasperated by her compromised (as in essentially non-existent) immune system and that she has no colon which plays a large part in keeping you hydrated and the kidneys flushed.
Fortunately my Son has recovered and my Wife is still well, but I am now staying close to the toilet and bucket talking a lot to “ralph”. I must have not been as careful with hygiene as I should have been.
Here we go again…
Very sorry to hear that, Mr. DadCooks! Thoughts and prayers winging through the sky for you and yours. Get really well really soon. You are needed and wanted.
I remember that bugger Ralph from my drinking days a few times. AKA “worshiping at the porcelain altar.”
We’re at 90 feet above sea level here and the lake has crossed the road to our immediate north and south but never here in nearly 200 years. An oldtimer who still lives in the village here told me recently that this house’s back yard bordered the marsh, what is now state road 36 and the town park, built by the CCW back in their day. But before that the people who lived in this house had boats moored right off what is now the rear of our back yard. And this was the only house on the street, which has also been here since at least 1830, with a very short front yard for us now, where horses and carriages used to pass.
And we know at least one person was born in the house, and one of the town planners told me a woman had also died in here. Must be why the cats are looking at the stairs and following with their heads a person walking down them, but I can’t see anyone. Doors sometimes open and close on their own, too; but that’s just the house settling, amirite??
Wind and rain continue unabated.
Geez Mr. DadCooks! My prayers are with your Daughter, you and the family. Hopefully all will recover!
Best wishes, DadCooks.
From the nonexistent threat of catastrophic warming and glacier melt, sure.
But are you prepared for the coming ice age? Temperatures dropping, rainfall dropping because all the snow lands and doesn’t melt. You’ll be wishing you were down in the warm lands, you betcha.
ditto
There’s not enough water on the planet to submerge us.
Isn’t there more water “in” the planet than “on” the planet ? There is a huge lake just 160 ft below my feet that is 2,200 ft deep in places and covers 5,000+ square miles. There is a lot of sand in it for sure but, it is a tremendous water storage.
Yes, 170 feet ought to be OK for the next tidal wave. Although my property looks out over the local marina (small bay off of Puget Sound), so I might get splashed a bit depending on which way the tidal wave rolls.
Bigger worry is it taking out the Hood Canal Bridge. One of two ways from the Peninsula here to the ‘mainland’. The other way is on the west side of Hood Canal, with lots of steep mountainsides next to Hiway 101. This winter, have had several small slides blocking the highway on 101.
If the bridge is taken out, there will be issues with ‘supplies’. There is Port Angeles on our side of the Peninsula, about 40 miles west of my place.
But I have plenty of FLASHLIGHTS.
FLASHLIGHTS are key, and so are portable toilets that will sustain large homo sapiens sapiens and their “products.”
Bigger worry is it taking out the Hood Canal Bridge. One of two ways from the Peninsula here to the ‘mainland’. The other way is on the west side of Hood Canal, with lots of steep mountainsides next to Hiway 101. This winter, have had several small slides blocking the highway on 101.
When we first moved to Vantucky, friends in FL with teenage daughters would ask me about the logistics of visiting Forks, setting of the “Twilight” saga and home of “The Worst Weather in the United States”. They were generally relieved when I told them that the films were shot in and around Portland, easy driving between locations, except for the high school which is located in Kalama, about an hour north.
(Oregon schools of the right vintage are too dilapidated to film.)
Do publik skools out in the Pacific Northwest, Kalifornia, and Texas, for example, look like medieval prisons?
The ones here in the Northeast of the right vintage certainly do. There’s one on my route to the weekly VA group meetings down in Burlap, a stereotypical building of that genre, and it’s still being used as a publik skool.
Yours truly went to several of them back in my day. And I know at least a couple of them were built on top of former toxic waste dumps or next to them and probably had all kinds of toxic chit in the construction.