I’m alive

Posted on by accordingtohoyt

More later. Sorry. I forgot I had an eye appointment. We go to same doctor we have gone to for 30 years, which means Colorado Springs. And the roads are terrible and traffic worse. So I just got home and have a ton of things to deal with I should have done this morning.

Maybe more later, but for now, please forgive me.

116 thoughts on “I’m alive”

  1. Glad you are alive. This post looks remarkably like the test I send my brothers every day at a certain time. Three people died in this apartment complex in the last month. The average time before found is about three days– enough for a smell of rotten garbage to permeate the building.

    1. I’ve been worried that my anxiety level was something bad happening somewhere in this country, and that hasn’t become widely known yet.

      Turns out that at least some of it is supplements I hadn’t taken yet.

  3. please forgive me.

    Forgive you for being alive? [Very Big Puzzled Look]

      1. I would only forgive her for being alive if her mere existence in the universe has *harmed* me. If her existence offends said universe’s creator, that is between Mrs. Hoyt and Him.

        😉

        “By heaven! You say you’re *alive*-! I had supposed you dead, sirrah! How dare you cut up my peace by continuing to breathe, and eat, and so-on. I demand satisfaction-!”

        (Why yes, I am in a weird mood)

            1. “Apes do not read Nietszche!”
              “Yes they do, Otto, they just don’t understand him!”

  4. I should think that virtual LCon was also a heckin time sink. No worries. We are also alive.

  5. If you don’t take care of yourself first, what can you do for anyone else? So there. Take all the time and space you need!

  6. Mom called her specialists doctors. The bump removed last week from her scalp is the same cancer that Pepper discovered by scratching her leg last year. The appropriate doctor’s scheduling department has to call back to schedule more removal. Leg was out-patient surgery, scalp we don’t know. OTOH this can probably wait until her radical fracture is dealt with if surgery is needed.

    The radical fracture. Slocum center does have the referral from the Urgent Clinic, that is good news, bad news is they a list have TWO pages of referrals from this last weekend!!!! That has to be gone through, assigned to appropriate doctor group, and then they’ll call her. OTOH her knew scooter showed up first thing this morning, and she is already utilizing it. Much better than the crutches! Going to be a PIA getting her in and out of the house, limited steps is not no step.

    Glad you are alive …

    1. Ramp indicated? My mom bought one straight out but you might could find a church group that would do one for the material cost.

      (Don’t know about Medicare covering it.)

      1. If not, a LOT of places have ramp building projects where they go build basic wooden wheelchair ramps for folks who can’t hire a contractor.

        1. Indeed. I’ve built ramps a time or two at no cost to the user because it was needed. Most of them cost nothing but gas and time, given I had the spare lumber and fasteners to do it with.

          They’re not difficult projects. Even the construction impaired can bodge a solid ramp together in an evening. *grin*

      2. Medicare didn’t pay for a ramp for grandparents, I think Eastern Star got it done.

        Medicare didn’t pay for the ramp for dad, my husband and son built that out of scrap. But it has rotted away over the last 20 years since it was built (after dad died, so no need to replace it until now). OTOH we didn’t ask medicare to pay for it.

        Have mom’s scooter now. Need to print the Amazon receipt, to PDF. Scan the prescription to PDF. And figure out how to upload the two to make a claim against her insurance. But this can wait until we know more.

        Latest news. Now that she’s more mobile, and sister’s guests are gone (here for USA Field & Track trials), mom is going out to sister’s. Bonus, the great grands spend the day there … VS our small dog and 3 cats, plus sister’s house is single story and also has central air.

        1. My neighbor built a ramp for his SIL (third stroke–yikes). Daughter bought the supports (I think) as a kit, and neighbor bought the lumber and put it together.

          I’ve got an ADA ramp on the round-tuit list, after necessary redo of deck foundations where a stump decomposed, but both of those projects need me to be able to spend time on knees without painkillers–the solar system batteries were more of a pain to do than I expected. OTOH, we’re going to do a hand rail for one of the walkways, and that’s upright work– and I can use the cement mixer–enough to mix to warrant the setup and cleanup cycle.

    2. Best wishes for your mom’s treatment. Hopefully they’ll get it all this time. I hear you about the limited steps. When we had this house built, we planned for handicapped access since a friend of ours is in a wheelchair. Then a few months ago I tore an Achilles tendon, so I’ve been in a wheelchair/on crutches since late April. Having the house set up for wheelchair access has turned out to be a lot more useful than I was expecting when we did it.

      1. Last time the cancer was on her lower left shin, inside. This time it is on her scalp …

        Specifically: Squamous Cell Carcinoma

        https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/squamous-cell-carcinoma/symptoms-causes/syc-20352480

        It is going to keep cropping up. Every time she has a sore show up, regardless of cause, from now on, she can not “lets see what happens”. She needs to get an appointment NOW, with a call back if they can get her in sooner. Hopefully with her file now flagged “Priority Patient”, if at all possible. At least that is what I suspect the doctor is going to say. (Stupid logical me. Twice, not anywhere near the same location, shows a pattern.) The appointment on last Wednesday was originally sometime late August! Or would have been if she wasn’t already scheduled for her on going 6 month checkup mid-July for the leg one. As it is they called Tuesday because someone cancelled.

    3. Thank you, everyone for best wishes for mom.

      When it rains … it pours. It is going to be a long summer.

      1. For the record, when anyone of the huns & hoydens shares a story like this, I pray for you. I am unsure if it helps to know that a near-rando on the internets is doing so, but on the off chance… Well, there you are.

        1. It seems to help. Besides, huns and hoydens ain’t randos on the net. We’re Odd, not random. :)\\
          d: prayers sent aloft

          1. Prayer, sincerely given in supplication for another, is never wasted. Himself answers prayers. Seldom acknowledged, rarely recognized, and often in ways beyond mortal ken, but answered, nonetheless. The power of a prayer answered would be, I suspect, a frightful thing were we able to understand it.

            Perhaps we are fortunate in mortal ignorance. I *know* we are fortunate in our ability to forget, with time, for example. There are times when Himself chooses a fallible mortal to answer a prayer, I do think. Hard on the mortal, betimes. But necessary.

            May He watch over you all, you and yours. And may the next prayer given be in thanksgiving, for the little miracles that make life more than simply a burden bearable.

      2. Aye on the precipitation. I have a relative losing the battle, and a neighbor’s (now former) SO who had hers come back, this after a major injury.

        I’m getting metaphysical drizzle today. Had a molar develop a cavity at the root, so the only recourse was a toothectomy. Murphy being on active duty, it was more interesting to get the last root out. OTOH, with normal care, I’ll feel quasi-human in the morning. I hope.

        1. Molar, ouch. Good luck. Prayers sent.

          The possibility of the skin cancer showing up in the skin around her ankle/lower shin if she has to have surgery to pin or plate the break, is a scary thought that has occurred. Then not detected early because it is all wrapped in a cast for 6 to 10 weeks … The cancer, when it manifests, is slow growing, and it was 3 months before the first one was dealt with, but … (I keep telling HER not to panic. At least this one hasn’t occurred to her, yet. It will …) Reality is, both existing ones have manifested after skin injuries, so …

          1. So far, so good. If I really need Norco, I have some left over from knee reconstruction, plus the necessary GI pills. OTOH, I got away with two acetaminphen last night and only my regular ibuprofen at bedtime and awakening, so it’s good so far. I really hate the opiates and do my best to avoid them. Today’s pain is a mild annoyance, so should not be a problem.

            The clot formed (slowly–joys of warfarin) and is holding with careful eating.

            Re leg surgery:
            This is going to be a SWAG, but I suspect there would not be a post-op cast, at least not until the sutures come out. They took 2 weeks for me, with the leg in a brace locked straight. Had to change dressings every day, so making the rash assumption that I’m right, there should be plenty of opportunity to catch unauthorized skin growths.

            Redoubling on the prayers. Good luck for your mother.

            1. That would be a relief. If there is going to be a problem, history so far, it’ll show up within days. First time didn’t know what was going on, so took weeks to get her to go in. This last time, the only delay was getting an appointment, and on call if cancellation occurs list. Technically that assigned appointment still hasn’t come yet! Thank you. I think this is one I can keep to myself. Or at least have an answer if she thinks of it herself, odds are, she will.

  7. Item:

    https://spinstrangenesscharm.wordpress.com/2021/06/28/the-power-of-intolerant-minorities/

    Item:

    Wasn’t there something about an executive order putting everyone in unions?

    I’m having a feeling that trying to force a peculiar implementation of a union is a viable weapon for conservatives.

    Woke lecturing has gotten terrible enough that most seem to hate it.

    Often it is pushed by HR. HR often uses managing litigation as part of the justification.

    And, the courts can have an appearance of corruption.

    It seems like forcing HR out of the work environment, and using methods other than litigation for dispute resolution might possibly be sought by a union. And forming a small or personal union is the answer to being compelled to union membership, while being able to avoid coerced political speech.

    1. Sort of. It had to do with people who get stipends through Medicare for providing home health services for family members. (SSDI too [Social Security Disability], perhaps.) And they got rolled into SIEU, one of the, um . . . [Checks rating on blog and approved profanity list] least likable of labor unions without being allowed to say no, and had union dues and other things deducted from their stipend. IIRC, they also weren’t full voting members of the union, either. Insult and injury and so on. There may have been something about Lyft/Uber drivers and the Teamsters, too, but I only recall the furor about SIEU.

      1. There’s an SEIU office on the first floor of a building near the office where I latterly worked.

        I have to continually repress the urge to spray paint “PARASITES” across the entrance.

      2. And do not forget being required to take *and pay for* mandatory “certification” training at a union-ownded training center half-way across the state in order to be allowed to continue to care for one’s autistic child.

        *spits*

    2. Not quite. The NLRB has to certify it as a real union. Packed with Democrats to be sure it won’t.

    3. Wasn’t an executive order, precisely. It’s in O-care. Every medical office must have an employee organization or they can get shut down. Obiden–I think the union thing was on his first day, but I’d have to go back and check. Not an “order,” but a statement that he’s going to try to make it happen.

  10. #1. Your post, blog, whatever. You do it how you want to.

    #2. You deserve a break occasionally. Take a day off.

  11. Eye am too far-sighted to blindly suspect that your vision had tragically fallen into darkness.

    With judicious correction, all will become clear.
    Though the traffic cones may vex thee, his rods shall comfort thee.
    Hell’s gate shall not iris open to swallow you, nor shall purgatory’s entrance dialate to receive you.

    😀

      1. My phone first tried to turn it into LONDON for some damn reason, so that minor typo is a big step up from my usual mistakes. I doubt anything resembling authority in London, or the whole of Britain, would demand anything like truth and accuracy in regards to the WuFlu or anything that supports the easing of Covid chains. I’m reminded of the space ant colony in the Simpsons that was clumsily smashed open by Homer and their cries of “Freedom! Horrible, horrible freedom!”

          1. They were close allies during the Napoleonic era. The Duke of Wellington got his start operating out of Portugal, and beating all of the French generals Napoleon had left behind in Spain.

  13. I just got word from the title company that the transaction has closed and been recorded.

    Tierra de Balzacq is MINE.

    3. Yeah! Are you starting with a motte and baily, or going straight for the “Norman stone castle with huuuuuuge turrets. And murder holes over the front hall, just because”?

      1. Well, first thing is to walk the boundary lines and install pits with punji stakes everywhere. Then I’ll consider future plans…

        4. How’s the heat?
          We just escaped Tucson and are now where the high was only in the 90s. OTOH, the air is full of smoke from fires in Flagstaff and outside Sedona.

          1. Godawful. It hit 108 in Seattle today, and remember AC is uncommon up here. I have a crummy little old window unit that kept the internal temperature in the house all the way down to 87. And then I went out to eat just for the AC, but of course most restaurants are traditionally closed Monday, not everyplace is back to inside dining yet, and a lot of places closed specially for the heat, so the one restaurant I found that wasn’t already full didn’t have AC, dammit.

            Tomorrow and for the rest of the week it’s supposed to go back down to a high but tolerable 87 or so.

            1. Ow. Supposed to be in the 80s where we are for a few days. Do not know how crazy some businesses are here yet.

              1. Locally we went from 110+, Saturday (house low 80s because of 3 AC units running full, we don’t have central air), Sunday 100 (house barely cooled down because not enough time, so mid to high 80s), to Monday, mid 80s, with house not a whole lot cooler, despite the AC units. Monday was suppose to be low-90s, but a wind blowing out of the Northwest cooled the ambient temp quickly. We opened up the house. Low this morning is 57 F. With back windows, and upstairs windows open the house has, finally cooled down. Highs suppose to be 90-ish. AC’s will keep house in low to mid 70s.

                1. The late Steven Den Beste was a big believer in bag of ice plus fan, especially if you have a handy bathtub or plastic tub to put ice in. Supplemental to A/C, it might help a lot.

                  1. I’m pretty sure that Den Beste did not retire to one of the warmest states.

                  2. Locally? AC units, plain ole fans, and Ice are in short supply … understatement, can not be bought, because the local stores are O U T.

                  3. That’s a great idea, except that the supermarkets were literally out of ice.

                    And popsicles, too.

  14. Like some of the others I figured you were just busy with Liberty Con or other related things and wasn’t too concerned but it’s always nice to see an update! Hope the eye appointment went well, travel troubles aside, though I can relate there. Going down to the edge of Atlanta for eye surgery follow-ups isn’t fun even if I can grab a meal at a favorite place on the way home. Anyway, you and the others take all the time you need to recharge.

    1. I’ve learned to stay two nights and do Costco runs. I don’t like to drive much after eye dilation, and my body says 120 miles a day in the car is plenty. I’m supposed to be on an 8 month schedule, but that got tossed with the knee injury. 11ish this time. [shrugs]

      FWIW, my last physical therapy appointment is tomorrow. I know what exercises I need to do, and have a fair idea of when I can stop some of them. Others might stay in the morning routine.

      1. Thankfully my situation isn’t that drastic yet and only requires a little two hours on the road provided the Interstate isn’t too messy (both in terms of idiot drivers and construction) and there hasn’t been any dilation since my first consultation for the surgery. It can be a hassle, though, and I still haven’t quite memorized the route enough to avoid using GPS for it. Glad the therapy appointments are done, though, and hope things keep working out for you.

        1. The retina work required dilation for every single appointment, since there’s a lot to check. Started off trying to do day trips for the followups, but it just got too hard. The pre-op for the second eye was *interesting*. I left a day early because of a winter storm warning (I have a knack for getting appointments to align with nasty weather, much to $SPOUSE’s displeasure.) and stayed late because my reaction to the new-improved-23 flavor pneumonia vaccine rather resembled pneumonia, complete with suspicious spot on a lung.

          OTOH, the Subie knows the way to the hotel–now I’m using the suites next door because the regular hotel lost food service in the covidiocy and I refuse to go out to eat breakfast every day. I pretty much have that neighborhood figured out, especially including the “There Be Dragons” after dark no-go zones. Sigh. Unlike Sarah, I hate cities. Born in one, lived in a few, left when I could.

  15. My mother-in-law used to get annoyed when my wife called regularly. “You’re just checking up on me,” she’d complain.

    Then came the day she did not pick up no matter how long the phone rang.

    Please keep letting us know that you’re alive. Thanks

    1. I”ve started glancing in (literally) on a very frail, elderly neighbor when I go walking and move her newspaper closer to the door. Is there light and some movement where it should be? (She has very steady habits.) If not, I go straight home and call to check on her. If there’s no response, I have a key to her house.

    2. When dad passed away, we sat mom down and told her in no uncertain terms, that as long as she was living alone she was going to be checked on.

    3. $ELDER_BROTHER has myriad faults, but with Mom and him in the same house, at least that’s one less worry. OTOH, it’s not clear who could pass away first because reasons.

  16. Something I saw over the weekend prompted me to say:

    “They’ve turned San Francisco into a free-range insane asylum!”

  17. D.C., too. Administration bragging about the number of LBGTQ+ whatever people they’ve appointed. Are they competent? Who knows?

    1. I’m at the point where my automatic (albeit still internal) response is “Why the f**k is it so important to you that I know what your sexual preferences are?!? I do not care who you are attracted to so long as it is not children or animals. (and if it’s either of those two things, I might have to dust off my list of ‘excellent places to hide bodies’)”

    2. We know Mayor Pete isn’t.

      Funny thing is that Trump had a skilled gay guy in a very high profile position. But the Left pretends that Richard Grenell doesn’t exist.

  19. In case anyone is looking for good news, my sister had her eighth child and sixth son today. Both Mom and baby are doing well.

            1. Man proposes, God disposes my mother used to say. We wanted a brood but only had three — two sons, one daughter. No grandchildren yet.

            2. That sounds extreme, but then three of my cousins (two first, one second) married siblings from, I think, thirteen kids.

  20. Loved your panels with Larry and with Peter, Dorothy, and J.L.
    Couldn’t help but flash back on the work we did on Guardian.
    Very proud to have had a small part in that one, as I am with everything you do when you bother to consider the comments of a cranky old engineer.

      1. Looking forward to it. Reread both shifter books recently just to refresh the background in my head, and for pure enjoyment of course.
        Lions and tigers and dragons oh my!

  22. Alive is good, eye doctor should be seen. More importantly, you should be seen by eye doctor. (Mine says “wait & see” on my vision double, so I will remain largely incommunicado through September. The concern had been you were under secret arrest as an enemy of the junta … it isn’t as if the NSA would be needed for monitoring your insurrectionist rhetoric.

    Did Cops Attack and Provoke Peaceful Protesters on January 6?
    Joe Biden’s Justice Department is using every legal maneuver at its disposal to keep under wraps more than 14,000 hours of surveillance footage captured by the United States Capitol Police security system on January 6. Prosecutors insist the recordings are “highly sensitive” material; USCP’s general counsel warns that releasing the videos would provoke another “attack” on the Capitol complex.

    But the trove of footage held by USCP isn’t the only video used as incriminating evidence in court proceedings, particularly hearings where prosecutors argue that a January 6 defendant should remain behind bars awaiting trial. The Justice Department also has footage recorded by body cameras worn by D.C. Metropolitan Police officers. (According to the USCP’s general counsel, Capitol police officers don’t wear body cameras. Interesting.)

    Federal prosecutors routinely petition the court for pre-trial detention of January 6 defendants; judges have concurred in dozens of cases. Proof that the accused is a “danger” to society largely rests on cherry-picked video clips created by the government from video footage exclusively held by the government.

    After news organizations complained their reporters could not see the clips during virtual court hearings, Beryl Howell, the chief judge of the D.C. District Court handling each one of the 500 or so Capitol breach cases, set up a way for journalists to access video evidence on a case-by-case basis.

    The Justice Department now is using that ruling to perpetuate the idea that law enforcement officials were savagely attacked by bloodthirsty Trump “insurrectionists” on January 6. Earlier this month, the agency released a brief clip of a former New York City police officer angrily confronting a D.C. cop at around 2:30 p.m. on January 6. CNN, which obtained the clip, described the 56-second video as “horrifying.”

    Thomas Webster, a decorated Marine and ex-NYPD officer with no criminal record, was arrested in February and charged with seven counts including assaulting the officer with a flag pole that was attached to his U.S. Marine Corps flag. (He did not hit the officer with the pole.) He’s been behind bars ever since.

    So, what provoked Webster’s physical exchange with another cop? In the clip, Webster screams at officers from both USCP and D.C. Metro police who were fortified behind a row of bike racks. “You fucking piece of shit. You fucking commie motherfuckers, man. You wanna attack Americans? No, fuck that.”

    Exactly.
    [END EXCERPT]
    ~

    1. Semi-serious question: Would an eye patch do more good than harm? I had to use one when in the midst of cornea work and the dominant eye no longer matched the eyeglasses.

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