T

For a change we're having Spring this yr instead of the usual, Winter, a couple of weeks max of Spring and then High Summer. We DID have a week of Days in the high 70's which was enough to cause all the midseason blooming Daffs to blast but it dropped back down so it's the 1st yr I've got Late season Daff blooms!
Only got a few things left to plant and then Weeding Season begins;>!
We had a small quake Saturday. It was funny. I recognised what it was and then thought, "Naugh. This is Tennessee!". Thanks. I live in a basement on a slope. Maybe the local "Big One" will just slide the house off instead of squishing me;>.......
We're both basically unchanged though with Chuck's noisy roomate moved I got him the window side of the room. Nice Oak with the attending squirrels. Much more Interesting to watch than cinderblock walls. I'm HOPING that things allow me more time to post. That's including Mood. The one I'm just got out of was caused by realizing that all the countries that hold the USA's Debt are now being attacked by "Dear Leader". I guess the gov't will have to sell the land, logging and mining rights to them. So much for Nat'l parks.....
FridhR,
Pat

Been pretty depressed like a lot of people, so I haven't posted anything....anywhere. Sadly, I wasn't close to how bad and how fast. And I expected it to suck big time.
I had an "awkward" meeting with Chuck's nursing home the day after the Medicaid freeze. I'm worried sick for him and all the others on 400 ward. All are Medicaid patients. It's on hold and in a normal time it wouldn't pass the courts but with most of them Magots?
For me it's just been weird. My Neurosurgeon wants me to get gastric bypass surgery for the 45# I haven't lost yet. It makes no sense till you know he figures even if Medicare exists in a few months Back surgery for someone who's previous surgery no longer works(even though it's been almost a decade) would not be approved. He just wants to get paid. Oh, and my brother is transfering to a lesser job to keep from being laid off. He works on software remotely for the feds and mid tier businesses. Looks like their old plan of just selling some property if things go south is a no go if no one has money....
Saw daff buds across the road so I at least have a symbol that Winter is ending. Unfortunately, it's just beginning for America. I'm Seeing again and at least where I live, I'm Seeing abandoned buildings, no traffic. No People. No deer either which is really scary. That means they're gone too...
Troth,
Patrick T. Duffy (Otter)

So, today was the 1st day since Yule warm enough to sit on the porch and try my new pipe(Savinelli Churchwarden) and Tobacco(Capstan Blue, supposedly the blend that JRR Tolkien smoked). Well, unsurprisingly, I don't like my tobacco like my coffee..."black";>
It was better than black coffee though. I did, however get my 1st "buzz" from it so I understand the whole "pipedream" bit;>.
Thankfully, I'd ordered another blend, an Aromatic that one reviewer considered the most dessert-like German Chocolatey blend he ever tried....which sounds good to me!
Cheers,
Pat(it also sticks to your clothes too. BLEGH!)

Still here, just, well kinda numb the last couple of weeks like a lot of folks. Oddly not as upset as last time tough my last bit of Belief in the Goodness of people in general and that of those in the States is DEAD.
I can sum it up with 3 things that happened last week. My Daoist Reading spoke of "Not Caring", the next day my weekly Rune pull was Isa(just Chill;>) and my Brother got back from visiting our older brother in Nevada and said, "I can't give a fuck".
Last time he helped us when we needed and this time instead of 2 people in a house it's me and a cat in their basement....I'm covered with room and board. Considering I've been serious about possibly going on Comfort Measures now that Chuck is being taken care of I don't have any skin in the game. Sure, there are folks(mostly HERE) that I wish they wouldn't have to go through what they will BUT living here in Magamerica?
They STILL won't take responsibility I guarantee it!
Since the weekend of the election not only did I hear from one Magan at Chuck's home that "I don't need to wear a mask anymore dipshit!" very few of the staff are even though they're in ANOTHER COVID outbreak(4th in a yr).
Idiocrasy was a documentary.....
FridhR,
Pat

30 years + living in Florida and a storm named after Mom shows up a decade after she Passed. Hopefully we'll get the mellow Mom, not the bellydancing, tap-dancing fiend;>.
We're here in E Tennessee and stores are already cash only.Jeez,in Florida that doesn't happen until just before landfall and only in that area. Wimps.....
We all lived in Florida too long not to know how to be ready for a storm. Right now the only thing is to keep emptying the icemaker until(if) the power goes off. The spillways on the dam 2 miles fromhere were open when I went on my grocery run. Unfortunately, I only had $40.00 in my wallet so I didn't get everything I want but worse case meals might be boring if She doesn't loose enough Energy before She gets to us. Even Rocky's got more than 2 weeks rations;>!
On a lighter note, Chuck is doing a bit better. He's over the COVID and getting over the Pneumonia he got afterwards. Hopefully, things will be so I can see him either Sunday or Monday....
FridhR,
Pat

Saw Chuck and he's doing a bit better. He's up at his bedside and he's eating, so that's a good sign. THAT was the good news. After I saw him I went shopping and had a fall. Luckily, some good Samaritans helped to get me back on my feet. Other than R elbow and hip bruises(and my Ego;>), I'm OK. Again, luckily I'd gone to Pain Clinic the week before so it was far enough out to have a drink...since I reeeeaaaalllly needed it;>!
It also gave me an excuse to try the tobacco blend they Smoking on the 1st LOTR movie. Not bad but not in the top 5 I've tried since starting my "Pipe Dream";>. And keeping with the LOTR theme, I ordered the LOTR blends from Country Squire. Unfortunately, thanks to the company that bought the rights to LOTR they had to stop using Tolkien Terms so they changed them all to a Southern Fantasy theme. Ol Toby is now Tobaygee and Rivendell is now Riverboat Queen. The others didn't sound interesting enough without the LOTR naming so I'm may try some of them later. I even have a Shire Cobbit pipe to try them(esp Ol Toby)....
Spent the day catching up on plant chores both in and outside. Fall came early this year.
FridhR,
Pat

Remember those doohickeys that used to come with Turkey that would pop up when it's done? I think mine must've fallen out because I'm DONE! It's been to hot and often too wet for the last month to garden and when last week we had a spell of cooler drier conditions about a 1/3 of the plants had died. And those that survived weren't in great shape(one of the Hellebores has only 1 leaf despite starting the Summer with a full mature mass of foliage).
Needless to say I didn't get much exercise and stopped losing weight. In fact gained 4 lbs. I went to my Neurosurgeon Monday and was told, "Have you thought about Bariatric surgery?". Any place else losing 50 lbs in 6 months would be praised. Was a touch Depressed after that.
So, the last couple of days I'm doing my walk with a detour down to the dock and back up that hill. I'm also Smoking but except for one day it's too hot to do that.
Been doing a lot of indoor Gardening. Started up my Hoya collection again. All I have left of my old one is a single lacunosa I've kept going for over 20 yrs. Unfortunately, the only other survivor of my previous collection didn't survive the move and it was a clone of a carnosa(most common "wax plant") I got from a lady when I was in middle school. A plant that her mother had 1st!
Planning to switch everything over to coconut husk chips and coir little by little. Also to self watering. I'm told to hand water the size of my collection now, let alone if it goes to another metal wire shelving. I switched the Grand Dame and none too soon. She had dry rot. Hopefully she'll reroot and keep filling my home with a mix of Jasmine, Chocolate and Vanilla;>!
Chuck is with no change with the exception of him Seeing people that others can't. Since he's always had the ability to "see dead people" that means the Wards I put up for him need redoing. I don't mind him Seeing them, it's just in his state he's not up to judging Weal and Woeful Spirits. And considering from my Geriatric Nursing days, Nursing home Dead are seldom Happy....for good reason. I haven't seen a single visitor other than myself to the Medicaid wing since Yule.
We lucked out last month in that we went to Dollywood's water park 2 weeks before the flood. Well, everyone WAS complaining how shallow the lazy river was. It's not NOW;>!
FridhR,
Pat

I made some orders this week to a Fountain Pen company for a notebook of good grade paper and some ink samples. I've discovered that Goulet Pen Company's samples are enough for two pen's worth. The other company I know of that does samples only give you enough for one(and basically the same price). This is to redo a project I did more than 2 decades ago; to write out three parts of the Lore(Havamal, Voluspa and the various Rune-poems). Whether or not I do it in Copperplate is another story;>!
I DO know which pen I'm NOT using. My Fountain Pen Revolution pen with Ultraflex nib. If I did it would take at least 3 times as long to do it. It writes beautifully but the control to do so would mean very short writing sessions. The top contender is my Penbbs with an Architect nib. Easy writer and very comfortable over long sessions. I have ordered a few Cinese pens with unusual nibs this month and I'll test drive them before deciding what I'll use.
Right now I'm leaning to using Sherwood Forest Green ink for the Havamal though Diamine's 'Jack Frost' would be 2nd(it's deep blue with silver shimmer). The only problem with the latter is that it's a Shimmer ink. That's an ink with very fine particles added(usually Gold or Silver) which means both having to agitate the ink to keep it from settling out AND needs to be cleaned out vigorously. Actually, that's why the order to China. F#k up a <15.00 pen is one thing, a near 50.00? I don't think so;>.....
Right now I'm playing with the Shimmer inks using my Mom's old dip pen set she'd got for an Art class back in the early Ought's. Or my Glasspen. Both are easy to clean.....
FridhR,
Pat( Who avoids going outside after 0900. Too HOT!!!)

The last of the seeds that I started indoors are now Hardening off outdoors. Just in time for me to take the Stratifying seeds out of the fridge to start the whole thing again for Fall;>! Some of the 1st ones planted this Spring are starting to Bloom, esp the Wild Verbena. Taller than I expected but how a plant behaves outside of it's native environment may be a touch different. Not bad, just taller than I expected. Native Bees really like it......
Chuck's still stable. though the facility's in lockdown again with the "C"word. Nobody on the Medicaid unit thankfully. Some Richer either has an antivaxxer in their family and or doesn't want to wait for their money. Life.....
Spring's been much cooler than normal which is nice to Garden in. Spring flowers are lasting longer than usual so it's quite lovely here. Deadheaded a number of Spring bloomers and some of them(early Salvias and Penstemons) I took cuttings. Fingers crossed!
FridhR,
Pat(now below #250 for the 1st time in over a decade....on PURPOSE)

A couple of weeks ago my younger brother was visiting our surviving old brother and he HAD to share with me that Gary(older) couldn't read my b-day care I sent him. He offered some books his work had him do a few yrs ago when HIS handwriting was bad enough that the boss noticed;>!
While it was annoying to hear, I'd noticed my handwriting had fallen AGAIN. Back in the early 90's my medical-influenced handwriting got so bad I took a calligraphy class(Uncil btw) and my writing markedly approved.
Sadly, the almost 30 yrs since it pretty well sucks so I'm doing the work from those books. Honestly, it hasn't taken much and my writing is much improved. It's also awakened my love of calligraphy.
I don't know if I still have the workbooks from my Uncil class(if so it's in one of those boxes waiting for a bookcase;>!) but I've ordered one on Spencerian and on Copperplate. I'm really interested in English Roundhand(what the Declaration of Independence was written in) but am not having much luck there.
What started out as something kind of insulting has turned into a pleasure I'd forgotten decades ago....
Cheers,
Pat