Last Pics taken

Butch working on bathroom ceiling

The new and shiny floor!

 

The floor is down!

Yesterday we put down the floor covering in the Pool Hall. We now have to wait for it to cure before we can resume the work on the interior. 

I simply must thank Jason many times over because without his help who knows how it would have gone. Yeah, JASON!

There has been interest in what we used and here is a picture.

We used two of these kits. They assured me everything I needed was included. I was somewhat familiar because several years ago the pool hall floor in Magnolia park had a similar treatment. As always magnolia resident volunteers did the work. 

More pictures later when we are free to tread on it.

 

What's it all about.

 I think this is an excellent column by my friend Colleen. This happens to be my blog and it is my privilege to post what appeals to me. So if it fails to please you just pass on by. Maybe you will like one at another time.

Barb B.

Democracy, oligarchy, socialism, capitalism, populism, fascism

October 7, 2020

~a column by Colleen O’Brien

Traditional democrats (that’s lowercase democrats – citizens of democracies, not the American political party) who live a relatively comfortable life don’t understand the appeal of populism.

Populism is a form of salvation to people who don’t understand why they aren’t as comfortable as the next guy. Or who begrudge the elite (which means different things to different populists, some of them being elites themselves). Or who are tired of local and federal institutions that they believe take advantage of them, forget them, or punish them with regulations.

Democracies are difficult to keep alive and well because they demand a huge amount of study of all issues, and not just by elected officials but by citizens. There is a lot of time invested in considering problems from dozens of viewpoints. And in the end, there is a compromise, a hateful word to plenty of people. All of these are things that most of us humans after a while are just not willing to do, or we want others to do them, or we conveniently forget that they need to be done – even if we know these behaviors keep a democracy from deteriorating.

Most of us who are relatively comfortable are oblivious to hardship surrounding us but not touching us; the other half are tired of hardship whether it’s low-paying jobs or taxes of any kind (the uber-rich complain about taxes more than anybody, and they also get more tax breaks).

It is at this point that a guy (usually it’s a guy) comes along and talks plain. People like it when he says “damn” or other expletives just like they do. He harangues the “haves” and promises great things to the “have-nots.” He gets elected.

To the dismay of the “elites,” the “comfortable,” the democratically complacent, their country is now led by “the wrong type.”

This newly elected fellow is a populist, and his brand of leadership is populism. It has been making inroads since WWII when democracy made the world safe from fascists, demagogues, strongmen, oligarchs, and plutocrats.

Modern populism is run by fascists, demagogues, strongmen, oligarchs, plutocrats, and communists. So, I don’t know why people like populism so much when democracy is the only form of government that truly – in fact – is the form of government that has been devised for the people.

 The problem is that the people have to be involved fully for it not to turn into one of those other forms of government.

The dissatisfaction of half a country’s population is going to result in some kind of change. In this country the change was soft – no guns, no revolution, just a democratic election where we all, including the fellow who ran, were shocked when he won: the populist was elected by a loose thread – the unraveling of democracy.

Those of us who were laissez-faire citizens of the democracy, although stunned, continued with hope that all would turn out okay, our democracy being so strong and reliable. Those who voted for the populist were over-the-moon, believing they were now on top. Or at least had a foothold on the ladder because of their champion.

Then two situations came along that revealed the underbelly of populism. The rise of citizen protests against policemen murdering Blacks and a lethal pandemic that also kills.

The two horrors were allowed to divide the country. And here we are, still watching Black people being shot to death, and after seven or eight months of a virus ranging freely, more than 209,000 are dead from it.

The divide, at least in our country, took on drastic and visible lines of demarcation. Law and order came to mean beat down the protestors and get them off the streets. The democracy side of the drama came alive with grandmas protecting the protestors from local police, state guards, ICE cops, federal guns, and possies of populist right-wingers who showed up w/ rifles.

And here we are four long populist years later, coming up on another election; this time knowing what the result will be: an increasing devolution of a government trying in fits and starts to run of, by, and for the people. It is on its way to what the voters thought was escape but is in reality a reality show of being led by no one who cares about them, their jobs, education, or healthcare. And once the democracy withers away in the back pocket of populism, there will be no backup from nearly 250 years of a democracy striving for social justice.

A plutocracy or oligarchy is not interested in promoting social justice for the lowly. It means government-run by charisma, by friends of the charismatic, by people of wealth to whom money means more than freedom of speech, by those who disdain poor people because they don’t make money. It means no more institutions that help spread the wealth – public schooling, not-for-profit hospitals, the roads in front of one’s house, libraries, scientific weather reports….

Populism is a political approach that appeals to people who feel that their concerns are disregarded by established elite groups. It’s a hoodwink.

If democracy dies because of a lack of the constant attention it needs, and if populism survives as a smokescreen for oligarchs, our future looks bleak. Capitalism without socialism is a rich-man’s world. Right now, we operate under both these economic systems; and it works when the word socialism isn’t constantly misrepresented. Under populism, only capitalism will flourish. Think we’re bad off now?

Surely, we can come to agreement before we find ourselves looking across a wider divide than we’re already living – among friends, within families, at war against the simple thoughtfulness of wearing a face mask.

We’re all wondering which coin is going to land face up.

Jay Kelly - September 3, 1943 - October 08, 2020

 When we were in Magnolia Park, Jay and Joyce Kelly were our RV neighbors for several winters. We enjoyed their company very much. I have received word of Jay's passing. Thank You, Deon, for the information. Barb B.

Here is a bit more about Jay.

Jay Kelly of Atkinson Nebraska passed on Thursday, October 8 after contracting the Corona Virus. He and his family thought he was out of the woods but as is so often the case, he ended up with pneumonia. Jay is survived by his wife Joyce, one son Jeffery Kelly and his wife Kathleen, and one sister Rose Kelly. Memorial services will be at a later date.

Jay was a wonderful musician who played a "mean fiddle" as well as being an outstanding guitar player. He was well known in the Rio Grande Valley and in the last few years, he had his own bluegrass band which one of the pictures below shows. He and his band raised money for St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital.

Jay and his musical talents will be missed by all who knew him but not just for his music but because he was a good and decent man, always willing to share his knowledge and never too busy to answer questions.

These are some pictures that I have taken of Jay over the years while in Magnolia Park.

 

Quick Update 9/09/2020

 Insulation: We were not happy with the job they did; there were holes in places, too thin in others, and overall not anywhere near the excellent job we had on our house in 2013. So I called them to tell the owner that it was not well done. He sent a crew out right away and they resprayed in several places and rectified most of the issues. So we move on.

I also called the Garage door people and found out we are scheduled for October 15th in the afternoon. So things are getting done.

The ceiling is finished and Butch has installed two ceiling fans and 11 LED lights. 

Tomorrow we will be doing the floor with Epoxy. We have to wait 16 to 24 hours before much more can be done so that will give us a bit of a break.

The motorhome is still not done but we do plan to wrap things up when it is ready and head South. A tentative promise by the repair people is November 1st. By the time we leave, we will have most things ready to receive the pool table next Spring. A good place to leave things and we will be excited at the prospect of getting the final touches done.

So now I am heading out to finish the prep work on the floor...

Edited post of *Update 10/03/2020*

  On first show up, the insulation people did well. They were quick. The problem is they were too quick! The ceiling/roof seems to be okay but there were several places missed on the side walls. Not so you would notice at first glance but on greater examination, there were several places lacking enough insulation. 😒So it is done and we bought some canned stuff and worked on the missed spots. Fortunately, they were simply spots and not areas. Bottom line? They will not get endorsements from us.

So we move on and now Butch and Russ are getting the carsiding on the ceiling. The entire interior will be covered with carsiding. They are further along than in this photo. I am liking the look of it. Ours will be applied horizontally.

These two enjoy working together.

Here are the pics of the insulation.

No garage door yet.  Butch plans to call them today. 

Carsiding?

 What is Carsiding?

V-groove aka Carsiding is a shortened version of 'box car siding'; the wood panels on boxcars. Carsiding is similar to tongue and groove except for the deep V groove down the center. In the 1800s Carsiding was used on walls and ceilings, today v groove is often run vertically for the old farmhouse look.

MoHo Update

 Alex (MoHo service manager) texted me asking when we planned to go south. I told him as soon as we got it home and packed up. Hopefully by November 1st. He said they hoped the same and sent me a picture of where we are now. And here it is! Looks like we are getting a whole new roof!

Supposed to show

 The guy we hired to do the insulation has passed us along to a friend of his, also in the business citing his back injury as the cause. In dealing with the stand-in, so far at least, he has seemed much more business-like. He called about an hour ago and said the crew would be here in 45 minutes. We still have hope.

Our paint guy has asked us to get someone else but we told him that we could wait till Spring for the paint. This guy is also a roofer and the Derecho has made his life busy to the extreme. We have cement siding so the paint can wait without a problem.

The water leak ( see an earlier post) is still not totally resolved. We have another meeting with the Water Board on the 20th so we will not be going South until after that date for sure. As it stands at the minute our water bill is over $4000 for two months. Between the plumber, the city, and us we will get it resolved and for a lot less than that. 

The RV people are in touch regularly so before too long we should be able to get our MoHo back home.

Hmmm. In reading the above it does not sound like life is too rosy at the moment for this branch of the Brookers. The actuality is we know it could be much worse so we thank our lucky stars and endure. Our attitude is full of gratitude. 

Butch did not like the idea of not being able to walk with me, especially when we are in South Texas, so he has been doing his own therapy. He has been walking and playing golf. He walked with me on the trail one day and did fine so I think we have that covered.

The insulation guys just pulled up! Yippy Skippy!! 

Now if the garage door guys would show up...

Trying Hard

 We are trying hard not to get down in the dumps about being stymied by the insulation guy. He at first told us it would be two weeks. Two weeks turned into 4 and after getting on his case he said he was suffering a back injury and had asked a buddy of his to step in for him and he would be here "the first of next week". The first of next week on our calendar is Monday or Tuesday. God only knows what his first of next week means. We also do not have a name or number for the stand-in. If Wednesday comes and goes we will be starting over with someone new and that is not a good prospect either but we feel we are left with little choice.

We did have a bit of good news. The RV repair people have been good about keeping us informed and they tell us our Motorhome is scheduled for repair next week.

When we need a break from the everyday routine and thoughts of COVID-19 we go out to Spring Lake to commune with nature. Just looking at trees, leaves, and water will lift the spirits. Here are a few of yesterday's pics.

You might think it was July by the number of campers at the lake. Geez, this is the last weekend in September and the place is packed!

This time of year you can easily see the 'bone structure' of the trees.

This tree is surely a senior citizen and the scars of age are easily seen.

This is one of the shelter houses that people use to gather with friends and family when we are able to gather with friends and family.

Care to go for a walk in the woods? They have started mowing paths to make it easier.

Surely you can notice the configuration of the trees that caught my photo-eye!

New Mail box?

This one caught Butch's eye.

Old-timey Recipes

 Keri was looking through some boxes of things belonging to our shared Mother-in-law, Marion and she ran across a recipe book put together by the Jefferson Women's Club.

A lot of work went into the making of this book including the cover, made of linoleum floor tiles.

I chose each of these recipes for a reason. This one was chosen because of the complexity of it. That and I thought someone reading this might be inspired to try it. If so, I hope they share the experience with us.

Remember Spam? Well here is a recipe using spam. Are you ready to go buy a can? Nope. me neither. I thought I knew what Creamettes were but I looked it up to be sure and here is what Google had to say.

Minnesota Macaroni Company

Williams named his macaroni Creamette®. The Minnesota Macaroni Company manufactured the Creamette® brand until Williams bought out the firm and Creamette® became its official new name.

It seems Jefferson had its own Glen Campbell in the 1960s. The recipe looked doable too.

I worked with the contributor at the hospital in my nurse's aid days. The title alone is a turn-off!

I also was not familiar with the term top milk.

And last but not least Marion Brooker! Butch says he is not at all familiar with Chinese Chews! Sounds good enough to try sometime. I did tell Butch that I have been in the position of being asked to contribute a recipe and I usually submitted one I was currently using but not necessarily a long-standing one and that may have been the case with this one. Perhaps his sister Marlene may remember it. 

I noticed the book contained many jello recipes and most of the prep times were considerably longer than current recipes. Also, notice how women were identified by their husbands?  Yes, I do remember that. It was a different time.

Still waiting

 Butch has hoped the insulation guy will show up today and I sure hope he is right. We are stymied until that part of the building is completed. Of course, we want the garage door guy, the cement guy, and the painter guy to show up like ducks in a row too.

We hope to pick up our motorhome within the next two weeks so we are resting a bit easier on that score.

So we have had a bit of thumb-twiddling happening although not much as it always seems there is something that can be done.

Butch has been a bit impatient with his mobility on one hand but on the other hand, he WALKED the entire golf course yesterday. Yes, he had some discomfort.

We are still wearing our masks when we go to the grocery store and that pretty much is our only excursion whereby we are in close proximity to others. And that happens about once a week

What computer should I buy?

 I get this question frequently and this article from people I trust answers the question very well. So if you are wondering, wonder no more.

Barb B.

https://www.thundercloud.net/infoave/new/our-updated-guide-to-buying-a-new-computer-on-a-budget/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+thundercloud%2FIapJ+%28Cloudeight+InfoAve+Computer+Tips+%29

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.”

Copy and paste to share.

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.

RV Newsletter

 Butch and I are featured in this issue of the RV newsletter. In case you want to know, the pic was taken at Jessica's in Nuevo Progreso by a friend and neighbor in Trophy Gardens, Candy Dewey.

https://www.rvtravel.com/rv-travel-newsletter-issue-965/?popupally_stop=subscriber&vgo_ee=r3oV9Pck4yT31DYg%2B3%2B1tDpxdzkQNl9LgdxZ9pnzLRY%3D

3rd Day of Rain...and Cold?

 It may not be that long but it seems like FOREVER! Work on the pool hall has come to a screeching halt. We now have to wait till it dries up. Nobody wants to work in the mud and I do not want them to. One of my biggest dislikes about new construction is MUD. This too shall pass as we all know. Another lesson in patience.

We are watching PBS, Netflix, and Amazon Prime Video. The NUMBER ONE REASON for this is we do not have to mute through the political ads. Once in a while, we will stray back to the local stations and quickly get reminded that we do not want to be there. Butch is needing to watch mindless TV right now because one of his hearing aids is in the shop for repair. He can not hear important dialogue if we are trying to watch something of substance. Our current show of choice is Sneaky Pete (Amazon Prime)

Sneaky Pete is an American crime drama series created by David Shore and Bryan Cranston. The series follows Marius Josipović (Giovanni Ribisi), a released convict who adopts the identity of his cellmate, Pete Murphy, to avoid his past life.