Orzzz Blog

Winter headache for my old age.

So much for fading peacefully into hibernation. I get to work hours trying to seal my vacant house to make it through winter since my tenant died suddenly. Lucky I am still able bodied.His daughter, son and their family spent November sorting, clearing, hauling and settling his estate. A lawyer, he had no will. Said had little so intestate and kids get it anyway. Yeah..a mess to sort out! I sorted in carport and found out that he saw, he bought and never opened and ended up in the dirt. Left kids to wonder how to bury him with no money. Family helped to cremate him, cheapest way..and that was $5000!

They left stuff they didn't want, I can use in barn or in the house. I salvaged back out of the $1000 dumpster their gramps rented. Beds and sofas went cause no one will take a smokers stuff. Sad. What a waste.
Except for the piano that goes next weekend, they are cleared out. So now I shut the house down and seal for winter. Can do whatever with no one living in it. Furnace goes to 60 only. May put on old style that goes to 50. Try to heat all winter cause can work on it and need water to barn. If ends up using a few hundred gas a month, no choice but drain water and use heat lamps in cellar for barn pipe.
I started by using heavy plastic taped over LR and 2 kitchen windows, plus pink styrofoam insulation nailed and curtain taped. Got an idea, checked sofas in dumpster. HA!

Cushions and bolster solid foam rubber. So stripped and stuffed in bathroom window and one kitchen and plastic taped over. Let cold try to get through that! I salvaged the interlocking foam floor mats, laid along outer floor bottoms, laid his rugs across LR wood floor to block cold coming up between logs. Shut down upstairs door and blanket over it.
Hauled spare bricks and laid secondary wall along sill plate to cellar, added 3 concrete blocks sitting on top of windshield reflective cover, then filled in and over with barnyard. It is broken, degraded hay and manure. Should insult cellar more.
Now I want to take aluminum foil and tape to porch doors to reflect heat back into rooms.
With luck can keep gas usage low. Not much other ideas to do except bury the whole house.

And now although I have a dog trot from main house to barn, I get to slog through cold and snow to other house.

Can I run away from home?

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Nov 27
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Relaxed old age my foot!

The biggest fantasy is that when you get old and retired, life is easy. People take care of you. You have all the time in the world to play. Bull!

Reality is how on earth did we do everything when we did work!

I have two houses on the farm. The old farmhouse I rent and the main I live in with a boarder in the basement. He and a neighbor are pseudo sons. I rent the farm house cheap with the lease that they are part caretakers, do barn chores in morning, take care of what the house needs unless major. I have had the gamut of tenants. Ended up with one guy for 23 years who was like a brother. He was killed when the corn plant blew up and came down on him. He buddy took the house years ago. We got along well.
This tenant, a lawyer, grew up on a farm. Smoker and a bit partier. Ends up with lung cancer a year ago or two. Does chemo and radiation and puts it in its place. Regular maintenance chemo.
He gets health issues. Fluid in chest. Swelled arm. He went off chemo to get his hip replaced last spring. 6 weeks and seem all is well.
A week or more ago, he texts me he is having daughter take him to ER. Must have pulled arm and pain too bad.
He texts me he has major infection and a T12 compression fracture vertebra. Surgery is planned on shoulder, spine, etc. Daughter ends up texting, it is staph, he is in induced comma and bad shape. It ends up its in two heart valves and brain. He died a week ago or so. Hard to keep track of days.
She and I both blame the hospital giving him the staph. He had chemo the week prior. They couldn't notice it?

So now I sit with a vacant house that I have to deal with. I need that well for barn water. I am doing all the barn chores am and pm. I told neighbor he needs to move in. Oh..too big a bother in winter. Word of mouth to find a tenant. I am taping heavy vinyl over windows and pink insul foam. Try to shut house tight and keep gas low. 5% a week as of now. 50sF still. His daughter cant find info as to where he got gas. I called and found one that will bring it when I am at 25%. That is lower than I like.
So much for retirement. Good thing I am about the same as at 50..just a bit slower. Cause it is back at it for me. I will do an ad in spring unless neighbor decides to live up to the fact he will inherit along with my boarder so might as well start learning.
Can I run away from home?

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Nov 5
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One day it goes to H.

I have two houses, the main one and the antique farm house. I rent the farmhouse. Last tenant was 23 years and was killed in a plant explosion. His best bud moved in and has been here for 6 years. Fit in nicely to the routine on the farm and helping out.
He is a smoker and drinker. Ended up with lung cancer over a year ago. Radiation and chemo and all good to go. Then arm swelled due to radiation. Fluid in chest..in hospital to drain a gallon. Ok.. Then VA put him back on maintenance chemo. He got up the other day and sick. Called daughter, into VA hospital.
She called yesterday. He was due to have surgery to drain pus caused by staph infection, super bad. Did shoulder, spine, cause he had a T12 compression fracture. And the hip replacement. Got agitated and they induced comma. She was there and so was a PRIEST!

Gather the family. They put him on a ventilator. She spent the night. This morning they went into to check heart, two valves infected and he is too sick to operate. Last she said they were doing an MRI at noon to see if staph is in brain. IF so, with antibiotics not working, they will bring him out of comma, take off ventilator and allow family their good byes!

I told her do not let them give up on him!! She said definitely not!

I have not heard news since. Test was to be done by 3 and it is almost 5.
He is 58 years old. A lawyer and good guy. One day it all hits the fan and all she wrote.
It will not be the loss of the 23 year one, but sure rocks my world and farm. He surely did not deserve it. 23 year tenant was crushed to death when building landed on him. His sister choked to death last week at 56. And now his bud suffers and all with cancer and the problems the great medical industry gave him. Radiation destroys lymph system and chemo and radiation destroys immune system. And hospital visits gave him staph.
I am healthy cause I NEVER go near medical system nor Doctors!

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Oct 18
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Fall on the farm.

I am cold! Why is 55 so warm in January and so cold in October!?

Got the doors on to enclose the deck and steps end of the loggia. Moved the plant pots up that will winter in the house once freeze comes. Including "Igor" the decades old Angel Trumpet plant that weighs a ton. I am mean..I lop his heads off now. Enough trying to wrestle a 6 foot tall plant in the house. I also have 2 of his kids to bring in. And spider plants. So long empty hallway.

I had late kittens. 3 from "Gator" and 4 from "Blanket". The 3 were super floof balls. Found homes and hated to see them go. NO! Enough cats! The 4 were black and tuxedo and one grey. Blasted possum got into the loggia and ate the grey. That was settled..possum got to eat 3 bullets also. Dang they are tanks!!
I want to keep 2 blacks once I decide which. I am tired of almost white cats. Especially since I wear black mostly. Thanks for the fur coat gang!
Had heavy rain yesterday. In living room and..?? Why are there water drops on floor? Look up at wood paneled ceiling and two drops hanging at seam.

I did this roof maybe 10 years ago. And just cleaned it off and it looks good. So..maybe..water pooled on flat porch and back fed?

So next week, up with can of Leak Ender and see if I find anything. Always something.
I am using two space heaters. Wood is not done. Tenant is ill and swears he will do and doesn't. So called neighbor who is like son, and hunter and they will haul the rest up and do it. I don't want to start wood furnace anyway. Once it is going, I have to deal with wood for whole winter. A month less is

I uncovered the fire place flue so can use that first if I wish. Or not. I cover so in spring I dont get any more blasted ducks down it!

Hay is stowed. Corn coming in and soon I can hibernate.

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Oct 14
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Current trade ins at car lots.

I see the new trades will be homes. When a new truck starts at 36K but, no dealer has them under 80K and some are running $110,000, the only way the average person can buy is to trade in their house! Or if not, be sure to buy a SUV/van because they will end up living in it!

I don't care how much houses are these days. I know in some areas and states..you can STILL buy a small house for 50K or there abouts.
The house may be a fixer upper. But the vehicle is a loss from the moment you sign that title. I always said never buy a car newer than five years old. By then the re-calls are mostly seen. The major depreciation is off, like driving it off the lot. And the lemons are lunched out and engines blown up.
Car-vanna is flooded with re-pos that they ask new price for and can't dump. Dealers are calling people begging for them to buy and trade in because the market is best on used.
Electric is shoved down peoples throats even tho the grid can't handle them and there are few charging stations. Add the cost of electricity rising. For a real view, call an EV owner in the Gaza strip and ask how charging is going for them. One glitch and they are done.

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Oct 10
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What do you mean..55th!?

When we were in school, it was the be all, end all. Now suddenly, I end up at my 55th class reunion. What the heck happened and when?

As some of you know, I am a recluse. But, managed to drive all the way, dressed up and dealt with humans. It was interesting. I got to see my gal pals that we hung from grade school on to after a bit after graduation.
It showed how we all aged. Some of the people looked like they did a few years ago. Some changed to the point of even after reading name tags..still had no clue who they were. Some were spry and agile and able and some looked like tomorrow would be their last day on earth. Women for the most part had lost curves and added pounds. Some men had added waaaayyy more pounds. Double chins, sagging skin and wrinkles. Some managed to avoid lots of it and other didn't. Hard of hearing, walking with canes and repeating what they said already 3 times.
I told one neighbor guy I took no pills at all and he said I had to be about the only one there. This is the time of heart attacks, stokes, arthritis and difficulty walking.
I got home by 9 pm. Went to bed and slept for the most part of 11 hours. Next will be 60 years and it will probably end up seeing whos left.

Got a photo with the kids from grade school, all neighbors..6 of us. Exchanged phone numbers I know no one will ever call. Some of my class still work, at least part time. Some have traveled lots and one came from DC and one from AZ and one from Alaska. I made it 14 miles.

Now I can crawl back into my isolation and farm. Whew..I made it!

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Oct 8
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The new Untied States of illegal immigants.

What happens when a third world country empties into a developed nation? It turns into a third world country too.
New York city has a flood of migrants. Of course, no where near as many as the border states deal with every day. As a sanctuary city, they bragged how come one come all. Now its uh, come one..no more?
There are hotels that got taken by the city to house the illegals. One in note, was a five star with rooms averaging $500 A NIGHT. Now it is stuffed with about 5000 migrants. And many of them are young men. While homeless vets and others live on the street with minimal help, hotels like this one offer 3 meals a day, plus snacks. Housekeeping. Laundry. Bus passes. In other words, free room and board paid for by taxpayers struggling to meet the needs of their families.
There are no limits stated as to the length people may stay. There fore they believe its a free ride indefinitely. Now asked if they wish to move on to a location they came for, they say, nah..good here.
They mingle on the streets. Shoplift booze. Smuggle the bottles under babies and in kids back pack where they aren't checked. And spend their time getting blotto. Children drink too. The rooms are pig styes. House keeping cleans in the morning and its trashed by nightfall.
Stores around instead of making money off tourists are trying to keep afloat and not get mugged or robbed or shoplifted.
Maintenance is failing to keep up and the hotel is in danger of collapse or failure of systems. Men roam the halls with machetes, guns and brawl, abuse women and get drunk.
By the time things change, the only hope for the hotel(s) will be to bulldoze and start over.
If at some point, the migrants are told to move on, they will rebel and riot like they are used in their home countries.
When you take in wild animals, don't be surprised when you get rabies.

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Oct 1
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Only Amish are true.

I see there was a huge protest in front of the UN with the people screaming that fossil fuels need to go. Really?

I would like to have had a soap box and megaphone there. Everyone who walked all the way here, raise your hands. Now everyone who got here by plane, car, bus or train. That's what I thought.
Now, who heats with wood and cuts it by hand? Who uses and outhouse? Who makes their own bees wax candles for light? Who has a well with a bucket? Who only buys local from farmers? Who grows their own cotton and weaves and sews their own clothes? Who lives without a phone? TV?
Well guess what? You are all hypocrites. Everything you use and enjoy is at least in some part, due to fossil fuels. Unless you wish to go back to the dark ages, better get real.
Solar and wind are inconsistent and can't keep up to the demand. Know what else? Those metals and whatever are mined, smelted and shipped using fossil fuels. After raping Gia and destroying nature to get them.
What you NEED to do is stop consuming so much. Wasting so much. Like the old depression way. Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.

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Sep 22
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Downhill from 1974

We look today and see homeless, high prices, inflation, war and think has there been such a time before. Yes. And this one started after 1974.
The war in Nam was still hurting. Numbers of men had been killed. Families left without husbands, sons and support. Hippies protested which became riots which became beatings and arrests by law enforcing government orders. I can't remember the saying..something about turn on and drop out?

Drugs followed soldiers home and took over the youth. PTSD tore more lives apart.
Nixon became the symbol of corruption in government and a reason to distrust government even more. Free love and the pill showed women they had the same rights as men. Minority races either fought for rights or fought each other...the Black Panthers.
Rich became the enemy and Patty Herst turned her back on her familys wealth. Porn sneaked it ways into main stream society.
The boom of WW2 had boosted the economy and the norm was touted as the 2 bedroom house with the picket fence in the burbs, the station wagon, the 2 children, mom at home and the vacation to the Grand Canyon. Factory jobs pushed the American Dream.
But, the 70s showed a down turn. Factories closed and jobs moved over seas. Inflation ate into pockets. Gas went up and confidence went down. Hobos became homeless. Rents went up. Housing went up.
The horrors of napalm, bombings, refugees and taxes turned people against each other. Wages went up and prices went up to counter the profit margins of companies.
Divorces rose and peace and love were a fantasy.
So what is today is nothing new. It just continues. Altho, looking back..we should have said this ain't bad..just you wait.

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Sep 16
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The humans are fading out.

I am a baby boomer. After WW2, things were looking up. Men came home and made babies. Even before, farmers made babies. LOTS of babies. There was work to be done and lots of children helped keep farms running as well as family businesses.
Then Japan and China got the idea they would run out of room. Lots of kids became frowned on. Even other countries thought people should not have so many kids. China clamped down..one baby per family only. And since boys were to provide for parents, baby girls managed to die before or at birth. Now whole villages in the hinterland are filled with young men and no women to marry.
In developed countries the average age is going higher every year. Young people are saying to heck with marriage and kids. Women figured out they dont have to be brood sows. Plus the young look at todays world and no way they wish to bring a child into it. What future will they have.
Southern countries seem to still be in the past and breed like mad. Part of the reason is so many babies and young kids die. So the thinking is one needs many so some might survive to provide for parents. And with lack of education, NGO's can't get it in their head if they have a couple, they can feed them. And get medical care. And they WILL live.
Now the world is shuffling. Those over populated countries are heading north. And some governments are welcoming them because laborers are needed to care for and provide for the elders who are over whelming the system. I read a democracy needs a slave labor force to exist.
Will the refuges and illegals meld into the north countries? Or will they see them as a free ride to use? Will they assimilate, or bring the crime, misogyny, gangs and lack of education and bring down the northern countries. Or in some, end up AS slaves.

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Sep 2
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Fall heading in.

Despite 95 heat waves, it now feels more seasonal. Which means winter is aiming at me. I have been picking up acorns. Lots. That makes me nervous because that can mean a hard winter. Although the summer drought may have panicked the oaks too. I see two massive white pines that died.

Can a tree that old and big die of drought?
Now is wood cutting. Guys will be out at the log pile tomorrow so I guess I can go and run the splitter handle. It helps and I don't have to worry if I can through chunks.
I figured I was safe..nope...more kittens. ARGH! Gator had 3. Blanket had 4. I collected them and put them on a box on the loggia. And then had to get 3 back again. Idiots! That spot will get rains! You would think by this time, cats know the difference between covered and not!
3 kittens of Gator are white with grey or calico spots. And fluff balls. Why cant they stay cute little fluffs instead of growing up into farm cats? Blanket had one grey and 3 blacks, more so tuxedos. Now where did that come from. My toms are white with tan and a beige. BUT! A stray showed up. A tuxedo who is the sweetest cat I have now. Checked the junk..hmm..hairy cat..female? Neutered male? Yes? No?

I am not getting that personal. Now my biggest tom, Trey is a male beyond any doubt. When he walks in front of you it is ba boom, ba boom, ba boom. Yep..that's a set of

Now the question is..where did the black kittens come from when my cats are all white, tans. Is Tuck holding out? If does he have secret? Maybe the neutering was not complete? I tried to see again and can't notice anything prominent.
Anyway, I plan to keep one or two of the black kittens. I am so tired of white cats. Each gen gets more white. And I wear BLACK all the time!

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Sep 9
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In the year 2525.

Remember the song? To ad-lib it. Cash is no more. All exchanges are done via apps, chips, etc. Bank are far and few between, mostly on line and only to lend money.
Your income is added to your on-line account. All debts come out of it. You must have a smart phone. The governments have the right to access your account at will. They watch where you shop, what you buy and all you do. Even at the rummage sale.
Some people sneak around and use barter. But, the sheep say they like the convenience. Until they dispute something societal or governmental. Then their account is frozen. Need food..too bad. No money for you sucker.

Sometimes the "banks" run into a glitch. You check your account and it shows zero!

You go on line and question. Chase the menu. Finally, oh..we will check and get back to you in 5 business days.

Do not get a speeding ticket. It will be paid on scene or your account is frozen. Try a protest..same thing.
Well, you say, I can control where and what my kids buy. Yep..and so can big brother control you.
1984 was not a novel..it was a warning.

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Aug 22
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This is a list of Orzzz's Blogs. Click here for Orzzz's Blog List

Orzzz Blog (89)

Winter headache for my old age.

Relaxed old age my foot!

One day it goes to H.

Fall on the farm.

Current trade ins at car lots.

What do you mean..55th!?

The new Untied States of illegal immigants.

Only Amish are true.

Downhill from 1974

The humans are fading out.

Fall heading in.

In the year 2525.

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