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Took my daughter to church this morning, then dropped a 20 in the bucket at a fundraiser for a preemie infant girl in my town. She's going to need a lung transplant. My own daughter was 10 weeks premature so I've got a little soft spot for this family. Next my daughter and I went to Sunday lunch at Golden Corral and I ate about 5 kinds of fried meat. :D
Been taking online training and testing for work since then, mixed with laundry and getting a little time in the gym. I'm headed back to the depot in a few minutes to take a two hour, federally mandated online course about something. Guess I'll find out what the subject is when I get there...:rolleyes:
 
Gravity is very compelling as you get older, I just ordered New Balance Men's 481V3 Cushioning Trail Running Shoe, Grey, 8.5 4E US. Yep, pretty Cubical :D BTW, don't be fooled by the Trail Running part, it's more sidewalk waddling shoes .
I wear 8-1/2 wide shoes. The shoes I've been wearing developed pits/holes in the inserts & were getting uncomfortable. Found a cheap pair at Walmart last night. I tried to fit my foot in just a regular 8-1/2 but it wasn't happening. I walked barefoot a lot while younger-- always took my shoes off as soon as I got home. I loved to run in the grass and on the sandy driveway barefoot. When I moved overseas I wore sandals a lot so my feet won't fit in tight shoes-- and my shoes can't have heels bc I've borked both of my ankles multiple times.

Coffee pot is on the stove and I have a cup.
What are your plans for today?

I am going to church then will stack firewood for sale.
when limbs fall and old trees die
I cut them up, stack them out by the road and sell 1/2 cord or full cords of firewood
LOL clean up the yard and get paid for it
Too bad you aren't in my area because there is plenty of firewood to harvest. Since I live in a forest with timber companies all around, people don't pay for firewood out here. Reminds me my chimney needs to be re-lined, birds cleaned out, and repointed. We have it blocked off with a piece of plywood on the inside and during spring we hear the birds chirping in it.
Oh, btw, did you see that The Hu has another album & that they did a video with Jacoby from Papa Roach for their Wolf Totem song?

Finishing my first cup of coffee. Chickens are waiting to be fed, dogs are waiting to be let out, and cat is waiting to come in from the garage. In an hour, everyone will be waiting for Sunday breakfast.
Supposedly the plumber, who was to install a new sink in the kitchen (spent 5 hrs here on Friday), will show up at 10 a.m. today. He said he would be here yesterday, and never showed up. I am washing dishes in the garage in a utility sink, and have been for almost 2 weeks.
Grandkids will help clean the high ceilings and the ceiling fans in the family room today. I have the really big ladder out.
Two youngest daughters will be here later for dinner. Lasagnas and fresh bread to be made today.
I've had the same issue with my plumber not showing up. I've had both of the only plumbers in town no-show. Currently waiting for one to call me back but it's been over a week. I need my closet flange replaced because it's broken. I tried fixing it but to no avail so it needs to be cut out. I'm currently waiting for the cutting blade to arrive in the mail so I can pop it on to my Matrix so I can cut that thing out. Need to figure out if I have 3" or 4" pipe but I have a replacement flange that will do both. I'll be trying a rubber gasket instead of wax ring bc I'm going to put in a new toilet (ADA height) but I will have to do work on the floor later so I don't want to have a mess when I pull it.

next time you have a plumbing issue
contact me. i am a licensed master plumber in 3 states. and can tell you how to do things like switch out a sink by yourself
you said he spent 5 hours? 5 /6 hundred bucks?
dang. that is about 4 hours to long. [ for a regular swap out]
I am a plumber on a diy site and coach others to do their on work regularly.
if you are unable, throw a rope around a grand young'n and we will tech him/her
they need to learn these things anyway
I am an avid supporter of teaching the young ones how to do things. I'm glad my father taught me what he did, but I wish I'd learned more. You have taught me quite a bit though, so that helps.

Sitting up with dad at the home again tonight. I'm going to have to get a laptop... trying to view or post from this phone is a pain... And I need new glasses too.
Hope your dad is doing well. You might want to get a Surface or 2-in-1 thingy-- I'm trying to think of what the exact term is, but there are newer things similar to laptops that are less expensive and have better battery life. They are smaller and easier to transport. Just have to find one with enough memory that can use wifi. Windows based ones are pretty good I've heard. If you're just using it for light duty, they work well. I'm a gamer so I have a gaming laptop though-- battery life is terrible so it has to stay plugged in-- only I misplaced the charger somewhere and it's $75 plus shipping for a new one.

I cleaned, heated up food, refilled pet waterers, fed pets, went to the grocery store, & made a chart on PEX sizes (inner & outer diameter as well as length requirements for bends-- added those to some threads on houserepairtalk and plumbingforums). I'm thinking of doing sch80 as well. I looked it up earlier because I wanted to see if 1/2" PEX would fit through 3/4" conduit to make the PEX bend 90° instead of cutting it and putting on a 90° fitting (btw, Alt 0176 is the code for the ° symbol). There are things you can buy for bending PEX and holding it but they don't sell them locally and they are several bucks. A long sweep 90° conduit bend is less than $1 at Lowes. I could even cut it in half lengthwise, anchor it in place to a board, push the PEX in place, and then use tape and/or zip ties to hold the PEX. Don't have to anchor it, but might help hold things steady. We could probably even use twist ties to hold the PEX in so we can remove it if we want. At least, that's the plan. LOL. I want to use PEX for my shower valves above the floor (after I add shutoffs).

I'm keeping an eye on one of my cats because she got into some chicken bones (despite me putting them in a plastic container, wrapping it in plastic bags, putting them inside en empty cat food bag, folding it in half, and jamming it down in the trash with a lid-- cat is really persistent to get in to stuff & got it out by knocking trash can over and shredding anything she could). She was desperately pawing at her face and fussing. She came over to me and was grabbing at her mouth with one paw, then both, then she grabbed ahold of me with her claws and was clinging to me for dear life. I got a flashlight to look in her mouth and saw the bone. I tried to get it out with my finger but she bit me. I then got some tweezers and dislodged it. She chomped down on my finger before I could get a good grip on it so I think she swallowed it. She seems to be OK, but I'm worried she may need a trip to the vet in the morning to make sure it doesn't tear up her intestines. I'm hoping she puked it up.

Tomorrow (later today actually) I'm going to help my friend get some stuff to work on his roof and do some more work in his house. Not sure what all he needs for his various projects and what else he wants to tackle.
 
Hope your cat is ok, @zannej !

I have little to do today. Went for a walk earlier, fed dogs, started laundry. Going to do a short exercise video and not sure what else. Supposed to start raining again around noon, so nothing outside. Will probably find something that needs doing!
 
Another nasty day here.

Raining, 43 deg.

Just sitting around wishing it was sunny and warm.
Got a bunch of projects to do outside...just too nasty.
Sinus infection really seems to be 95% done with, still taking antibiotics.

May go for Chicago pizza for lunch.

Be glad when my new glasses arrive...so I quit seeing double .

Hope everybody enjoys the day.

Jim
 
Knees are up.
Been to Physical Therapy this morning.
Ran a few errands.
Started cleaning out my car as my oldest son and grand daughter have been using it for the last 6 weeks.
Will be fixing lunch soon.
Have no idea what.
Supper will be a surprise too.
Strawberry is standing over by the tv looking forlornly at her toy tin.
Seems grand daughter yesterday has removed some toys.
And she hasn't found them yet.
Grand daughter had great fun with Strawberry's oinking pig.
Personally it wouldn't hurt my feelings at all if we didn't find that one.
 
Had a physical. Hadn't had one for a couple of years plus. Prescribed my first med. For high blood pressure. Although she said I could just stop chewing Nicorette gum and my blood pressure would be in normal range. I could check it myself at home, and if it's high, take the pill. Just saw my blood test results. Cholesterol is high, but better than 2 1/2 years ago. So I won't need that prescription, either.
First morning with a kitchen sink. He stayed so late yesterday, he had supper again with us. You're right, Frodo...huge bill, took forever, didn't accomplish much. Eats a lot. One worker in today, so Mexican music is blaring upstairs. We asked them to please finish something this week. Kitchen, 3 bathrooms still have stuff undone. I don't want them demolishing our only working, untouched shower until the other stuff is done. Main guy comes back from Vegas tonight and will be working tomorrow. On week three. Done with the plumber. Forever.
 
Just watching the stock markets fall apart.
Not totally a bad thing.
Some of us (buzzards) have been waiting patiently for months without feeding, waiting for the sky-high prices to come down.
I didn't get to feed, but my friend did:).

My old financial-advisor's joke:
Pssst! Want to know how to make a small fortune in the stock market?
....start with a large fortune:D.

His other one:
"Every time somebody loses a fortune, somebody else finds it":rolleyes:.
 
I snoozed off and on all day. 2 nights straight with dad exhausts me. I have a cot, blanket and pillow but the nights are a series of short naps, never really sleep. About 11 last night I went to WM and got a lamp for his room, an adjustable goose neck floor lamp. A cheap piece of junk but anyone staying with dad can read and not disturb him. The room lighting is horrible, super bright. I got a wall clock for his room also... $5 at the dollar store.

I'm home tonight, got lite housekeeping done, about to start some laundry, 2 loads should do it. I have a doctors appointment in the morning then it's back to the home tomorrow night.
 
Doing nothing.
Knees are elevated.
They've been iced.
Strawberry is whiny.
Was sick last night.
Hence while I'm doing nothing.
Got a bit of dishes to do in a while or not.
If not feeling better by morning will cancel Physical Therapy.
Drinking 7 up to hopefully settle stomach soon.
Hope everybody has a great day.
Oh, by the way I like the new setup.
Pretty cool
 
Took mom to the doctor for some cortisone injections into her knees. Hope that helps with the pain a little. Then we went out to lunch at IHOP. I love breakfasts out - doesn't matter if it's breakfast time, lunch time or dinner time.

Been doing some testing this afternoon with HAM radio handhelds, hoping to get onto one of the nets for newbie HAMS this evening. I was able to bring up the club repeaters (both 2m and 70cm) from inside my house, 17.5 miles away, straight through a really big water tower directly in line of sight. I was not able to do this with the Baofeng UV-5V radio the club gave us new students for free, but was able to with a borrowed Yaesu FT-60R handheld. Both radios were equipped with identical good quality whip antennas (those little rubber ducky antennas that come with them are pretty poor performers). The audio on the Yaesu is a ton louder and much clearer than on the Baofeng as well. One would expect the Yaesu to outperform the Baofeng, and indeed it does (a $155 radio vs. a $22 radio). I originally thought the club repeaters were a little closer before, but they're actually 17.5 miles away from me. I'm fairly impressed to hit a repeater that far away, with a handheld, from inside my house (Yaesu only). I attribute at least part of this to my house being on top of a big hill.

I was able to hit the 70cm club repeater (but not the 2m one) with the Baofeng, but only from outside on my deck. It's freezing cold and windy here today so there is no way I'm going out on that deck this evening to participate in a net. I'll stay inside and use the Yaesu instead!

Next up, I will be doing some testing with a J-Pole antenna temporarily set up in an upstairs bedroom to see if that improves the Baofeng performance enough to make it usable on my club repeaters. I have a strong feeling that I will buy me one of those Yaesu's no matter what the J-Pole testing reveals. Besides the increased performance over the Baofeng, the Yaesu is a heck of a lot more user friendly in use. The Baofeng should make a reasonable backup though. I certainly can't complain, especially since it was free (I bought the whip antenna myself however, and the antenna costs more than the radio).
 
Rather than buying antennas you should at least attempt to make a few.
On 2 meter a yagi antenna should make better use of the power because it is so directional.
They are easy to make from inexpensive materials. look into it, OK?
 
Rather than buying antennas you should at least attempt to make a few.
On 2 meter a yagi antenna should make better use of the power because it is so directional.
They are easy to make from inexpensive materials. look into it, OK?
This is the J-Pole that I am considering making, except I will probably leave out the internal bungee cord and just go with carrying separate pieces.

http://www.fvarc.org/sites/default/files/library/Folding J-Pole - KA0ZLG_JPOLE_QST_Article.pdf
This one I would try inside, upstairs, and if it appears worthwhile I would look at constructing a different variant for permanent outdoor (or possibly attic) installation. Then I'd use this breakdown one as a camping and travel antenna.

Eventually I will do a Yagi, but initially I want to go omnidirectional. Another activity I want to try is foxhunting, and a handheld Yagi would be the way to go there. I'd also need the Yaesu handheld (or similar) for that, because the Baofeng does not have a useful signal strength meter.
 
Went to the pulmanary Dr today. They did some testing and found that I am about 1/2 the lung function I should be. No wonder I'm wheezing so bad. He did a detailed look into my x rays and agreed there is nothing cronic going on at this time. Said my lungs are just inflamed from something and has been going on long enough to drag me down. He started me an another round of prendesone and long acting inhaler with a steroid component. I do this for about 2 weeks and go back in for more testing. Hopefully I'll have made some progress by then. I probably should have had a second round of prendizone back in January.
 
@Bacpacker , prayers for ya that this clears up quickly

Good day today.

I'm tired ,
Hope to revisit with each one of you tomorrow.

Have a great night.
FB_IMG_1581650439216.jpg


Jim
 
Today it is back to the salt mines. Expecting it to be uneventful, and playing a little catch-up. Has to be better than yesterday when I had a tooth pulled. The anticipation was worse than the process. It was not nearly as bad as I expected it to be. No pain at all today. A little discomfort probably at the site of the novacaine injections. Won't need the pain medication.
 
Went to the pulmanary Dr today. They did some testing and found that I am about 1/2 the lung function I should be. No wonder I'm wheezing so bad. He did a detailed look into my x rays and agreed there is nothing cronic going on at this time. Said my lungs are just inflamed from something and has been going on long enough to drag me down. He started me an another round of prendesone and long acting inhaler with a steroid component. I do this for about 2 weeks and go back in for more testing. Hopefully I'll have made some progress by then. I probably should have had a second round of prendizone back in January.

Make sure you are taking care of yourself. My boss went through something similar a few years ago and it really took a toll on him.
 
Went to the Sunday School get together last night. It was nice. Had a sobering thought that this virus could wipe out our Church which is 9/10ths older folks. Always less than 70 on a Sunday morning on a good day.

I'm home this morning while DH is out for his weekly thrift shop and TSC for dog food.

Have to take DH for COPD doc appt. tomorrow and then home.

I have to wait until Friday for monthly Walmart run because of money, but will leave the house around 6:45 am so I can get back before the crowds hit. It was a little rough sleeping last night. Anxiety is creeping up although I know not to worry.

Just looked at Walmart ad. Charmin tp only $30 for 30 rolls (sarcasm)! Wow. And one can of Lysol spray is almost $6. Store brand Mucinex almost $17. There is always money to be made in other people's problems, isn't there? Good thing I'm not buying any of those three items!
 
Went to next to last Physical Therapy appointment.
Didn't stay for it though.
Didn't feel quite right.
Not sick to stomach, just not feeling quite right.
So got back in car, took about a 45 minute nap there in hospital parking lot.
Woke feeling better, not 100%, but better.
Went to Wal*Mart done my monthly shopping.
Back home, paid next month's rent already.
Will take another nap in a bit.
Have let Strawberry outside.
It's a cool 37* here right now.
Been up since 0300 hours.
So ready for a nap.
Strawberry seems to think she has to go outside again.
Everybody have a good day.
Been reading the forums to see if I missed anything.
Some you guys are a hoot.
 
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Went to the pulmanary Dr today. They did some testing and found that I am about 1/2 the lung function I should be. No wonder I'm wheezing so bad. He did a detailed look into my x rays and agreed there is nothing cronic going on at this time. Said my lungs are just inflamed from something and has been going on long enough to drag me down. He started me an another round of prendesone and long acting inhaler with a steroid component. I do this for about 2 weeks and go back in for more testing. Hopefully I'll have made some progress by then. I probably should have had a second round of prendizone back in January.

BackP hope this next one gets it done. Take care.
I take it the wife had a great time at the concert. Sorry you didn't go but maybe next time.
 
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