Two pieces of news

 We received word that our heater/AC will be delivered today (Friday) between 1:00 and 4:00. I think Butch plans to install it right away. That should keep him busy for a few minutes at least.

The even bigger news was from Alex at Good Life RV in Webster City Ia. They have received the parts they were waiting for and will schedule the fix of our MoHo in the next two weeks. So that means the only hold up for our annual trip south will be where we are in the final Pool Hall construction scheme of things. And in reality, we could wrap it all up and leave it where it is at the moment. We very much do not want to do that for many reasons. So, no matter what, we are sitting in a better position than we were a few days ago.

Word from South Texas looks good as their COVID numbers are way down and their County health people in charge have stepped up in setting their own rules and it seems they are getting cooperation from the locals. It will be a much different season than in years past because, for one thing, the Canadiens are taking a pass this year. Their insurance is phenomenally high for them and with good reason. And the border is closed. Sending them to a Country with the highest number of COVID deaths in the World doesn't seem like a good idea. Hopefully, things will look much better a year from now.

Last Pictures I took:

Starling

A Too Familiar Game

 It is the WAITING GAME!!! We can't go anywhere because someone we are wanting to do something may show up. The most important one to us is the insulation guy. We could be doing other things but it all hinges on him. Heat/AC is supposed to show up tomorrow. That is just a delivery. Butch will install it. The garage door man was going to call us back. Haven't heard from him. If you have ever gone through a construction project you are familiar with the waiting game. We have been quite lucky thus far with the only hold up being a week of rain.

This too shall pass...

Important info

 I ran across this on Facebook. It was posted by Bill and Jo Brookers daughter-in-law, Pam. All three of those just mentioned have had Covid-19. Please keep this info in mind when you head out the door without a mask, go back and get it. I know I will.

Barb

“Chickenpox is a virus. Lots of people have had it, and probably don't think about it much once the initial illness has passed. But it stays in your body and lives there forever, and maybe when you're older, you have debilitatingly painful outbreaks of shingles. You don't just get over this virus in a few weeks, never to have another health effect. We know this because it's been around for years, and has been studied medically for years.

Herpes is also a virus. And once someone has it, it stays in your body and lives there forever, and anytime they get a little run down or stressed-out they're going to have an outbreak. Maybe every time you have a big event coming up (school pictures, job interview, big date) you're going to get a cold sore. For the rest of your life. You don't just get over it in a few weeks. We know this because it's been around for years, and been studied medically for years.

HIV is a virus. It attacks the immune system and makes the carrier far more vulnerable to other illnesses. It has a list of symptoms and negative health impacts that goes on and on. It was decades before viable treatments were developed that allowed people to live with a reasonable quality of life. Once you have it, it lives in your body forever and there is no cure. Over time, that takes a toll on the body, putting people living with HIV at greater risk for health conditions such as cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, diabetes, bone disease, liver disease, cognitive disorders, and some types of cancer. We know this because it has been around for years, and had been studied medically for years.

Now with COVID-19, we have a novel virus that spreads rapidly and easily. The full spectrum of symptoms and health effects is only just beginning to be cataloged, much less understood.

So far the symptoms may include:

Fever

Fatigue

Coughing

Pneumonia

Chills/Trembling

Acute respiratory distress

Lung damage (potentially permanent)

Loss of taste (a neurological symptom)

Sore throat

Headaches

Difficulty breathing

Mental confusion

Diarrhea

Nausea or vomiting

Loss of appetite

Strokes have also been reported in some people who have COVID-19 (even in the relatively young)

Swollen eyes

Blood clots

Seizures

Liver damage

Kidney damage

Rash

COVID toes (weird, right?)

People testing positive for COVID-19 have been documented to be sick even after 60 days. Many people are sick for weeks, get better, and then experience a rapid and sudden flare up and get sick all over again. A man in Seattle was hospitalized for 62 days, and while well enough to be released, still has a long road of recovery ahead of him. Not to mention a $1.1 million medical bill.

Then there is MIS-C. Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children is a condition where different body parts can become inflamed, including the heart, lungs, kidneys, brain, skin, eyes, or gastrointestinal organs. Children with MIS-C may have a fever and various symptoms, including abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, neck pain, rash, bloodshot eyes, or feeling extra tired. While rare, it has caused deaths.

This disease has not been around for years. It has basically been 6 months. No one knows yet the long-term health effects, or how it may present itself years down the road for people who have been exposed. We literally *do not know* what we do not know.

For those in our society who suggest that people being cautious are cowards, for people who refuse to take even the simplest of precautions to protect themselves and those around them, I want to ask, without hyperbole and in all sincerity:

How dare you?

How dare you risk the lives of others so cavalierly. How dare you decide for others that they should welcome exposure as "getting it over with", when literally no one knows who will be the lucky "mild symptoms" case, and who may fall ill and die. Because while we know that some people are more susceptible to suffering a more serious case, we also know that 20 and 30-year-olds have died, marathon runners and fitness nuts have died, children and infants have died.

How dare you behave as though you know more than medical experts, when those same experts acknowledge that there is so much we don't yet know, but with what we DO know, are smart enough to be scared of how easily this is spread, and recommend baseline precautions such as:

Frequent hand-washing

Physical distancing

Reduced social/public contact or interaction

Mask wearing

Covering your cough or sneeze

Avoiding touching your face

Sanitizing frequently touched surfaces

The more things we can all do to mitigate our risk of exposure, the better off we all are, in my opinion. Not only does it flatten the curve and allow health care providers to maintain levels of service that aren't immediately and catastrophically overwhelmed; it also reduces unnecessary suffering and deaths, and buys time for the scientific community to study the virus in order to come to a more full understanding of the breadth of its impacts in both the short and long term.

I reject the notion that it's "just a virus" and we'll all get it eventually. What a careless, lazy, heartless stance.”

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For the Record

 We painted the house in late July of 2017. We will be getting the Pool Hall painted with the same paint and will purchase it in the same place. Diamond Vogel Paint in Fort Dodge Iowa. Permacryl Exterior Latex Semi-gloss It is very handy to have these things recorded. 

Russ finished up yesterday. The structure is finished. Yet to be completed are the garage door installation, insulation, heater/ AC, inner walls and ceiling, outdoor cement, indoor plumbing, floor paint, exterior paint, final electrical, and perhaps other things not entering my mind at the moment. So as you can see we are still a way away from complete completion. Some of it may naturally happen next Spring. We hope not but sometimes you must accept facts. Or as it turns out we may have time. Our RV is waiting for parts and we have no concept for how long this might take. Still hoping for a late October arrival in South Texas.

Pointers for a great RV partnership

 Not just for RVing. I thought this was excellent and useful for all relationships.

Barb B.

Getting along – Pointers for a great RV partnership

September 13, 2020

By Greg Illes

It is said that wherever your relationship is going, traveling together in an RV will take it there sooner. Here are some thoughts and pointers for traveling (and living) in close quarters with your loved one.

“Right” and “Wrong” — get rid of them

Does your brain work like this: “If I think one thing, and somebody else thinks differently — well, then, if I am right they must be wrong.” Ain’t necessarily so. Two people can be very different, and both can be right. Remember that old “I’m OK — You’re OK” book? Same idea. Blame, hurt, guilt — these are all part of being wrong, and they should not be part of your RV cargo.

You can’t fix the other guy

Remember how hard it was for you to change something in yourself that you really wanted to change (quitting smoking, fear of snakes, whatever)? Imagine if someone was demanding you change. Now imagine how difficult it would be to force a change in someone else who doesn’t even want to change. Let’s face it — we can barely, sometimes, make small fixes to ourselves. There’s just no way we can fix the other person. Let’s not try.

Are you a partner or a dependent?

Are you more concerned about loving your partner well or that your partner loves you? When you disagree, are you more concerned for your partner’s welfare or your own? Who would you rather turn out to be right? (There’s that word again.) Look for ways to care more about your partner than you care what he/she thinks of you.

Make it “their” choice

When you know they’re wrong (there’s that word again), and you know exactly how they can fix it, and you just can’t keep your mouth shut (this happens to us all) — give them the choice — really, give it to them. Be fully okay with what they decide. Try using a question instead of a command: “Do you think it would work better if you tried this?” instead of, “You should really do this thing this way.”

Nobody is (or can be) perfect

We’ve heard this so often that we no longer listen. All of us are riddled with imperfections. We’ll never fix them all — so let’s concentrate on the serious issues and let the petty stuff slide. Ask yourself: Is this really a serious issue with your partner? Be honest.

Right things are done for the right reasons

A fundamental truth: Every human on earth makes the best decision they can at every moment of their lives. Sometimes they base decisions on horribly flawed data or dismally bad influences, and very poor decisions result. But those crummy decisions are the result of the information worked with, not any intrinsic failing of the person.

Respect is the cornerstone

Love is mercurial, capricious, magical, and maddening. Respect, on the other hand, is foundational, heartfelt, and lasting. Know, deeply, that your companion is being the best person possible. Respect them for that and help them — cooperatively, gently, supportively — in any way you can.

Can you wait?

In relationships, patience is a huge virtue. Today’s insufferable torture can well be tomorrow’s minor annoyance. Today’s steadfast refusal to change drifts into a bemused “we’ll see” later in the week. Moods and attitudes do change — even your own.

What do you really want?

Be honest with yourself. A “want” can be a must-have or a nice-to-have. Try to place as many as possible in the nice-to-have category, because this enables that “choice” for your partner. A must-have is a non-negotiable demand and should be used rarely if at all. So what if you are presented with a must-have? A refusal puts you both in the rock-and-a-hard-place scenario — not good. How about a more flexible, “I really, really want this (grin)” or “Well, let’s talk about it (wink),” as a starting point.

Negotiate for fun, but not for love

Approval, respect, love — these are not for sale. “I’ll do the dishes, you take out the trash” is fine. But approval, disapproval, love, or shame should not be involved. Every partnership is a compendium of trade-offs. Make them cheerfully. If you love and respect your partner, you will not be concerned about getting the best of the deal; in fact, you’ll try to give them the advantage — because they are worth it.

Greg Illes is a retired systems engineer who loves thinking up RV upgrades and modifications. When he’s not working on his motorhome, he’s traveling in it. You can follow his blog at www.divver-city.com/blog.