All my adult life I have been a news junkie. That ended November 2016 after the election
of the criminal we now have in the White House. I tuned my clock radio from the NPR station it had been on for 30 years to a music station. I did the same in my cars , but not my bride’s Outback. For many weeks, probably going well into 2017, I did not look at the news in all the various forms that it comes at you. Of course, this is not entirely possible to do, but I did do my utmost to avoid the news. The election of 2016 truly depressed me Continue reading “Headline Stress Disorder”
The Clock by Victoria Chang
Anyone dealing with a loved one with Alzheimer’s will appreciate this.
Smarter than the whole bunch…
I just finished 3 days of backpacking with my son and one of my brothers, Mike, in Arkansas. One of the things I have been doing for years after a hike in Arkansas, if I am anywhere near Jasper, Arkansas, is to treat myself to a meal at the Ozark Café. This particular café is more than a hundred years old, seems to be a favorite with the locals, and is written up frequently in the Arkansas Times. The food is almost invariably very good or better, the coffee is even more so, and the service is in the same category.
Jasper is not very big, the population is 440 souls. It is however, right on the Buffalo National River. In season the area is very popular for canoeing, backpacking, trout fishing, hunting and many types of outdoor activities. They reintroduced elk into the area a few decades ago and they are thriving there. While we only heard of a report of black bears from other hikers, we did see bear sign more than once. It is a fun area to hike with the scenery and wildlife.
I am eating my meal at the Ozark Café, and catty-corner from me is a table where there is sitting Continue reading “Smarter than the whole bunch…”
‘Bout says it all — Alzheimer’s
Baby, It Is Cold Inside!
Just cuz I know you are dying to know…
So the furnace was making a horrible racket and shutting off frequently. We first noticed the problem when old eagle nose Robin detected a burning odor. We tracked it down to the furnace. From the noise going on and watching what happened when I took the cover off I was 80% sure it was the blower motor. The odor was from poor combustion that resulted from the abrupt termination of the rotation of the squirrel cage pushed by the blower motor. Besides a bad motor it could have been several other things, a bad capacitor, a fault on the control board… I’m not up on the entire diagnostic tree for furnace ailments.
It has been cold here, below freezing. I found a HVAC company that at least on various web sites had good reviews. They would come out, even with the icy roads, $99 service call fee, plus any repairs extra. The young man who came out was very personable, very professional, he quickly diagnosed the issue after a discussion with yours truly and an examination of the motor/capacitor with a multi-meter. It was indeed a bad blower motor. The company carried a generic motor on the van that would work for most furnaces. They wanted $900 Continue reading “Baby, It Is Cold Inside!”
Plumbing 101
I had a minor plumbing repair to do in our bathroom under the sink and within the vanity. For part of the operation I needed a second pair of hands so I enlisted my wife, the esteemed Señora Robin. She came into the bathroom and sees tools scattered around, the contents of the vanity stacked untidily in a corner, and me with my head stuck under the sink.
With barely a pause as she walks in she says, “You cannot possibly know what you are doing.”
This brings me out of the depths of my plumbing cave with a quizzical look on my ruggedly handsome face.
She continues, “I see no butt crack. It is a job requirement.”
I worked for some plumbers one summer in college. They told me there were only three things that I really must know: water does not run up hill; you get paid on Friday; and never chew your nails after a job. Apparently there are four.
Shades of Lloyd Bentsen to Dan Quayle
So I have been talking Spanish lessons via Skype via iTalki.com. Currently I am working 
with a young man from Guatemala named Manolo who is the bee’s knees. A few times in the conversation portion of the class we have talked about my wife, Robin.
The other night he was trying to remember my wife’s name so I reminded him. A few minutes later he needed reminding again so I wrote “Robin” in the text portion of Skype. I then told him it was Robin, just like Batman and Robin.
His reply to me in Spanish was, “You’re no Batman.”
Talk about shades of Lloyd Bentsen to Dan Quayle during the Vice-Presidential debates of 1988, “You’re no Jack Kennedy.”
Next he will be telling me, “You can’t handle the truth!”
A GIF that accurately depicts someone near and dear to me…
Thank you for your service…Maybe
I have an interesting problem that has cropped up in the last 5 or 6 weeks. I have several caps and shirts with the emblem from the FFG-52, USS Carr on them. I wear the hats a bunch. Partly because I like the way they look, but mainly in honor of my Uncle Paul H. Carr. The ship was named after him for his heroic actions in WWII.
I’ve been doing this for years. The ship was actually decommissioned a few years ago. So a rough estimate would be 25 years or more. Occasionally folks will ask me about the hat. What has been really cool over the years is how many folks I have run into that have served on the ship. When they see the hat they frequently come over to talk to me. I have had some very nice conversations Continue reading “Thank you for your service…Maybe”
Rush – The Belt Buckle
I’m not a big fan of the Canadian rock band Rush, but they do have one thing that I really 
like. It is their Rush belt buckles. The reason is obvious, my last name is Rush and since I wear a lot of cowboy boots it is a fun thing to do.
I’m in the doctor’s office the other day, and the nurse is doing all the pre-doctor-comes-blowing-in things that nurses do when she comments, “I just love your belt buckle.” I had on the one with big red letters, R U S H. I was also supine on the examination table at the time, so the buckle was very obvious.
The nurse being somewhat younger than this seasoned citizen, I had to explain to her that it was from the website of the Canadian rock band of the same name. Since my last name is Rush I found them a necessary item for my vaguely cowboyish/country attire that I occasionally sport.
She then commented that her 14 year old son was really into to the rock band Queen.
I replied, “I don’t think that would be a good belt buckle for your son.”
She was still laughing when she left the room.
And just in case you want one of Rush’s belt buckles: https://rushbackstage.com/dept/belt-buckles?cp=102112_102214_102530