Small Talk: The Welcome Mat

[Lamb18]

On 1/21/2022 at 9:18 AM, Netfoot said:

Thanks, @sharkerbaby! Yes, I've watched Firefly, and also Orphan Black and the 1st season of Westworld. I think I might watch Firefly again, as a mater of fact. And/or Serenity the movie, which I thought was also great. Summer Glau was great in her part as River, and the final confrontation scene between Fillion and Ejiofor was also great!

I'm now watching a short (13 episodes) series called Cadfael which is about a 13th century monk who is a sort of tech-genius detective of the day. The title role is played by Derek Jacobi (of I Claudius fame). Unusual, but fun.

Also trying to watch the dubbed version of The Silent Sea and not getting into it. While the video looks quite serious, the dubbed voices seem to be more comedic. I wonder if I'd find the original in Korean with English subtitles any more compelling?

I've found this list of Sci-fi TV shows and I'm looking through it. There is much I've seen in the past and much I chose not to watch (unimpressed by the blurb), but still hoping to pick up something fun.

Obviously, I'm not only interested in Sci-fi shows. So interested to hear anything that anyone cares to suggest.

Oh, BTW, I am also watching a British show called Shetland which is a cop show set in the Shetland Islands. It's currently between series right now. I didn't mention it because Primetimer doesn't have a thread for it, so I it wasn't listed when I checked "Your Shows" on the site.

Similarly Death in Paradise, a British/French cop show set on a fictitious french Caribbean island. It's more a comedic look at island life than a serious cop show, which I guess is why it appeals to me.

Hi Netfoot, I reread the Brother Cadfael series (Ellis Peters) last year. Also Shetland is from the Jimmy Perez (I think that's his name) mystery series taking place on the  Shetland Islands by Anne Cleeves. She also wrote the Vera Stanhope mysteries which air on the BBC as "Vera."

[Netfoot]

47 minutes ago, Lamb18 said:

Hi Netfoot, I reread the Brother Cadfael series (Ellis Peters) last year. Also Shetland is from the Jimmy Perez (I think that's his name) mystery series taking place on the  Shetland Islands by Anne Cleeves. She also wrote the Vera Stanhope mysteries which air on the BBC as "Vera."

Never read the Cadfael books, but I'm watching the short series (only 13 episodes). 

Yes, I watch the Shetland TV shows with Henshall playing the role of DI Perez. S6 ended recently on a cliff-hanger, so I'm looking forward to S7. A friend who also watches, is now reading the books by Ann Cleeves, but I have not done so.

Wasn't familiar with Vera, but now I'm going to try to watch a few of the episodes to see if I like them. So thanks for mentioning it.

[Netfoot]

Eeeek!

Found this in the bed along with some other puppy-related detritus. 

I called a little fellow and examined his mouth. Both lower, juvenile canines are gone, with the new, adult replacements continuing to extrude into place.

No idea where the other fang has got to. Considering how much the pupper wanders around and chews on everything, it could be anywhere!

My baby is growing up!

[Netfoot]

Just had a chance to examine his mouth again. The upper canines are still there but "hanging by a thread". They are extremely wobbly and if he sneezes, they will come flying out. I will let nature take it's course, but I doubt they will be there by morning.

[Netfoot]

You know, I do a lot for my boys. It's bad enough when he steals my shoes. 

This shoe stolen from a table top that I dunno how he got it down.

But this takes the cake! He just rushed into the bedroom, sank his teeth into my neck, and suddenly pulled back looking confused. I touched my next to find a fang sticking to it!

Here is the bottom fang I found earlier, and the one that just came out due to cruel over-use. The larger one is the more recent. So he's only got one left, on the upper right of his face. 

The last remaining tooth is visibly extended and take it from me, it's very loose. The replacement is well established.

Will go to Dr. Kristi tomorrow, if she is ok with it. I've not gone since before Christmas, and I expect I'm up a good 25 lbs. 

Edited January 25, 2022 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Just burnt my dinner. I do it all the time. 

I cooked corned beef and cabbage for lunch, but made enough so I could eat some for lunch and the remainder for dinner. It also contained sweet peppers and jalapenos, broccoli, onion and cucumber. When it was as ready, I served myself a plate and sat down to eat. 

Just as I was finishing, I smelt burning from the kitchen. Damn! Forgot to turn the stove off after serving myself lunch! And I do it all the time! Normally, I go in, turn the stove off first thing, and then serve myself a plate. But at least once a week, I manage to forget and leave the stove on.

This only happens when I leave the pot on the stove. Never just leave the stove on with nothing on the burner. So the smell of burning allows me to catch it pretty quickly. Since an empty pot/pan always goes in the sink, there is always something to burn and draw me back in to turn the stove off. 

But inevitably, what ever was left in the pot ends up somewhat the worse work wear. So dinner tonight prolly won't be that great. OTOH, it might be good! It wasn't too badly overcooked, and sometimes, that can introduce unexpected flavours and make for an unexpectedly tasty meal. But this time... prolly not.

Took Mo for a drive before lunch. Our mate John is self-isolating. His daughter has contracted athlete's foot and is in home quarantine, so John and his wyf have been running errands for daughter (and granddaughter) so are at higher than usual risk of infection. That's why they are isolating themselves as much as they can. 

A couple days ago John asked me if I had any books he could borrow. He's going stir-crazy with nothing to do. So I dug out 30-40 books, lined them up and sent him a photograph of the spines. He picked 8 that he wanted to read. But obviously he can't come and collect them...

So Mo and I drove down and delivered them. We didn't go into the house, but I had a good little chat with John in the driveway. We enjoyed the long drive, because after all, we were feeling a little stir-crazy ourselves. 

(I know 20 km. one way doesn't sound like a long drive, but when the entire country is less than 35 km in length, and the roads are twisty and winding...)

Here is a picture of Mo. The light makes him look less than his usual stealth bomber black, but don't believe it!

The collar is standing up well. 

He was here cuddling with me a moment ago but now I'm hearing him fighting with something outside the window. He's shaking it like a rat, it seems. I'd better go and rescue it, whatever it is.

Prolly a Croc...

[Netfoot]

Dinner really wasn't all that wonderful. Not horrible, not burnt to the point of being inedible, but just cooked too far, so the veggies were no longer crisp / crunchy. I could have fixed it by adding some more veggies maybe, but I couldn't be bothered.

 Mo's last fang is still hanging in there. How? Today alone I've caught him chewing on a piece of rebar, a bit of concrete protruding from the garden wall, and a ceramic cereal bowl. He's here with me now, snuggling up against my tummy. He is a good snuggler, and I like to give him "Eskimo kisses". Sometimes he grabs my nose and bites down on it. Sometimes he starts licking my mouth very forcefully.

He started out with a tiny white goatee and a couple of white hairs on his throat. Now, the goatee has almost vanished into the face fuzz, and the two hairs on his throat have expanded. Just visible at the bottom of the picture.

Of course, the white toesies on the rear feet have remained unchanged. 

[Rootbeer]

12 hours ago, Netfoot said:

Dinner really wasn't all that wonderful. Not horrible, not burnt to the point of being inedible, but just cooked too far, so the veggies were no longer crisp / crunchy. I could have fixed it by adding some more veggies maybe, but I couldn't be bothered.

 Mo's last fang is still hanging in there. How? Today alone I've caught him chewing on a piece of rebar, a bit of concrete protruding from the garden wall, and a ceramic cereal bowl. He's here with me now, snuggling up against my tummy. He is a good snuggler, and I like to give him "Eskimo kisses". Sometimes he grabs my nose and bites down on it. Sometimes he starts licking my mouth very forcefully.

He started out with a tiny white goatee and a couple of white hairs on his throat. Now, the goatee has almost vanished into the face fuzz, and the two hairs on his throat have expanded. Just visible at the bottom of the picture.

Of course, the white toesies on the rear feet have remained unchanged. 

That is a dog who loves his life!

[Netfoot]

1 minute ago, Rootbeer said:

That is a dog who loves his life!

I hope so. I try to give my boys a good life, with the opportunity to travel in the car with me, meet people and (where appropriate) wander about in various locations.

I try to give plenty of physical love, with loads of pats, strokes, cuddles and tickles, and I talk to my boys all the time about things I know they have no chance of understanding, but they seem to appreciate the opportunity to chat just because it is face time we share.

Today, Mo gets to revisit the cane piece in which Austin's lost model is hiding. I keep an eagle eye on him the entire time, and there are no real dangers in a Bajan cane piece anyway. (Not like Trinidad, where they routinely burnt the cane before reaping, to kill the snakes, scorpions and centipedes. But T&T don't grow cane any more anyway, so...)

[Netfoot]

After twelve days sleeping amongst the canes, Austin's missing plane has been found. This image shows our clubhouse, and airstrip and to the south, a large cane piece in which the plane was known to have crashed.

The cane piece is approximately 850' North/South and 650' East/West. We searched this field several times, pushing through the canes in a line and diligently looking ahead, to each side, and behind, and looking at the tops of the canes as well as at ground level.

Observe the imagery from a search drone deployed by a member today.

I doubt you would find that plane easily, without the green circle. What made it more difficult to find was that the pilot was firmly of the opinion that it had gone down further away from the club, in the southern part of the cane piece. 

Naturally, we still had to go in and locate it, so we called in an expert search-dog to assist:

He quickly pinpointed the wreck, and can be seen at the bottom of this photo pointing it out.

Edited January 26, 2022 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

The model itself was too damaged to be repaired, but all the valuable stuff was stripped out of it before:

Go and look at the photos of the canes. Both the green "tops" and the brown "trash" are razor-edged. No fun searching a cane piece...

Edited January 26, 2022 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Spoiler

Stupid mobile editor inserted an empty spoiler tag, and I can't figure how to delete it!

Weigh-day. Down three pounds. Big deal. I was up twelve to begin with. Down 53 net since I started.

Only saw Dr. Kristi to wave to. She was pretty busy. Sent her a picture of Mo. Clauda (nurse/assistant) helped me with the scale. Dr. K. didn't get a chance to see Mo who was in the car, but Clauda came to the door and waved at him as we left.

Mo was sick last night. So I am keeping him close today.

Also went to the bank. I'm supposed to call ahead and get the OK before I go, but in all the years I've been using that branch, I have never yet, even once, had anyone actually answer when I call that number. So I show up, they bitch at me for not calling, I confirm that I have the number correct...

It's like some folks who never answer the phone. You leave a voicemail and they gat get back to you when it's convenient for them! That don't usually work for me. Wonder what happens when two such people get in a "deadly embrace" condition with each other?

Just started a novel set in prehistoric times. The blurb says it is about a tribe that crosses the Bering land-bridge, thus entering the Americas. Might be interesting.

Edited January 28, 2022 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

It's chilly tonight. It's been chilly the last 3-4 nights! So chilly I don't want to take my pre-bedtime shower. The water will be nice and hot, but stepping out of the hot shower into the chilly air would hurt!

Temperature is 19°C (~66°F), while google advises me the average temperature for this time of year is around 23°C (~76°F). That's too bleeding cold for comfort! 

To combat the brrrrr, I've got two things. First, an oddly shaped, slightly too small cover sheet. It takes quite a bit of fiddling,  rearranging and wriggling around to get everything nicely covered up, apart from my nose which needs to remain poking out from under. Second, I've got a black, fuzzy hot-water bottle with a tendency to move itself around unexpectedly.

I've got a book I just started, but I think that tonight I'm gonna just leave it lie, douse the lamps and get some shut-eye 

[Netfoot]

I'm cooking a pot of rice. Should I be eating rice? No. Do I desire rice to an unnatural degree? Yes.

Traditionally, Bajans eat pigeon peas in rice. I intended to add other vegetables, plus some corned beef.

I grabbed two tins of pigeon peas and dumped them in... only to discover that one of the tins was channa! I like channa but never had, or heard of it, in rice. But I guess it is either going to be a disaster or (hopefully) a happy accident.

Also in the pot: carrots, corn, broccoli, onion, a small amount of sweet pepper and a very small amount of cauliflower. Plus the corned beef and sundry spices.

It should be ready in eleven minutes. Will report later on how it turns out.

[Netfoot]

Just picked up my book when Mo jumped on to me and bit my forearm. Then, with a confused look, he backed off for a few seconds. Just long enough for me to retrieve this, which was sticking to my skin.

He's back teeth are now growing out. He wouldn't let me look in his mouth; fought like a pirate to prevent me. So not sure exactly where it came from. Then came a short battle over who would take possession of the artifact. He lost and has run off on a huff. (That last canine is still hanging in...)

The rice was good. Had a bowl for lunch. Not excessively spicy, but it hit the spot just right. Will have some more for dinner. Trying to think up ways of making each serving a little different. Could fry a portion with egg. Could add more jalapenos and some diced cucumber to a portion. Could serve some beside a chicken breast treated with a cayenne-flavoured dry rub and pan fried. Could cook up some consomme and add a portion of the rice into it. Could drizzle on some balsamic vinegar. Or some Sriracha. Could add some olives...

You realize, I've already regained the three pounds, right?

Last night was indeed winter weather, but I was able to get wrapped up and stayed there until 6 AM, when puppy had to go out. And actually, it's quite cool today! So strange, given that we've only got 7 years left before the end of the world due to Global Warming.

Found a bone in the bed. Not a chicken bone. Not an old bone of Buddy's either. A fresh pork bone (I assume) with marrow in it still. Not a bone out of my kitchen. Where does he find things like this?

I'm hearing and occasionally feeling a bump under the bed. He is spelunking in Bud's special place. That's OK. Bud wouldn't mind one bit. Mo sleeps under there in the afternoon often enough. He is collecting a bunch of stuff under there, including dirt from the garden, hair-balls, things he's stolen from around the house and of course, bottles. Wonder if I can grab a pic?

I didn't get the book out last night and went straight off to sleep. Feel like doing the same right now.

[Browncoat]

17 hours ago, Netfoot said:

Temperature is 19°C (~66°F), while google advises me the average temperature for this time of year is around 23°C (~76°F). That's too bleeding cold for comfort! 

I'm really trying very hard to be sympathetic, but the high here tomorrow is meant to be a whopping 27F.  I have no idea what that is in C, but it's below 0C!

[Rootbeer]

5 minutes ago, Browncoat said:

I'm really trying very hard to be sympathetic, but the high here tomorrow is meant to be a whopping 27F.  I have no idea what that is in C, but it's below 0C!

Yep, where I live, it is currently 23F (-5C), we've got more than a foot of snow on the ground and the temps haven't been above freezing in more than a week. 19C/66F sounds heavenly to me.

[Netfoot]

Just now, Browncoat said:

I'm really trying very hard to be sympathetic, but the high here tomorrow is meant to be a whopping 27F.  I have no idea what that is in C, but it's below 0C!

(27°F - 32) = 5 ÷ 1.8 = -2.777°C

The dividing by 1.8 is the part most people have difficulty doing in their head. So, divide by 2 and add a tenth of the answer:

(27°F - 32) = 5 ÷ 2 = -2.5  + (-0.25) = -2.75°C  Close enuff for gubmint work.

ReaIly, I bleed for you. But then again, they do say:

Barbados is where rich people holiday and smart people live...

[Browncoat]

4 minutes ago, Netfoot said:

(27°F - 32) = 5 ÷ 1.8 = -2.777°C

The dividing by 1.8 is the part most people have difficulty doing in their head. So, divide by 2 and add a tenth of the answer:

(27°F - 32) = 5 ÷ 2 = -2.5  + (-0.25) = -2.75°C  Close enuff for gubmint work.

ReaIly, I bleed for you. But then again, they do say:

Barbados is where rich people holiday and smart people live...

I never can remember the fraction part of the conversion formula.  

 

[Netfoot]

5 minutes ago, Browncoat said:

I never can remember the fraction part of the conversion formula.  

When I was at school we had to learn this. The idea was you would never know if you would end up dealing with a part of the world which used °F or °C so you better learn both.

We also learned how to do arithmetic for decimal money like dollars and cents, but also how to do arithmetic for LSD. Which last I never actually got to use.

 

[Browncoat]

I don't think we ever had to learn conversions to metric.  I don't even know why I have any clue about temperature conversion, but I can only remember that it's either 5/9 or 9/5, and plus or minus 32, depending on whether you're going from F to C or C to F..  I'm good with the 32 part, but the fraction eludes me.  There are lots of things like that that I know the difference, but I can't remember which applies -- like the difference between serum and plasma.  I know they're different, and I know why, but I never can remember which is which.

But, I'm a scientist, so I use Celsius all the time!  I just know a few temps (you grow bacteria at 37, water boils at 100, -40C is -40F, etc.) and kind of extrapolate from there.

[Netfoot]

Much of that stuff I learned over 60 years ago, and when I apply it now, I have to run it through a couple variations until I get a result that is reasonable.

The one I hated the most was the pounds, shillings and pence arithmetic. L=pounds, S=shilling and D=(old) pence. Few people recognize or realize that the £ symbol is actually a cursive L.  

Fortunately, by the time I went to Britain as a young student, they had decimalized the currency nearly five years before in early 1971. So, I never had to put that early schooling to the test.

Anecdote: When they first decimalized the money, the newspapers printed a conversion chart between old LSD and new decimal currency. In 1981 (ten years after decimalization) I went into a shop to buy a tiny tin of paint (62p) and a little paint brush (20p). The elderly shopkeeper whipped out a battered piece of cardboard with a ten year old conversion chart from a newspaper glued to it. She converted 62p to LSD, then she did the same with 20p, then she added the two amounts in LSD in her head, and finally used the cardboard chart to convert the LSD result back to decimal before telling me the total was 82p. I was flabbergasted.

 

[Netfoot]

It's cold again tonight. Mo is high on speed. He obviously has a good dealer, because he is very high.

He's last fang is wobbling back and forth by 45° at the lightest touch, but still hasn't fallen out yet. I just had to smack his botty because he wouldn't stop trying to eat the concrete wall with his beautiful, new pearly whites. He retaliated by snatching the stopper for my bottle of fizzy water and running off with it. He's now trying to eat the bars of his hutch and if he doesn't stop I'm going to smack his botty again! He is exactly 23 weeks old today. He came home with me 15 weeks ago tomorrow. 

Listening to Champagne Supernova. This ((What's the Story) Morning Glory by Oasis) really is a good album.

I'm still only a few pages into my book, which still looks like it might be interesting. Tiredness has prevented me from reading much in the last day or two. But I'm going to try and get stuck into it now, and polish off a couple of chapters before my eyes close down for the night.

 

Edited January 29, 2022 by Netfoot

[Browncoat]

My brain keeps turning "decimalized" to "decriminalized".  Silly brain.

Edited January 29, 2022 by Browncoat

[Netfoot]

4 hours ago, Browncoat said:

My brain keeps turning "decimalized" to "decriminalized".  Silly brain.

Back then, that was the term on everyone's lips. Nowadays it's Brexit!

Mo had three bouts of watery, inky-black poos last night, so we were waiting at the vet when they opened today. 

They showed me the x-ray from last weekend, and the one from today. All the "debris" from last week is gone/passed, but his colon is inflamed. I took a sample with me and they ran tests. The vet said it would probably show hook-worm because the inflammation of the colon is just what they would expect from hook-worm.

The tests showed no sign of hook-worm or anything else. As I said, all the "debris" (possibly glass, metal or ceramics) from last week is gone, so the plan is to medicate and hope the inflamation passes and the poos return to normal.

He is now on three meds. A capsule every morning, half a tab twice a day, and a syringe of Dica twice a day. 

As we left the vet Mo did a poo in the parking lot. It was somewhat watery, but it was not black at all, a normal brown colour. I popped back in and told the vet and they were pleased to hear of the change.

Sorry that this post is all about dog-poo. Why would I think that was a suitable subject for posting?

Been up since 4:00 AM, spent 4 hours in the car going, waiting at the vet to be seen (no appointment) and in the car again coming back home.

While there, a very pregnant Samoyed came in, in labour. The only person I know who has Samoyeds is Dr. Kristi. I sent her a message about Mo, and mentioned the Sammy. She got back to me to say the pregnant Sammy is hers, and the labour is not going well. They have had two dead and one alive, and since I left, she has had to be taken back to the vet for further investigation and possible C-section.

I am sending her "warm beams" as an old TWoP acquaintance once told me they were sending for Dotcom when he was ill.

Cross your fingers and send some "warm beams" for my boy Mo's quick recovery, and (if you've a mind to) send some for Dr. K's girl as well.

 

[Netfoot]

Mo is hanging in and hopefully is on the road to recovery. He refused to get in bed for a cuddle, so I have to periodically go find him, and spend 5 minutes patting and stroking him and making encouraging noises.

Heard from Dr. K whose Samoyed has two baby girl puppies. One born naturally and one, like MacDuff, untimely ripped. (C-section.) Mom and babies home and doing well, babes nursing. Alas, two other pups didn't make it.

[Netfoot]

Mo joined me in bed just as I was about to get up. So I delayed long enough to cuddle him and serenade him by singing along to Child in Time (Deep purple). Despite my croaking through Ian Gillan's vocals and wistfully whistling along to Ritchie Blackmore's guitar riffs, baby Mo seemed to enjoy it, and dozed off with his tummy pressed to my chest and my fingers stroking his side and back. 

His remaining fang still hangs in place, despite easily wobbling 45° I either direction if you just look at it. I'd have asked about it at the vet today if the place hadn't been an absolute madhouse.

[Pfiga]

20 hours ago, Netfoot said:

It's cold again tonight.

As others have said, no sympathy from me either!  It's around 12F here now and it did not go above 20F all day.  And we're right in the middle of a blizzard.  It's been snowing since around midnight, there is well over a foot of fresh snow on the ground, and we expect a total of about 2 feet if not more.  The kids (and dogs, apparently) are excited.  The rest of us are just hoping not to lose power.

[Netfoot]

2 hours ago, Pfiga said:

As others have said, no sympathy from me either!

I know. You all make fun of me saying how cold it is.  But if you spent three days in the sun here, you would be saying how cold it is too.

Tonight looks like it will be a little warmer than the last couple, but not by much.

Gave Mo his evening pill. Tried to give him his 4cc of Dica. (They kindly gave me a 3cc syringe to measure it with.) I got about 2cc into him and gave you. He behaved like I was poisoning him. He fought so hard I thought he would dislocate a joint or broke a bone. Sorry, I can't subject him to such physical stress. Later, while snoozed on my desk, I unstoppered the bottle and brought it near his nose. I thought he was going to jump off the table without a bungee!

Finished my pot of rice. It really hit the spot, over the last couple if days. Now I'm jonesing for pasta, but I have to draw the line. I think the rice only suffered one fault. It was too much rice for a single tin of corned beef. Should have used two.

The accident with the channa turned out to be a happy one. It tasted fine with the rice. I would say though, that if you are doing pigeon peas, do pigeon peas and if you are doing channa do channa. Both at once... maybe not as good an idea.

Mouse is here with me, curled up and sleepy. I will now wrap myself into my top-sheet like a Scotsman in a Great Plaid, and we will snuggle our way through to morning. 

[Netfoot]

The guys watched in awe as Mo ran the length of the strip, circled around through the bushes, back down the strip, around by the duncs tree, and back up the strip to repeat the tour again. And again. And again. A little body like that shouldn't be able to store such energy, unless it contains some sort of radioactive isotope!

And afterwards, he wasn't even tired. He ran from one guy to the next, getting praise and pats, and blocks of ice, while administering forceful kisses and head butts. During one of which...

I saw something fly out of his mouth and disappear under the table. I went after it, and yes, you guessed it. The final fang, hanging by a thread for days, has been discarded. I don't think he even noticed when it happened.

The replacement, adult fang was already almost half an inch long, due to the juvenile tooth taking so long to come loose and fall out.

We had a scare when a novice pilot "lost" his plane. He/we knew exactly where it was, of course. It was circling over the blasted cane piece, and refusing any command from the ground! Fortunately, he was being tutored by an experienced pilot, who immediately concluded that the plane had flown out of range and gone into failsafe mode, and was circling slowly down.

Most transmitter/receiver combinations have at least two miles range, but the lad was using a "park flier" and they typically have tiny receivers, often direct conversion circuits, that have very limited range. Fortunately, the quick thinking tutor walked his student off the field and out towards the circling plane. This shortened the range, the transmitter reacquired the plane, and it was brought safely back home. Everyone applauded -- nobody wanted to search that cane piece again!

Later, unka Rudy and I took a stroll around the grounds and a still-energetic Mo came with us. He raced up and down, in and out of the bush at the side of the strip, and once, he ran up to me at top speed, leaped into the air, and with both front feet at once, kicked me squarely in the nuts. (I must really love that dog.) Rudy offered to throw him on the BBQ, but Rudy spent years threatening Budweiser with the BBQ, and more years before that threatening Dotcom with it too. So, I don't think Molasses is in any actual danger. Certainly not until we can fatten him up a bit...

As darkness fell, the lads sat in the clubhouse and had One for the Road. And then another. And then another. And another... Mo and I got home later than usual, and as I spooned his dinner into his bowl, spoonful after spoonful was vanishing out of the bowl faster than I could replenish it. Not surprising. He has to have something to convert into radioactive isotopes for storage. I pan-fried a chicken breast and a variety of veggies for my own dinner, and was serenaded while I ate, by a crying puppy who obviously hadn't been fed for a week. I was hard-hearted enough to ignore such blandishments, and enjoy my meal. 

The night is not cold like the last few. It is just cool. I will still enjoy the cuddle-bunny snuggling up against me, but if a toe or ear escapes the cover sheet, it probably won't suffer from frostbite.

Now, let me try for some progress with my book.

Edited January 31, 2022 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Mo's mouth is back to normal. By which I mean the sore, bloody spot where the old fang had been clinging is already completely back to normal. 

He is also perfectly happy using the new canines and incisors. Not that he exhibited any hesitancy using his pearly whites before or during.

He has a mouth full of beautiful, strong, healthy, white teeth. And he is happy to use them. In fact I worry about them, because he chews rocks, metal, ceramics, hard plastic and anything he can get his hands on. And if he can't find something suitable  to chew on that he can steal, he will go out and dig something up!

His fur remains inky black, but the wire-hair has a silvery tint to it, with possibly a hint of chocolate. So his whiskery beard and moustache, eyebrows, footies and a very small top-knot or crest running back between his eyes and over the top of his head sometimes look grey. Especially in bright light which enhances the silvery aspect. But then, his all-black fur shines like silver in the light.

He's just back from his water bowl with a full pint beading in his whiskers. He's trying to decide if to come up and give me wet cuddles or go for a nap under the bed..... Wet cuddles it is, then!

[Netfoot]

1st of February, and it's Tuesday. That means... Book-tent!

Went with a list of books I was hoping to make a dent in, but alas! Not one to be found. Did pick up three others though, for $8.

Pharmacy, veggies, puppy-food, and some buttery cassava with pork chop and steamed broccoli, carrot, squash and cabbage. Also got a portion of mackie pie for the baby. Gave him half, along with half the unwanted parts of the chop. Even the little bone. He inhaled it and wanted the rest, but I'm saving that for his dinner.

I hurried my shopping so I could stand for 44 minutes in a line for the cashier. You can take COVID precautions too far.

On the way home, stopped the van by the tent and the ladies fussed with baby Mo. The main comment was how huge he has gotten! I myself can't decide whether he's a Monster or a Mouse. But he is a sweetie, and he sang songs for the ladies Ina in a very high pitched voice, before donating a tenner as we were leaving. He (and they) would have liked to play there all afternoon, but they have work to do, so we moved on.

I will now retire with my book, with a bag of chips and a glass or of water. I suspect the puppy will arrive and demand his tithe, very quickly!

Edited February 1, 2022 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

You have to plan ahead. Or more accurately, you have to consider the consequences of your actions.

We're off to bed. I was watching Inglorious Basterds. It's a long movie, like 2½ hours, and it's crap. It was crap when I first saw it (when it first got released), and it's crap today. But I recently read somewhere that is one of the best WW-II "war" movies ever. An I thought, "What? With movies like Cross of Iron, The Bridge on the River Kwai, The Great Escape, Schindler's List, Dunkirk, Stalingrad, Saving Private Ryan, Letters From Iwo Jima, Das Boot, The Monuments Men, The Longest Day plus literally hundreds more, they picked that piece of crap to call the best?!??" So I figured I'd watch it again to see if I had misjudged it. I hadn't. It was crap, it is crap and forever more, it will continue to be crap. It's so bad that when I first saw it, I initially thought it was supposed to be a comedy, because of Pitt's thoroughly atrocious accent.

Anyway, I'm watching this crap and there's 2 hours to go and I can't take any more right now, so we're off to bed. With a cold glass of milk. So I break some cubes out of one of my ice trays, and of course one goes on the floor. It doesn't stay there long, of course because Mo isn't far away, and knowing that he enjoys an ice cube now and again, I give him a call.

So I shut off the light in the kitchen, close and lock the front door, collect my phone, grab a torchlight, shut off a few more lights, and make my way into the bedroom. 

And climb into a bed that has frigid, damp spots all over.

You have to consider the consequences of your actions.

[Netfoot]

Mo is all teeth tonight. And he has quite a set of them! His incisors and canines have all changed from his baby teeth to his adult ones, and they are one string strong set of choppers!

He is all about chewing, right now. My hands, my feet, my shoulder, my chest. He even went for the, uh, wedding tackle. I was lucky to deflect him. Generally there is no problem in that regard, because I make sure to keep everything safely covered, but tonight he is biting painfully through several layers of folded sheet and attacking body parts randomly.

He's just jumped out of bed and is wandering around the house in the dark. Obviously up to no good. But I'm not going to see what wickedness he's up to. I'll check in the morning.

Hungry. Haven't had much to eat today. Tuna fish with onion and jalapenos, dressed with mayo. Really wanted to eat some bread with it, or at least some Eclipse biscuits (crackers) but restrained myself. So, laying in bed, still hungry. The thing is I can't find any sugar-free Sprite to buy. And that is a staple drink for me, since I was told to lay off the sugar and avoid caffeine. But I haven't been able to buy sugar-free Sprite for weeks, and I've now depleted home stocks. I even called the bottlers, who confirmed: the island is out of stock.

If this goes on much longer, I'll have to revert to my old faithful beverage, full-cream milk. I love the stuff, but have been banned from drinking it because of the weight gain that it brings. I drink one liter a week, but if that is the only thing available, I could easily drink 1-2 liters a day. Actually, it's 2% milk I was banned from drinking so you can guess how much worse the full-cream stuff is for me.

Afraid to put goat-mout' on him, but little Mo seems to have recovered from his inflamed colon issues. Or at least is well on his way to recovery. He is acting quite normally, has a tremendous appetite, and his poo is very normal in appearance, both consistency and colour. (Here I am talking about dog-poo again...)

He's been taking his meds very well. Two in the morning, and one at night, concealed in a Vienna sausage. He's such a voracious food-dog he never questions why the sausages have crunchy bits in them. The Dica on the other hand, he won't have anything to do with. I'm supposed to squirt it into his mouth with a syringe, but if he sees the syringe or smells the Dica he fights like a pirate, to the point that I fear hurting him if I hang on to him and try to force the syringe into his mouth.

Oh, here he is! Back in bed without so much as a by-your-leave, and now tired and sleepy, rather than energetic and chompy.

He is developing a skill I have seen once before, many years ago. One of mum's dachshunds (Mini) had the ability to effortlessly push my dad out of bed. Mini really was a mini-dog and my dad was a big man! But she would have him on the floor a couple times a week without even trying.

Well, Mo has the same skill. I'm only fortunate in that he pushes me away from the edge, and towards the wall. A couple times a night I have to physically shift him so as to reclaim some mattress real estate for myself. I'm glad I'm not hitting the tiles in the night. I've been suffering from some real back pains this last handful of days and a fall, even from such a low height, would probably be very uncomfortable.

Gonna have to eat something for breakfast tomorrow. Don't fancy waiting until lunch.

Anyway, been woffling on far too long. Will try the book for a while, and see if I can get to the end of a chapter before falling asleep and dropping the book, thereby losing my page...

 

Edited February 3, 2022 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Further to my previous post, he is not only adept at pushing me around the bed, he is also Gold Standard at stealing the blanket!

Yes, it's the Crack O' Dawn!

[Netfoot]

I started the morning by giving Mo his early meds (inside a Vienna sausage), while contemplating the contents of my fridge. Decided to keep it simple, and made myself a couple of cheese and egg cutters for breakfast.

Beat up a couple of eggs with salt, pepper sauce and some oregano. Then I sliced the wholewheat buns in half and dipped the inside of each piece into the egg. Fried these french-toast style, and poured the remaining egg into the pan to create a small, unfolded 'omlette'.

Sliced five thin pieces off the end of a block of New Zealand cheddar, and placed a couple, plus half the 'omlette' between the top and bottom of each french-toasted bun, and called it a meal!

It tasted pretty good! And gave me a tummy-ache. Probably because I was very hungry by then and said tummy was very empty. Right as rain again in about 5 minutes.

By this time, 30 minutes had passed since he had his meds, so he was now allowed to eat. (The Vienna sausage doesn't count... because!) So I gave him a bowl of puppy chow. He never used to like puppy chow, but now, if it isn't nailed down, he will eat it. I also gave him the extra slice of cheese as a treat.

The breakfast hit the spot so well I will skip lunch. So, contemplating dinner: I've got four beautiful plantains, so I'll have one of those with some chicken chunks (or maybe a whole breast) and a mixed, stir-fry pot from the supermarket.

Here is my son, exploring the garage.

The place is in dire need of a sweep-out, but he refuses to lift that broom! I guess I will have to use the broom and leave the ShopVac to him!

Edited February 3, 2022 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

<groan!>

It's another chilly morning, made worse by a heavy overcast and frequent rain. At this rate, I will have to put on a shirt!

Was planning to go out anyway, because I need some water-based polyurethane varnish abd a bag of puppy-chow for my super-hungry doggie. Who delivered a tiny tick onto my tummy a few days ago, by the way. My doggies don't often get fleas or ticks. Only if we go to the cliff to do some gliding (because from time to time we see cattle staked out on our landing-ground), or when they go to the vet!

Speaking of the puppy and his appetite...

He is investigating the tins of adult doggie food I had here for Buddy when he died. Mo is not old enough to eat this stuff regularly, but I will keep it until he grows up into a big boy. (He is 24 weeks old today.)

We also have a huge pile of old books to get rid of, so maybe I will take a box of them down to the Book Den and see if I get a couple bucks for them. The Book-tent says they will come around and collect which ones they want, but the pile is getting higher and higher, and I have to start cutting down on them. So, I am not going to wait for ever for the Book-tent lady to come and pick what they want.

And as I'm sorting through, I am also selecting some to reread before they go. And some are so ratty and tatty and moth-eaten I will simply chuck them out, because nobody will want to try and sell books in such terrible shape, even if they are still 100% readable.

But now <brrrr> I will go get a warm shirt to wear!

[Netfoot]

Got most of my shopping done this morning. Can of poly and four cheap brushes from the big Kooyman near our house, plus puppy chow, and some veggies from the supermarket. Didn't get the stainless scouring pad for my table-saw (forgot), and had no luck at the Book Den. The guy who does all the buying only comes in on Saturdays and Tuesdays, so I can go tomorrow, or wait until next Tuesday when I'll be in the area anyhow. If I go tomorrow, I can pick up that scouring pad. Oh, hell, I forgot to fill up the van, too. Do So I can do that at the same time. 

Bought a bag of jalapeno cheese curls that Mo and I like, so I will feed some of them to him now, because he is waiting impatiently.

ETA: Oh, and I also found some Sprites on the shelf! So, I bought them. All of them. Yup, I'm hoarding Sprites. Well, that's what you do when there is a shortage, right?

Arrrggghhhh! Puppy just crushed my nuts! And bit my tummy! And now he's eating my book.....

Edited February 4, 2022 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Forgot to mention that I got an email from Mo's doctors at Central Vet, saying they are formally taking over The Veterinary Clinic near our home, to operate as Central Vet South. The clinic reopens Monday.

Their email paid homage to Dr. Alan & Dr. Kim, who founded and we're the backbone of that clinic while they lived, and who, from a personal perspective, looked after Dotcom and Budweiser so very ably.

It will be nice to know that medical care is now only a minute away for him, in the form of the same doctors we've recently met and become familiar with. It will literally take longer to get him in the car and lock up the house, than it will to drive there. And it will be nice to see Sarah again, the vet's assistant who cared well for poor Buddy in his final days, and who helped me deal with his passing.

Of course, he seems to be in perfect health. He still has a few more days to go to finish the course of meds he was on for the inflamed colon, but he seems to have responded well to the meds and shows no sign of distress over that, or anything else.

 So who can say when next we will need to seek out a vet? But at least they are close at hand if we need them, or if we need a flea, tick or worm treatment. Much better than 20 minutes there and 20 minutes back again.

[Netfoot]

How exciting!

I am currently exchanging WhatsApp messages and VOIP calls with Mr. James Derrick and Mr. Larry Jesse, two Nigerian sounding guys who work at Samsung.

They are about to deliver a grand prize! It is $900,000 and a cheap-assed Samsung phone!

There will be a slight delay because they have to convert the cash from US$ to Barbadian Schillings. Because if they send US$ I will go to jail since USD is illegal here. Thankfully Mr. Jesse says he can convert it to Schillings.

Uh-oh! Seems I have to purchase a iTunes card. What will I do? They don't sell iTunes cards here!  How lucky! They have provided me with the address of the store where I can buy an iTunes card!!! And now they want me to take a call!!!

Unfortunately I can't take calls at this time of day, due to my religion. Barbadianity is a very strict religeon and I am very devout.

They sent a video of a man who is so pleased to have received his winnings package. But he sounds like a Jamaican. And as you know, we will soon be going to war with Jamaica. So that is not good.

Now a video of a woman winning Publishers Clearing House. I am beginning to suspect Mr. James Derrick and Mr. Larry Jesse are trying to trick me.

No, Mr. Jesse says "You have to provide the iTunes gift card for support and special assistance due to lack of details processment." But since it is now 5:00 AM, I offered a Walmart or Western Union card instead. They seem to really want an iTunes card. What a pity Steve Jobs is evil!

And they keep trying a voice call, despite the fact that voice calls are not allowed by Barbadianity religion.

They want $500 via MoneyGram. But since $$$ are illegal, I will have to send Schillings. Only the king and other members of the Royal family can use USA currency and I am not royal. So I have asked him to tell me how many Schillings he wants.

But wait! My girlfriend the Royal princess might be able to send the US currency for me. But she will require that a fee be paid. For support. And special assistance, due to lack of details processment. I wonder how quickly Mr. Jesse can pay her fee?

I am to send the moneyGram to:

Name: Jennifer Harper
Address: 213 n fairview madison
State: Texas
Country: United states 
Zip code: 77864

But I have asked if Jennifer is cute and sexy, and I want a photo. He is getting pissed off now and wants to know if I'm playing with him. I told him I want to play with Jennifer.

"A photograph. Send me Jennifer's photograph so I can see if she is sexy enough for me to send moneyGram to. I can't send moneyGram to an ugly woman. My friends would laugh at me if I sent moneyGram to a woman who was ugly. But I hope she is not too pretty and sexy or my girlfriend the princess will be angry at me."

Uh-oh! I think Mr. Jesse is sick, because he is no longer responding to my messages. I hope this doesn't delay my receipt of the $900,000 cash winnings package from Samsung! Converted to Barbados Schillings, of course. And my Samsung Galaxy S20...

I have asked Mr. Derrick to check on Mr. Jesse and make sure he is ok, but he isn't responding either...

Edited February 5, 2022 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Mo used his nozzle to bulldoze the top-sheet into a single pile in the middle of the bed. Now, he is laying on top of it and is fast asleep. I run my hands slowly over his fur and his skin trembles at my touch, but he doesn't move. He is far away in the land of nod. I feel bad to think that I'm going to wake his butt up, when time comes for me to use that sheet!

We went out this morning to do a little shopping. A couple square dowels I need for a project. $163 in gas. Sold a dozen or so old paperback books to the Book Den for $50. I understand that a new paperback can set you back $50 nowadays, but I haven't bought anything but second hand for ages. Supermarket for stainless scouring pads. Also picked up two large punnets of mushrooms, some tomatoes, veggie stir-fry, a pack of mince, a bundle of chives and (might as well) another dozen Sprite.

And damnit, I should have bought Hershey's Kisses. My traditional valentine's gift for Dr. K. I usually buy them in plenty of time, then dream up some new way of presenting them. (Last year was an origami box.)

Made lunch by stir-frying broccoli, cauliflower, sweet peppers and onions, pak choy, cabbage, chicken, chives and perhaps a little too much cayenne pepper. Oh, and some mushies.

Ate my fill and there was enough left over sufficient for dinner when combined with a plantain.

Mo just woke up, stretched, repositioned himself in the exact middle of the pile of sheet, and gone back to sleep.

Enjoying my book. Also have to say how much I enjoyed binge watching Reacher. Not really sure why I enjoy those books. Maybe because he is who we wish we could be, if the shit ever really hit that fan?

If the rain doesn't fall, Mo and I will probably go clubbing tomorrow... 

[Netfoot]

Anyone remember this photo?

That was taken 16th October. Here is one taken today for comparison:

You don't notice it when it takes place slowly, day by day.

Sometimes, when I look at him, I marvel at how small and vulnerable he is. Like when he stands in the track, blocking Raf's big, long-wheelbase Landie and threatening to beat it up. Sometimes, I just can't believe how big he is getting. 

When I got here, there was nobody about, so I decided to take a walk around the property. Raf arrived as we were setting out, which precipitated the confrontation with the Land Rover. As we continued on, Mo kept running back to the clubhouse to chat with Raf, and then back out to find me on the cart-road. Back and forth. By time I was ¾ of the way around, Rudy arrived so that was the last I saw of him until I got all the way back. 

Went to drink a Sprite, but somebody had stolen my cup and chewed the hell out of it...

[Netfoot]

Some fun at the club this afternoon.

First, Austin's Armar Gorrion. This is a model of the Argentinian home-built aircraft of the same name. It is a parasol monoplane, and the model ess was originally built by Rudy, but the model now belongs to Austin. I'm sure I've posted pictures of it before.

While flying circuits at a couple hundred feet, it (apparently) glitched, and the radio shut down. I heard the engine drop to idle, and saw the aircraft roll hard right and put the nose down vertical. She spiralled in, thankfully landing in a thick patch of grass. A search party went out - a recovery party, actually, because we knew exactly where it was. (Mo took the opportunity to run back and forth through the tall grass, an entertaining if not useful member of the team.) The wings had partially separated from each other (as designed to do) and the engine cowl was broken, but not smashed beyond repair.

A short while later, Rudy was flying a low wing sport monoplane that nobody is sure of it's name or origin, so it's generally known as Rudy's Big Green Plane. It's, powered by a .91 two-stroke, which is fairly powerful for small models. The engine is known to run sweetly and without issues.

During it's first flight of the day, after only one circuit, the motor lost power, and stopped. Rudy flew it back dead-stick, and it was brought into the pits. There was much discussion leading to the conclusion that the clunk had shifted, starving the motor if of fuel. A vigorous shaking was supposed to return the clunk to it's proper position, and another flight was started. 

For several minutes Rudy threw it about the sky, looping, rolling, and a variety of other maneuvers being tried. As she began an upwind pass, I heard a distinct pop and the motor quit. The model was recovered after another dead-stick landing and the speculation began. Suggestions flew, from bad fuel to a poorly adjusted carb. I said, "If that were mine, I'd check that the plug didn't blow out!" Because I am a genius. The missing plug was replaced, and the model flew without problems for the rest of the day. (Fortunately, the plug didn't bugger the threads in the head when it departed!)

Brought Mo home for a big meal, and I cooked myself two chicken sandwiches with one breast sliced horizontally and shallow fried, then wedged into a couple of whole wheat rolls with mayo, tomato and generous dollop of pepper sauce, plus a light sprinkle of salt. Amazing how many people make sandwiches and never think to add salt...

Edited February 7, 2022 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Mo got his meds this morning, in a juicy, little sausage. Later he got a big brunch, so he has been well fed for the day so far, and will get more for dinner.

For my own lunch, I stir-fried some vegetables with some minced beef, and Cayenne pepper. Veggies included cabbage, cauliflower, peppers, onion, tomatoes, cucumber, pak choy, broccoli, carrots, and mushrooms. 

When I put it all on the stove, I remembered I had some pieces of cow-heel in the fridge, bought some days ago for Mo. I took a few pieces and added them to my lunch. I figured they would flavour the veggies and the veggies would flavour the cow-heel.

There was a little piece in the package, with some skin, some fat, some bone and some marrow. I located Mo (under the bed) and gave it to him.

Later, while eating my lunch, I put three pieces of cooked cow-heel into a bowl at my feet. It wasn't long before baby found them and they quickly vanished.

Not sure exactly where he is right now, but wherever he is, I suspect he is worrying those pieces of bone. I say bone, because I doubt anything else still remains from the cow-heel...

Sweetest person to wake up next to in the morning:

[Netfoot]

I gave Mo two more pieces of cow-heel after his dinner, and he really enjoyed them. 

But now, I can't get near him! He is sitting outside chewing one of the bones, surrounded by several of the others. And when ever I get near him, he grabs up whichever is his current favourite and runs away! It's been going on all afternoon. I dunno why he thinks I'm going to steal away his bone, seeing as how I gave them to him in the first place...

I hope he is going to come to bed when it's time to lock up the house. I don't want to leave him outside during the night.

[Netfoot]

After converting all of his bones to scrimshaw, Mo became sociable again. I just took him out for a p&p and now we're off to bed.

I'm going to Dr. Kristi tomorrow. It's a weigh-day, but more to the point, I've been suffering from back pains for several days, gradually worsening until from yesterday it's been crippling and I've been relying on Panadol. Right side, lower back. If I was a doctor I'd say "kidney" but I'll leave the diagnosing to her. Host Just moving around the house has become difficult, and bending over or stooping down is out if the question, unless I have one if of my walking staffs to hand to brace with.

I've had kidney stone issues in the past, and I'm hoping it is only that and not something more serious. Previously she has dosed me with Baralgin, which works well enough to ease the pains until the stone settles down. 

I found the absolute cure for kidney stones. It's called Cystone by Himalaya. I have proven (with x-rays) that Cystone dissolved my kidney stones - some as large as 6mm - in 4 months. So of course, they took it off the market!

 

Edited February 8, 2022 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Busy morning. Went to Dr. Kristi who ran some tests and concluded it wasn't my kidney. She suspects it is a muscular issue and has prescribed an anti-inflammatory pain-killer and something else to treat "muscle spasticity." That last one is apparently a knockout drug, so I have to take it when I'm going to bed.

Well, I was going to the pharmacy anyway, so off I went. Only to discover that they are out of rat-poison throughout the chain I normally use. Had to do some phoning around to locate a source, then go back to Dr. K. to get a prescription, since I have nothing on file at the new pharmacy.

In talking with the various pharmacies I learn that many drugs are out of stock at the agents, and people all over are scrambling to get supplies of what they need. It's the damned "supply chain" that is at fault. Personally, I blame that damned blogger! What's his name again?

Anyway after much back-and-forth, I am home with my regular pharmacy items, plus the two new ones (which on their own are $57.79).

When I was leaving Dr. K. for the first time, she followed me out to the car to speak with Mo. He went ballistic to see her, and she was very pleased, and commented on how big he had gotten. She says I can bring him into the clinic to see her when ever they aren't busy. But obviously, there is no way for me to know if they're busy until I get there, so.....

Anyway, it's midday and I'm hungry.

ETA: And now, I've burnt my finger, while cooking my lunch. Applying the icecube most emphatically....

Edited February 8, 2022 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Damn! Dis some good drugz!

Baby pictures:

Dat boy cute? Or wot?

Edited February 8, 2022 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Austin has analyzed the data from the recent crash of his Armar Gorrion. Apparently, one of the lines controlling the rudder broke, making the rudder jam. This caused the servo to be stalled, with massive increase in demand for current. The resulting drop in battery voltage browned out the receiver, thereby causing control to be lost, right when the jammed rudder was causing the plane to turn and roll right. So, she rolled into a spiral and there was no way to reverse the trend.

In more sad news, Rick, one of our oldest members (92, I believe) passed away today. He was as sharp as a tack, and a fount of information to those he now leaves behind. Not just about modeling, but about life in the early part of the last century, here on the island.

Here is a photo of Rick, holding one of his best-remembered models, the one-of-a-kind Ryan-NYP named Spirit of St. Louis. (The aircraft Lindbergh made his historic non-stop flight across the Atlantic from Garden City New York to Aéroport Le Bourget in Paris, in 1927.)

As you can see, Rick was a young man back when this photo was taken something like 70 years ago.

This next photo is of a beautiful model of a Supamarine S.6 racing float-plane, built for the Schneider Trophy races of the late 20s to early 30s.

From this aircraft, the British Supermarine Spitfire was developed for use by the RAF in WWII.

Both of these model aircraft were pre-radio control. The Ryan was "Free Flight" which means you start it up and let it go, then run after it for several minutes until it runs out of fuel, all the while hoping it lands on something soft when it finally comes down. The S.6 was "Control Line" which means it flew in circles around the pilot who controlled it by means of fine steel wires 50' long that ran from a hand-controller to the aircraft. 

So as you can see, Rick had a long history of fine modeling and an awful lot of experience to impart and knowledge to share.

And he didn't stop building in his latter years. The famous gull-winged Chance Vought F4U Corsair was a powerhouse of the war in the pacific, and this beautifully executed model by Rick is about 20 years old:

And Rick also built this (poorly photographed) model of the unusual Bell P-39 Airacobra about 10 years ago:

The P-39 was an unusual WWII aircraft, a tank-buster with the engine located behind the pilot, and driving the prop via a hollow drive shaft that passed between the pilot's legs, forward to the propeller in the nose. If that wasn't scary enough, the primary weapon was a 37mm cannon that fired high-explosive shells through that hollow driveshaft and out the front of the spinner.

This aircraft was not popular with western pilots but the Russians loved it and couldn't get enough of them. Which is why this model is wearing Soviet Air Force markings.

Since then, Rick has been building "trainer" models for new pilots to learn to fly on, And I'm sure that in due course, we will discover exactly what he left on his building-board. I know he was working on something, because just before Christmas he was looking for some 1/8" LitePly, and I gave him a sheet of it that I had here that I had no plans for.

Here he is, at our clubhouse last December.  

92 is a good innings. He won't be forgotten in any hurry, in our club or any of the others around here. Or by anyone, anywhere, who knew him.

Happy Landings, Rick!

[Netfoot]

So, ever since I gave Mo some cow-heel, he had 'discovered' bones. And he's hooked. But for some reason, if I approach him when he is chewing one of his bones, he runs away! Does he feel I am going to take his bone away? Someone should remind him where he got the bones in the first place!

He was in bed with me here, chewing one, and just to teach him a lesson I booped his nosie until he went nuts. While he was attacking the hand that did the booping, the other hand stole his bone! He was very annoyed until I gave it back. 

He has now retired to his crate (in a huff) for the first time in weeks. Only, he forgot to take his bone with him.....

Now he's gone under the bed for some peace and quiet while he enjoys the bone. But as soon as I turn the lights out he will be back, commandeering the bulk of the bed for himself.

Dr. Kristi's prescriptions are doing a great job. The pains are almost entirely gone, and I have to forget and do something particularly stupid for a nasty twinge to resurface. It's worse first thing in the morning, between waking and the first tab of the day kicking in.

This morning:

Is that sweet? Or what?

ETA: My boy is not so stupid! He just started licking my face vigorously, and when I had to use two hands to block him... he stole my book and ran off with it!

Edited February 10, 2022 by Netfoot