It may be over, Again.

               The saga of how to be sick all the time seems to be winding down at the Ford Homestead.

               It has been so long since this all started I can’t remember if it has been two or three weeks. Either way I am getting tire of it.

               Everyone in the family has been sick. Three have been diagnosed with the Flu type B. I had the same symptoms but did not go to the doctor (being on a fixed income I can’t afford doctor visits) so I am not sure whether I had it or not.

               Everyone is doing much better now, Gabi went back to school today and Alex is his normal “into everything” self. Donna and I are actually feeling better today even though the cough is still here.

               You can tell Donna is sick when she doesn’t go to town. Donna has not left the Ford Homestead since last Friday. That is 4 days without leaving the Homestead, which may be a record. She is acting perkier today and I kinda think she may attempt to venture out for a little while.

               Yesterday the temperature was in the low 80s, today it is I the mid-40s. I don’t think those swings in temp are helpful for good health.

 

               We hope your family has fared better than ours.

 

From the almost well again mind of                          Don Ford

 

All rights reserved, any reproduction or distribution without written permission is strictly prohibited.

 

 

 

                        

                                                                                                                  

                  

 

More, sick and tired of it.

               Well I think I am mostly over the sick and tired feeling I have had but we still have the flu going through the house.  David had it and had been off work all week; he is now feeling much better.  Yesterday morning Alex woke up with a fever and cough. It was decided to take him and Gabi to the doctor, Gabi has had a cough for a while.

               The doctor said she didn’t have any good news. Alex has the flu and Gabi needed breathing treatments.

               Gabi is back in school today and Alex is here at the house. He has been playing like usual and not acting sick except for the one time he threw up.

               I feel fine but I start sweating after just a little exertion. I hope that goes away quick and I hope no one else get the flu.

 

This is patient Ford saying have a good day.

 

Don Ford

 

 

 

 

Sick and Tired of it!

               Literally, I am sick, and tired of it.

               It started on Monday the 14^th, 2013.  I woke up with a cough and it continued to get worse through the week. At times I was sure I was coughing up a lung and that is not a pleasant feeling. During the week I had coughed and sneezed so much, that my ribs would start to hurt if I just thought about coughing. 

Friday I started taking something for the cough and it has a decongestant in it. This stuff works; my cough was reduced to a couple every 4 hours. The few coughs are productive if you know what that means.

This over the counter decongestant and cough suppressant is supposed to be non-drowsy.  I have the feeling that part is not correct, at least not correct for me. I have slept day and night, yes even more than the usual retired person does.

Yesterday I went outside and sat in the sun where the wind was not blowing. It was a very nice day, clear skies with temps in the mid-60s. As I sat there all warm and comfortable, I went to sleep. Yep, sitting in that chair I went to sleep. I am not sure how long I was asleep but Tejas, (my constant companion and confidant) stepped on my foot at the same time as his wet nose touched my hand.  I jumped as if I were shot. He didn’t indicate whether he wanted to be petted or possibly I was snoring and he thought I was bothering the neighbors.

 

From the sick and tired brain of                Don Ford

 

 

                                                                                                                 

                  

 

Entitlement or Privilege

The government refers to Social Security and Medicare “an entitlement” (entitlement, a synonyms is privilege)  even though most of us have been paying for it all our working lives.

Now, when it's time for us to collect, the government is running out of money, mostly because of bad or no management.

Why did the government take our money for other uses? It was supposed to be in a locked box, not part of the general fund.

When anyone including elected politicians agrees verbally or in written form , that establishes a contract.

How do “we the people” enforce these contracts?

 

            Have an entitlement day

 

 

 

                        

                                                                                                                  

                  

 

F O R D = Fix Or Repair Daily

            In the olden days I would counter the above statement with;

F O R D = First On Race Day.

 

 

               You ask, why I have remembered these old adages. Well it is a cold story that begins in the year 2000, which was the year that Ford built this Explore. Claire and Dave now own this Explore as a second vehicle.

It is a nice looking vehicle with room for the kids and some groceries or other items in the back. They have had the vehicle for a couple days and are getting use to how it runs and watching for any problems that could pop up in an older vehicle.  By the way, it was made the same year that Donna’s Expedition was made.

Yesterday morning there was rain that was freezing on the trees and hoods of the cars. The wind was blowing which made it almost unbearable outside. This weather provided the perfect day for a vehicle to not start. 

 

Yep, the vehicle motor would not turn over. When you put the key in the ignition and attempt to start the motor the lights on the dash would come on but not a sound from the motor.

 

As you may know, I have advanced training as a mechanic; (1.a person who repairs and maintains machinery, motors, etc.: an automobile mechanic. 2. a worker who is skilled in the use of tools) so I decided to diagnose the problem. I naturally went to the battery (since that is about all I qualified to check out) assuming it was old or at least had a low charge. 

 

The vehicle was parked on the street where there was no wind brake and my extension cord would not reach the vehicle.  I went to the shed to get my small generator.  I had to put gas in it and then hoped it would start.  You know how hard it is to start a small gas motor in cold weather. I set the choke, flipped the switch to on, opened the gas valve and begin to pull the rope. I was happily surprised that the motor ran after only a few pulls of the rope.

I took the generator and battery charger to the vehicle and began charging the battery.  I was surprised that the battery was only taking a minimal charge which indicated the battery was good. 

 

After charging for more than an hour I then decided to attempt to start the vehicle but again, nothing. 

 

I then decided to remove the battery cables and clean the battery post and cables. I had to bother my neighbor Glen since I could not find my battery post cleaner. Glen has had a cough for several days and did not need to be outside.

 

The post and cables were cleaned; I placed the cables back on the battery and didn’t break anything. I attempted to start the vehicle but still nothing. At this point I was getting cold and a little wet.  From the shelter of my home I called Glen to get his advice.

 

It was decided that I would jump the vehicle. Since my jumper cables were in my pickup and Claire had driven it to work I had to borrow jumper cables from Glen.   I drove Donna’s vehicle to the front of the Explore and attached the cables. I got in to the Explore and inserted the key. After a short prayer I turned the key and nothing.

 

As you may have determined, I was somewhat frustrated.  I moved Donna’s vehicle back into the drive way and I was beginning to think it was some type of electrical problem other than the battery. I conferred with Glen again when I returned the jumper cables.

 

I decided to try one other thing.  I have two batteries in the shed that stay charged by the solar panel. I removed one of the batteries and carried it to the vehicle. I then removed the battery from the Explore. I found that the battery in the Explore was 2 years old. I put my battery into the Explore.  I was not confident that the results would be different from the previous attempts. When the key was turned to the on position, nothing happened.

 

I then removed my battery from the vehicle and replace the original battery. I took my tools, generator, and battery etc. back to their original locations.  I gave up, assuming there was an electrical problem that I was not able to find.

 

Claire came home that evening with the answer to the Ford not starting. One of her friends had told her about the anti-theft plug that must be properly inserted for the vehicle to run. She went to the vehicle and adjusted the plug and the vehicle started.

 

From the almost mechanical mind of                       Don Ford

All rights reserved; any reproduction or distribution without written permission is strictly prohibited.

 

 

"Maybe it's Christmas"

As we were driving to school on this cold Texas morning, I pointed out that there was white sleet on the house tops. 

 

Gabi my granddaughter of 6 years commented, “Maybe it’s Christmas”.

For those who live north of the Ford Homestead, you may be more use to seeing that white stuff (AKA snow or sleet) in the roof tops or car hoods.  For those of us here at the Ford Homestead, a little white stuff on a table top is something to see.

It is easy to understand why Gabi would suggest, “Maybe it’s Christmas”.

               I do not want to receive any comments about the hose storage at the Ford Homestead; at least they are not on the lying on the ground and it is behind the house.

 

               I guess I am never satisfied; I don’t like the cold weather and I don’t like the hot weather. Both make me want to stay inside and that usually means the TV or Radio is on. Listening to the same “crap” on the TV or radio is very boring. We are not supposed to use the technical term “crap” around the grandkids, but it is ok to write in in the blog posting.

 

               As I sit here at the computer, the TV to my right is on and I continue to hear the same commercials. It is not just the commercials but also the morning TV shows are basically the same junk over and over. I have just switched from the TV to the outside security camera.  I use the security cameras to provide me with the impression of a window.  People on fixed income can’t afford to have windows. 

 

From the cold weather mind of    Don Ford

All rights reserved; any reproduction or distribution without written permission is strictly prohibited.

 

 

Theft at "The Ford Homestead"

               Theft of any type is deplorable and not acceptable. It is especially bad when the suspected thief is someone you know.

 

               As I hope you have determined by my opening statement, there has been a theft at the Ford Homestead and we believe we know the perpetrator. This removal of property occurred a couple weeks ago.

Even though we believe we know who took the money and we believe we know why.  We have not been able to prove our suspicions as of yet but we continue to observe and hope that the guilty party will return the money or slip up and then we will have the proof.

 

               Our house is getting back to normal as my wife of 43 years has been taking down the Christmas trees (all but one) and I have moved them to the shed for storage. There is enough open area in the living room now that we can change our mind without going outside.  I know, that is an old joke, sorry.

               My rain gage had almost 4.75 inches of rain in it.  If you saw the photo from our back door in the previous posting, there was water standing several inches deep in our back yard. The next day the water was gone, absorbed into the ground like a sponge.

               We celebrated our youngest son’s birthday by going out to supper Thursday evening (a good time was had by all). I hate to say how old he is because it makes me feel even older.  He will be 38 on the 12^th. Our oldest son will be 42 on the 28^th of this month. I can’t be old enough to have sons that old.

 

               If a thief is able to get into and out of your home without you knowing, does that make them a “cat burglar”? 

 

I changed the door knob and lock that goes from my office into the garage today. Who knows how many people had a key to that door. I hate to think that I may need to get an alarm system; I already have 5 security cameras around the outside of the house.

The amount of money taken wasn’t much for working person but for someone such as me on a “fixed income” a $20.00 bill is a lot of money. The $20.00 bill was lying on the sink in our bathroom. My wife of 43 years was getting dressed (I think she was going shopping) and had been in and out of the bathroom several times.  When she finish dressing and was ready to leave she asked if I had taken the $20.00.  I had not.

We retraced her steps but the money was not to be found.  She stated that it was lying there and she had not moved it.  I, my wife of 43 years and Miss Molly were the only three that had been in the bath room. I did not take it; my wife of 43 years did not take it; so naturally we suspect Molly.  

We have checked her usual hiding places but have not yet found the money.

 

This morning I was following my normal routine and after finishing my 3 cups of coffee I went to, “the only room in the house where a 9 year old boy could be alone”. That quote is from the movie, “A Christmas Story”.

As I rested in that room I was able to observe the suspect enter the adjacent room and jump on the sink. Miss Molly proceeds to investigate everything.  I would say she is “very curious”. After reviewing everything on both sinks she returned to mine and picked up a receipt that was about the size of a dollar bill.  She played with it for a few seconds, and then with the paper in her mouth, she jumped from the sink.  I thought I would follow her and possibly learn of her hiding place.

There was a problem; I had not finished the paper work and was unable to immediately pursue the suspect. 

 

From the still investigating mind of                           Don Ford

 

All rights reserved; any reproduction or distribution without written permission is strictly prohibited.

 

 

 

 

Never Satisfied... cont.

           

When this was taken this morning the rain gage indicated 4.25 inch of rain.  This is not as bad as it looks it would take an additional 10 inches of rain to get into the house.

Photo taken through a window using my ASUS tablet.

 

 

 

                 Don Ford  

Never Satisfied.

            Those two words are a very true statement.

 

This morning I looked out the back door as I considered allowing my constant companion and confidant “Tejas” out for a toilet break. I immediately observed the water lapping against the door step.  I did not have a life jacket for Tejas and I am not sure about his ability to swim so he was denied the exit.

We immediately proceeded to the garage where I knew he would be able to exit the house on solid cement. My companion was initially happy that he could go outside but he soon learned the rain was on all side of the house. Tejas took about 3 steps out into the rain and turned around re-entering the garage. He later told me that he didn’t need to go that bad and he would just hold it.

We diffidently need the rain and appreciate every inch we are receiving.  At the time of this writing our rain gage has about 3.10 inches overnight with more on the way. We would rather have had an inch per day over several days but…

When I returned from taking Gabi to school this morning I noticed how nice the front yard looked with the rain.  It seems to be saying, “Finally I have the needed moister”. 

I know this sounds stupid (which is not unusual for me) but, the yard seemed to be “happy”. I am wondering if I am happy with the rain and projecting my thoughts to my yard.

 

On a slightly different subject; the other day when I was attempting to find room for the decorations in the shed I noticed my old “Colman Camping Stove”. This stove must be 40 years old so I decided to see if it would work and if not I would get rid of it.

I put a few drops of oil into the pump and waited a couple minutes.  I was surprised that it would pump pressure into the gas tank. The next question is how old is the gas in the tank and will it even burn.  I turned the valve on and I could hear the gas coming through the burner and it smelled real bad.  I went ahead and put a match to the burner and it actually worked. I then opened the second burner and lit it. 

That Colman stove must be a quality product.  I think we will keep it.

 

From the wet mind of                     Don Ford

All rights reserved; any reproduction or distribution without written permission id strictly prohibited.

 

 

                                                                                                                 

                  

 

Ring around the Collar; ring around the Sun

               Things at the Ford Homestead are getting back to normal, now that the holidays are over. This past Sunday we were able to get the outside Christmas decorations down and put away. I first had to remove most of the stuff (stuff is defined as anything from a lawn mower to empty totes) from the shed, remove part of a shelving unit, then I needed to carry all the Christmas decorations out to the shed. I then had to place these decorations in the shed trying to optimize the space available.  I then put all the stuff back into the shed.

 

               You should know that there is almost as much inside decorations as we have outside and these will be worked on by my wife of 43 years in the coming days/weeks. I will then need to remove all the stuff and find places for the rest of the decorations.

 

               Needless to say, but Sunday night I was tired and hurting in most of my body parts. The night’s sleep was not restful but I did recuperate from most of the hurting.

 

On Monday this retired person who lives on a fixed income decided to work in the front yard. I did not get a “nut picker upper” for Christmas but I did get gift certificates that allowed me to order one.

The weather people were saying that we were going to have a “major rain event” on Tuesday and Wednesday.  I decided to do what I could on Monday without making myself hurt all over.  I started by raking the leaves out of a portion of the flower bed. It should be known that as I raked the leaves I also removed thousands of acorns that had been hiding there and much of the red mulch that I had placed in the flower beds.

 

I may not be as good at planning as I have been lead to believe. I had previously used my new nut gatherer to pick up all the acorns along and in front of this flower bed.  Today I was raking more of these pesky acorns onto the grass and will need to pick them up.

I went to the shed and brought the needed tools to the front yard; leaf blower, lawn mower with grass catcher attached, big red wagon and a broom.

I used the lawn mower to vacuum up and shred the leaves. MY wife of 43 years uses straw around her nativity scene so I had to vacuum and shred that also.  These leaves and straw were bagged and made ready for the trash man. I then use the nut gather to pick up the acorns. The nut gatherer works as expected but I have to be on my feet the entire time.

 

This retired person was beginning to get tired and I was not yet finished. My body was starting to hurt from the abuse of having to work.  I decided to take a break with a cup of coffee. I put the coffee on and while it was brewing I took one aspirin. You will be happy to know that the combination of aspirin, two cups of coffee and about 20 minutes rest revived this retired person.

 

During the break; as I was sitting in my rocking chair near the garage door I noticed that we had some sun light but it was not bright.  I looked toward the sun and noticed the high thin clouds and a “ring around the sun”.

Everyone knows about ring around the collar but not everyone has seen a ring around the sun.  Does this ring have a meaning? 

As I understand it, you are supposed to count the stars inside a ring around the moon to determine how many days it will be before rain, but does a ring around the sun mean anything. 

 

When I started working again I was feeling pretty good.  Now if you remember I have vacuumed the leaves and straw, and I have picked up the acorns.  I now need to get the red mulch out of the grass.  This is where the broom comes in.  I have found that an old broom works very well at moving small items into a pile without pulling up the grass runners. Yes I was sweeping the yard and it worked very well.

               I dumped the acorns and red mulch into the trash can and put the tools away. I took the 6 bags of leaves/straw and turned them upside down.  I have learned that rain will somehow get into a bag of leaves even with the top tied tightly, if it is left setting up right. 

 

               Once in the house I was able to get a much needed shower and I turned on “let’s make a deal”. I have found that this TV program will put a retired man to sleep in about 3 minutes.

               I usually take a short nap of 10 to 15 minutes but today my nap lasted for well over and hour and I deserved it.

 

From the over worked body and under worked mind of      Don Ford

All rights reserved; any reproduction or distribution without written permission is strictly prohibited. 

 

 

 

                                                                                                                 

                  

 

New Year New Ideas

            Hello from the Ford Homestead of Hewitt, Texas.  We are now into the New Year and I hope some of us have new ideas and new experiences.

              

               As I was lying in bed last night I came up with a new idea that I will be happy to share with you.

First, I should explain this morning after finding that I had no cereal to eat with my morning coffee I was despondent (yes I know what that word means) that I went into the front room aka living room aka TV room and sat in my chair.  The “so called news” was on the TV with the usual crap. We are not supposed to say “crap” out loud around the grandkids but I think it is ok to write it.

I am sure you have noticed at the end of the year that many of the morning shows and so called news programs are talking about what happen this year. I am sure there are a lot of you out there that need to know what happened last year.  Some of you are enthusiastic about learning what happened last year.  Then there are those of us that actually paid attention during the year and don’t need to be told of past events. We are the same people that were able to listen to our school teachers and learn we are able to retain information.

It might be that I don’t have enough to do during these cold winter days so I listen to the radio or watch TV just to pass the time. “Retirement sucks”, on those days when it is too cold or too hot to go outside.  I digress; I was sitting in my chair half listening and half watching the TV when I thought how boring it was.  I decided if I was going to be bored I should come in here to my computed and be bored while I put a few thoughts on paper the screen.

Back to my original thought; as I lay in bed wishing that the cat (who was sleeping near my feet) would move, and since it was somewhat cold in our bed room, I began thinking about keeping warm.  I have an idea for a new clothing item. 

I assume we all have seen the glasses that are clear when they are worn inside but when worn outside in the sun they darken becoming sunglasses.

For a few of us that have actually worked outside in the cool or cold weather we understand that dressing for the cool temps is easy but shortly after beginning our work we get hot and start removing some of the clothing.  I have experienced this and usually find that within a couple minutes of removing a jacket I need to put it back on because I have stepped out into the wind or the sun went behind a cloud.

Don’t get ahead of me, this is my idea. I think someone should invent a material that could be used in jackets and other clothing, which monitors not only the body of the person wearing it but the weather conditions. If the person gets cold the material would increase its insulation value to preserve body heat. When the body gets warmer it could reduce the insulation value.  Also when the person steps out into a cold breeze or rain the outside layer would seal itself and become a wind breaker. When the wind breaker was no longer needed the material would become more pours and breathable allowing the persons perspiration to evaporate.

I am giving this “New Idea” to the world and I hope someone gets to work on it soon.

Changing the subject, I purchased a toy for myself just before Christmas.  I purchased a tablet.

No it is not a “Big Chief Tablet”.  You must be old if you thought of the Big Chief Tablet. Do they still make the big chief tablet? 

I just got another fascinating idea! It is difficult to keep the ideas out of my head.

Someone should make a cover for the electronic tablets, which appears to be a Big Chief paper tablet.  Then when you are at the Star Bucks enjoying a coffee and you go back for a refill, the person sitting at the next table may not want to steel a paper tablet.  Your iPad would be safely inside the cover which appears to be a Big Chief.

I do expect 1% of the profits from this idea (being on a fixed income I need it).

If you have purchased or received as a gift one of these electronic tablets, you now understand that you will want accessories such as a screen protecting film, a stylist pin, a cover that opens like a book and possibly a keyboard.  All of these are expensive especially for those of us on fixed incomes.

I should now stop with this posting and get back to some “New Ideas”.

 

From the mind of “The Idea Man”                             Don Ford

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