Well, I have to confess that I have always hoped you would be passing on whatever I shared with you. Of course there are many friends of the old forum that you two have continued to keep in touch with..... and I haven't (for one reason on another...none of the reason being I didn't want to)....
Oh, you might enjoy my latest how to spend my time..... I actually made it a into a journal entry... hope you get a chuckle from it....
====
Good Morning from Colorado. I don?t have my camera available so I can only describe it?..beginning with OH NO!
It rained all day yesterday?and we listened to the radio reporting that the rain was expected to turn to snow tonight.
We literally ran to the Home Depot to buy electrical heat tape, some foam tube (used to wrap around hot/cold water pipes), a good supply of duct tape and some bubble wrap.
Since we are living in the motorhome, the water hose was suspect to freezing. We triple-strung the electrical heat tape. Secured it with duct tape.
We then forced the wrapped hose into the foam tubes, securing them with duct tape.
The last step was to wrap the entire buddle with bubble wrap. Then to plug it into electricity.
The awning was still up and by now it was raining out. I knew the snow could collect on the awning (if it snowed) but that was not supposed to happen until late evening?. If it even came.
Years ago, in Albuquerque, NM?we lived in an Airstreams Trailer Trailer. A surprise winter storm dumped about 3 feet of snow overnight on us. I had to bend my head because the awning was full of snow. I used the broom to get some snow off the awning as well as using the bristle end of the broom to poke the underside of the awning upward. I was successful in getting the snow off and it did not stretch the awning fabric. So? I knew that I could do the same thing again?..hoping it didn?t come to that.
Well, this being football season, all you Arm Chair Quarterbacks have probably already questioned why I didn?t simply roll the awning up BEFORE the snow arrived. Let?s just not go into that,,,,ok?..<sigh>
About 3 in the AM my wife took the dogs out for their ?do it outside---or die immediately right now!? option. She told me that it was snowing out?. And so the broom detail was into effect.
We have a 24? awning. We had developed a nasty habit of running into the awning braced poles over time and came up with this nifty solution of stringing those tiny blinking lights on the braced poles as well as string the lights along the awning. And?we tied the lights with those valcroed thin straps.
It is an important detail to know that the snow was trying very hard to dump several inches of wet snow per minute on the nearby environment?that included me.
I found myself trying to untie those straps. After a shot bout of frustration, I ended up using scissors on those straps.
Next, I attempted to brush off the closest mounds of snow from the awning, followed by the broom beating the underside of the awning. Well, to make the story short. It worked and the awning was finally slammed shut against the motorhome side. Not secured for travel, but at least out of the way of the snow.
According to the weather folks, this is a slow moving storm that will pass by tomorrow and the weather will make this snow a mere memory by Wedneday. Just wait for 2 days, the sun will come out and melt all the snow, and tempt me to unroll the awning and see if I can get it to dry out??
Stay tuned<grin>
============
And....from this morning's entry:
October 12, 2005
Good Morning from Denver, Colorado (actually Aurora, CO..a suburb)
Snow just about gone. However, the weather folks say it is going to get colder....much colder by the weekend and we have a good chance of getting some more snow again....
If I wasn't the mind-numbing rambler before, I've discovered (everyone already knew) that I have a tendency to be either analytic...or make these great discoveries that everyone else in the world have known for centuries (speaking of the personal discovery side where everyone who grows up automatically knows this stuff....from knowing that you put your right foot in your right shoe....etc.).
Well, to cut to the chase....during one of my early "sensitivity training" learning periods (compliments of the US Navy training) we were introduced to "how it feels to be blind" with a exercise called a Trust Walk. You were blindfolded and ....sort of... lead around a area....trusting in your guide to keep you from hurting yourself. The whole thing was supposed to get you to "understand" how a blind person feels.
If you really wanted to experience "trust" you were told to fall backwards and 'trust' your guide would be there to catch you. Well, with weak smiles, everyone agreed to trust their guide and no one fell.
My point is that I seem to be blessed with this stroke thing to have discovered.....not to put too much of wonder of wonders on it... to appreciate the ability to become more sensitive to folks who have real problems functioning in the world.
For example... having to struggle to read a book (damn words that end in a hyphen at end the end of the line).... and including using a magnifying glass to read a simple newspaper column.....Guuuuuuph!!!). I am going to Barnes and Nobels or Wal-Mart to buy some reading specs.... anything to get me through the simplest paragraph.
For example... I yelled at my wife this morning (again). Anyone who knew me (B.C. stroke) knows that I simply do not yell at anyone....especially Cricket.... nor do I kick the dogs. No... I didn't kick the dogs.
I blame it (insight showing) on my tendency to become frustrated very quickly....for a number of reasons. The easiest being out of control.... in other words not having the correct word at my "finger-tips"....and those who have known my express-speed word delivery in the past (B.C. stroke) will might even appreciate my silence<grin>
However, when trying to use the telephone to explain something....such as making an appointment to bring in the motorhome in... or ordering a prescription.....where I can't even use my hands to gesture.....or show the prescription bottle.... I should say it does make an interesting one-way conversation as I gesture on the phone in my attempt to get the correct word or number across......
I'm beginning to have a full appreciation for folks who have to deal with the less-than-competent people who talk on the phone.
I've already given up trying to relay instructions over the phone<grin>..
So.....like the kid who has found the "prize" in the cereal box.... I delight at my discovering of self-awareness... and share them with you with my personal goal to recognize another opportunity to practice patience, and a sensitivity for the other person. ((Hell.. it even looks good when I type it)).... and since it is in writing... I am serious about doing it.
At the beginning, I made the Subject.... Is this stuff important? Of course, to me it is. But, perhaps you have a lot of other things to do... than take the time to read my thoughts....especially if they start showing up every day. So...be kind to your self....simply tell me to knock it off.... and I will..... after all, I have also been the recipient of well-meaning folks who delight in sending me all kinds of things that they know I absolutely HAVE TO HAVE THIS INFORMATION<grin>
I have absolutely no problem letting them know I prefer to pare down my list of daily messages.....oh.....did I ever send you one of these? (blush--color me red)<grin>
One last point....rather an important one.... writing is my therapy, I use it to pronounce my words as I type....as well as attempt to improve my spelling (yes, I do also use a Spell-checker)...however, some of my words simply do not fit English spelling....I guess.
-joe nomad2-
=======================
And.... one last note... it is wonderful to hear from you again. Because of the concern of the winter weather in November 14th.... we are keeping an eye on our weather travel plans.
Huh?? I guess that needs explaining. When we leave Colordo we travel to Los Angeles. I-70 was the expected route but even during that snow storm a few days ago, we are worried about it happening again (they close the pass).
So, we will probably go South on I-25 and pick up I-40 and catch Los Angeles that way. We leave 11/14 and have to be setting up on 11/21.... so it doesn't give us too many travel days.
-joe nomad2
Oh, you might enjoy my latest how to spend my time..... I actually made it a into a journal entry... hope you get a chuckle from it....
====
Good Morning from Colorado. I don?t have my camera available so I can only describe it?..beginning with OH NO!
It rained all day yesterday?and we listened to the radio reporting that the rain was expected to turn to snow tonight.
We literally ran to the Home Depot to buy electrical heat tape, some foam tube (used to wrap around hot/cold water pipes), a good supply of duct tape and some bubble wrap.
Since we are living in the motorhome, the water hose was suspect to freezing. We triple-strung the electrical heat tape. Secured it with duct tape.
We then forced the wrapped hose into the foam tubes, securing them with duct tape.
The last step was to wrap the entire buddle with bubble wrap. Then to plug it into electricity.
The awning was still up and by now it was raining out. I knew the snow could collect on the awning (if it snowed) but that was not supposed to happen until late evening?. If it even came.
Years ago, in Albuquerque, NM?we lived in an Airstreams Trailer Trailer. A surprise winter storm dumped about 3 feet of snow overnight on us. I had to bend my head because the awning was full of snow. I used the broom to get some snow off the awning as well as using the bristle end of the broom to poke the underside of the awning upward. I was successful in getting the snow off and it did not stretch the awning fabric. So? I knew that I could do the same thing again?..hoping it didn?t come to that.
Well, this being football season, all you Arm Chair Quarterbacks have probably already questioned why I didn?t simply roll the awning up BEFORE the snow arrived. Let?s just not go into that,,,,ok?..<sigh>
About 3 in the AM my wife took the dogs out for their ?do it outside---or die immediately right now!? option. She told me that it was snowing out?. And so the broom detail was into effect.
We have a 24? awning. We had developed a nasty habit of running into the awning braced poles over time and came up with this nifty solution of stringing those tiny blinking lights on the braced poles as well as string the lights along the awning. And?we tied the lights with those valcroed thin straps.
It is an important detail to know that the snow was trying very hard to dump several inches of wet snow per minute on the nearby environment?that included me.
I found myself trying to untie those straps. After a shot bout of frustration, I ended up using scissors on those straps.
Next, I attempted to brush off the closest mounds of snow from the awning, followed by the broom beating the underside of the awning. Well, to make the story short. It worked and the awning was finally slammed shut against the motorhome side. Not secured for travel, but at least out of the way of the snow.
According to the weather folks, this is a slow moving storm that will pass by tomorrow and the weather will make this snow a mere memory by Wedneday. Just wait for 2 days, the sun will come out and melt all the snow, and tempt me to unroll the awning and see if I can get it to dry out??
Stay tuned<grin>
============
And....from this morning's entry:
October 12, 2005
Good Morning from Denver, Colorado (actually Aurora, CO..a suburb)
Snow just about gone. However, the weather folks say it is going to get colder....much colder by the weekend and we have a good chance of getting some more snow again....
If I wasn't the mind-numbing rambler before, I've discovered (everyone already knew) that I have a tendency to be either analytic...or make these great discoveries that everyone else in the world have known for centuries (speaking of the personal discovery side where everyone who grows up automatically knows this stuff....from knowing that you put your right foot in your right shoe....etc.).
Well, to cut to the chase....during one of my early "sensitivity training" learning periods (compliments of the US Navy training) we were introduced to "how it feels to be blind" with a exercise called a Trust Walk. You were blindfolded and ....sort of... lead around a area....trusting in your guide to keep you from hurting yourself. The whole thing was supposed to get you to "understand" how a blind person feels.
If you really wanted to experience "trust" you were told to fall backwards and 'trust' your guide would be there to catch you. Well, with weak smiles, everyone agreed to trust their guide and no one fell.
My point is that I seem to be blessed with this stroke thing to have discovered.....not to put too much of wonder of wonders on it... to appreciate the ability to become more sensitive to folks who have real problems functioning in the world.
For example... having to struggle to read a book (damn words that end in a hyphen at end the end of the line).... and including using a magnifying glass to read a simple newspaper column.....Guuuuuuph!!!). I am going to Barnes and Nobels or Wal-Mart to buy some reading specs.... anything to get me through the simplest paragraph.
For example... I yelled at my wife this morning (again). Anyone who knew me (B.C. stroke) knows that I simply do not yell at anyone....especially Cricket.... nor do I kick the dogs. No... I didn't kick the dogs.
I blame it (insight showing) on my tendency to become frustrated very quickly....for a number of reasons. The easiest being out of control.... in other words not having the correct word at my "finger-tips"....and those who have known my express-speed word delivery in the past (B.C. stroke) will might even appreciate my silence<grin>
However, when trying to use the telephone to explain something....such as making an appointment to bring in the motorhome in... or ordering a prescription.....where I can't even use my hands to gesture.....or show the prescription bottle.... I should say it does make an interesting one-way conversation as I gesture on the phone in my attempt to get the correct word or number across......
I'm beginning to have a full appreciation for folks who have to deal with the less-than-competent people who talk on the phone.
I've already given up trying to relay instructions over the phone<grin>..
So.....like the kid who has found the "prize" in the cereal box.... I delight at my discovering of self-awareness... and share them with you with my personal goal to recognize another opportunity to practice patience, and a sensitivity for the other person. ((Hell.. it even looks good when I type it)).... and since it is in writing... I am serious about doing it.
At the beginning, I made the Subject.... Is this stuff important? Of course, to me it is. But, perhaps you have a lot of other things to do... than take the time to read my thoughts....especially if they start showing up every day. So...be kind to your self....simply tell me to knock it off.... and I will..... after all, I have also been the recipient of well-meaning folks who delight in sending me all kinds of things that they know I absolutely HAVE TO HAVE THIS INFORMATION<grin>
I have absolutely no problem letting them know I prefer to pare down my list of daily messages.....oh.....did I ever send you one of these? (blush--color me red)<grin>
One last point....rather an important one.... writing is my therapy, I use it to pronounce my words as I type....as well as attempt to improve my spelling (yes, I do also use a Spell-checker)...however, some of my words simply do not fit English spelling....I guess.
-joe nomad2-
=======================
And.... one last note... it is wonderful to hear from you again. Because of the concern of the winter weather in November 14th.... we are keeping an eye on our weather travel plans.
Huh?? I guess that needs explaining. When we leave Colordo we travel to Los Angeles. I-70 was the expected route but even during that snow storm a few days ago, we are worried about it happening again (they close the pass).
So, we will probably go South on I-25 and pick up I-40 and catch Los Angeles that way. We leave 11/14 and have to be setting up on 11/21.... so it doesn't give us too many travel days.
-joe nomad2
