Keep on Trucking

 We have had a lot of company in for dinner in the past two weeks. Tim and I were trying to tot it all up this afternoon. It came up to five dinners, which doesn't seem like a lot actually, but I guess that tossing a wedding and a funeral on there makes it seem like more.

Anyways, we had three coming yesterday for supper. It was an easy one. William was here for the weekend and Tim's brother was coming with his two teenagers. We decided on burgers and fries.

It was to be a special night. The youngest nephew, (14) did not have a deer rifle of his own. Tim had bought a gun for William a couple years back, but William decided he was not a hunter. (That's fine.) Tim went back and got the Mossberg, still in the box, two boxes of ammo. 

The brothers were deep in discussion. The gun is a youth model which can grow by lengthening the stock. The decision was made that it would be a good gun for the boy.

Tim said, 'Take it and give it to him.'

His brother made shocked, sputtering noises. 

Tim said, 'No. I am giving it to him.'

After some back and forth, it was agreed to on one condition. He would bring the boys back, and Tim would do the presenting. 

We decided on Saturday. They would come for supper and then do some target shooting after. Tim could give the boy the gun then.

It has been a busy week, but Saturday finally rolled around. I had to run William in to town to maximize his time with his other grandfather who was headed back to Michigan after breakfast.

Once back home, I made two pumpkin pies from the pumpkins I had roasted and cut up earlier. I popped them in the oven and they came put perfectly, if I do say so myself. 

T minus 40 minutes: I turned on the oven to airfry and popped in a large sheet of french fries. I efficiently put 9 Angus patties on a rack to thaw slightly before popping them in the oven. I put the buns on a platter and set them on the stove where the fan was blowing warm air from the oven. I tore some lettuce. I grabbed a jar of pickles and an onion from the pantry and set them on the counter with a tomato.  I set up the mixer and started the whipped cream for the pie and then efficiently turned my attention to the slicing the tomato and onion. 

I mean, it was a perfectly synchronized operation right up to the very moment that I grabbed the knife in an absent minded way and sliced my finger.

Good grief what a mess. I bolted for the bathroom with my hand wrapped in a kitchen towel. I could not get it to stop bleeding. Tim helped me bandage it tightly, but that took a bit because the dressing soaked through twice.

Long story shot, my fries and burgers got too done. My whipped cream was on the verge of turning onto sweet butter. Tim hacked the tomato and onion in a careless way.

So much for efficiency.

But the youngest boy was thrilled with the gun. He scampered up to the house to show me the hole he'd put in an empty soda can.

The funniest part was this though. The oldest boy is driving now. He wants a truck. He was mourning the fact that even trucks in horrible shape are going for exorbitant money. 

Tim said. "I have a truck that needs some body work to pass inspection. Mechanically, it is sound."

The boy got such a hopeful look. 

So they were pulling on boots and grabbing jackets. William and the youngest were deep in conversation about VR while being totally disconnected from reality. I don't believe they even noticed.

Tim came back in alone. He had sent the two of them off to take it for a drive. He was deep in thought when they returned.  

The young man stood nervously with his hands in his pockets. His father stood by silently letting his son make the deal. The boy stammered a little as he said. "Would you take $1400?"

Tim said, "$500." He had already made up his mind not to charge him any more than what the boy could make back if he decided to scrap it. 

The boy went slack jawed and his eyes bugged. It tickled Tim to see his hand instantly flash out his pocket to shake on the deal.

And so the deal was struck. He brought his mother and the money back tonight, even though Tim said that there was no reason to do that. I think he wanted to take her for a ride in his truck. 

We will drop the truck off at his father's welding shop tomorrow, so that he can begin working on it after school. He won't be able to get his license until December, but the notary work will be done this week. 

He is thrilled. We have one less truck here, a win-win situation if ever was one.

One Funeral and a Wedding

 It has been a busy past few days. My daughter and her long time fella got married. It was a small affair at the JP's office, but we wanted it to be special. I think it was.

Her father drove in from Michigan. Tim and I were the other two attendees. We decided to have a nice dinner out afterwards. 

I got a bouquet of flowers for Brianna and made boutonnieres for Don and William, who had suits for the occasion. William was the ring bearer.

I wanted a small cake too, snd the young girl who did the decorating understood the assignment, e en tough the don't make wedding cakes.  They had no toppers, but I went back to the Christmas aisle and got a dated wedding ornament for their tree. I was very disappointed not to find a little bride and groom, but it just is what it is.

 When I stopped in the next morning to pick up the cake, the same young woman was there. She said, 'the cake turned out so beautiful!'  

I took the pasteboard box from her and said, 'You know what?  I had no doubts that it would be.' When we opened up the box later, everyone ooh'd and ah'd. It really was perfect. 

Behind it, you will see William. He was pranking his aunts and uncle. He had ordered a root beer and was delighted to see it looked like an actual beer bottle.

(No actual alcohol consumed.)

The ceremony was done in short order. William produced the rings on cue. Promises made. 

We tried to get pictures afterwards, but the wind picked up and a cold rain started, so between us all, we only got a hundred or so.

We went to the restaurant and had a good meal. The restaurant is noted for their fish and seafood as well as their steak. I think everyone ended up with some version of seafood, but there was a lot of joy and chatter, so...I forget.

In the end, two people were married. That is the most important thing.

I would have forgotten the funeral in all the hubbub. Lester wasn't related, really, but he was a good, good man that our family claimed, the grandfather of some of my nieces and nephews. Much beloved.  There will be an empty plate at the Thanksgiving table this year, and we will all feel his absence. I am glad my sister reminded me of it. Tim and I went flying in at the last minute, but we made it.

This morning, I stopped in to thank the cake decorator. In an interested voice, she asked, "Was the celebration special? Were you able to find a topper?"  I was really touched. I told her that everyone was delighted with her work. 

Ii guess the only other thing of note is that last night we went to an historic theater to see the 1931 versions of Frankenstein with Boris Karlov and Dracula with Bela Lugosi. William commented that the special effects were pretty cheesy. We all laughed as we explained to him that in 1931, movies with sound were still a novelty. The special effects were, for their time, cutting edge.

This is a pretty disjointed post, but it has been a pretty disjointed few days.

First World Problem

 I have a husband who can't miss a meal. In fact, if a meal is late, it might be the end of him.

The most frustrating thing about him is that he can eat pure crap and it does not affect his A1C, his cholesterol or his weight.

There is no justice in this.

So today, we had to go into town. We got another load of stuff from the old house, to include the mirror to the marble topped dresser. 

It was about to rain, so we needed to get that load home, but it was a few minutes past noon, and Tim was on his death bed, so we went to McDonald's so that he could get a meal to go. 

I got my standard order which is one large unsweetened iced tea, extra ice, double lemon.

While I was not staring death in the eye, I was thirsty, and so when my drink came. I took a big swig and it was sweet tea. 

So I got out of the truck and went in and explained the situation. She apologized and I gave her the order again: large unsweetened tea with extra ice and double lemon. She repeated after me: one unsweetened iced tea with extra ice and lemonade. 

'No,' I said. 'No lemonade at all. Just one large unsweetened tea, lots of ice. Two slices of lemon.'

'No lemonade? Just lemon?'

'Yes,' I said. 

She was gone an awful long time for just getting a drink, but I waited. I mean, unlike Tim, I was not having a near death experience.

But eventually, she came out with a big smile...and handed me a 'large unsweetened iced tea, extra ice, lemonade.'

I said. 'I didn't want lemonade...' and she went wide eyed. 'Oh my gosh. I did it again.'

I waited once again. She returned with my cup. It had my lemons, but she forgot the ice of all things.

I wasn't dying, but I was thirsty, so I took it and left. By the time I got back to the truck, Tim was nearly finished with his meal.

Motorhead

 Tim got his 'new' old truck a few weeks back. My suggestion was to get a newer truck without mechanical problems but he really wanted this truck. He wanted it so badly that he did not bother to discuss it. He just hopped in his car and drove an hour and a half. 

He came back a few hours later and told me he bought the truck. He raved about how great of shape the body was in. The truck was from California. The underneath was solid. The fellow had put new fenders on it. The guy knew how to do bodywork the right way.

I was not fooled. I said, 'How does it run, though?' 

He gave the not too reassuring response: 'No way to know that until I drive it a while.'

The thoughts I thought are best left unshared.

And sure enough, driving the truck home he discovered 'a bug'. It gave a little jerk from time to time. He was pretty sure it was no big deal. the truck did not stall out or anything. He dragged his little code reader out of its little suitcase and got a read out that indicated oxygen sensors. 

So he sent off to Rock Auto and got all new oxygen sensors. While he was at it, he got a fuel pump for the 'last' old truck. 

When everything arrived, he replaced the oxygen sensors. 

The truck still jerked from time to time. So he got the idea to replace the fuel filter. Still there was that jerk. Not bad. It always started. In never stalled out. He decided to put the fuel pump that he'd gotten for the 'last' old truck on the new old truck (they are the same year.) 

After several hours of work, he started it up and honest to Pete, it sounded worse than ever. When he came into the house, I said, 'I am sorry...' but ever the optimist, he said, 'it is a lot easier to diagnose a problem if the vehicle does it all the time,' and back he went to the internet to study the situation some more.

So far he has replaced the cam sensor, the crankshaft sensor, the rotor something or another and the spark plugs. Probably not in that order. If I got something messed up, it is because I do a lot of 'nod and smile' when he explains. In 27 years of marriage, he has not noticed that I could not care less.

If Glen Moon was here, I am certain that the two of them would happily spend hours down in the garage. Bless their hearts. So Mary, if your husband has any ideas, pass them along. 

The good news is that he bought another fuel pump for the last old truck and got it installed while he was waiting for another shipment from Rock Auto. That truck runs perfectly at least. 

I will give the man credit: he has an awful lot of patience with his tinkering. I would have run the thing off a cliff by now.

Actually, that is not true. I would have spent the money to get a newer truck. Even though "it is all computerized and has to be taken in to be repaired because it is all a plot to move vehicle repairs from a home garage to dealerships."

Anyways. Steve Reed showed a picture of his flowering cactus. 

This is my great grandmother's cactus. Then my grandma got it. Then my mother got it. Then I got it. After 10 years in my care, it inexplicably began to die. I felt terrible about it. After reading and trying everything, I gave up. I just set the dead plant out in the unheated mudroom for the winter meaning to dump the dirt in the garden in the spring and save the pot for something that was willing to put more effort into living.

And in the spring, when I was pulling out all the dead growth, square in the middle of the pot was the tiniest bit of green. It was brought back inside and despite my tender care, it lived.

I finally moved it from the old house, where it has been sitting alone and neglected since July. Proving once again it doesn't need any help from me, thank you very much, it was covered in blossoms.

You know what doesn't thrive on neglect? Trucks. Just a thing I noticed.

Invisible People

 It was a windy day today, a cool and cloudy day, getting only to the mid fifties. Autumn. I had plenty to do inside, and so I spent the day doing it. 

We had company yesterday. Remember those scalloped potatoes? I was so sure they were not going to be any good, so, last minute, I threw together some instant mashed potatoes. But lo, they were good and the mashed potatoes were not touched. 

I was pondering supper, and decided on a cottage pie to use up that bowl of mashed potatoes. I  grabbed a package of chopped venison out of the freezer. I used my dehydrated vegetables again, and also chopped up some other vegetables that just needed to be gone. 

I invited my brother in law and sister over for supper even though it was late notice. It was such an awfully big casserole, the one I bake lasagna in. There was plenty. 

Luckily.

An old friend stopped in. I haven't seen him in a couple years and was shocked at his appearance. He is so gaunt and frail that it really pained me to see him. 

An extra plate was quickly set at the table. He ate very slowly but listened to the conversation around him with interest. He had a wheat roll with a helping of pumpkin butter. I was secretly happy to see him take a second. 

I was not the only one surprised at our friend's appearance. In private, my brother-in-law said he would have never known him. My sister said she didn't know who he was until he spoke. His voice is unchanged.

Afterwards, when it was just him and us, I asked him flat out what was going on,  that his gaunt  appearance was a bit of a shock.

He denied that he was sick, but did admit to just being tired. Everything takes him longer. He sometimes forgets to eat. Other times he is just too tired to figure out what to have for supper. Tim said "Give him the leftovers from supper." 

It was not a whole lot, but he could get a couple meals out of it. I went to the freezer and got a small loaf of whole grain bread. I took a container of apple sauce too. I brought it upstairs and cut a quarter of an apple pie.

I showed him how to make refrigerator oats. He actually pulled out a pen, and wrote the directions down. I told him that he could make up a weeks worth, and just add milk to one of them each evening, let it sit overnight in the fridge, nuke it for 30 seconds and then add milk and honey to taste, and there was breakfast. 

We both lectured him the kindest way we knew how, and sent him out the door with a standing invitation for supper. We did get a for-sure-and- certain promise that he would come next Wednesday. 

Tim and I are pretty rattled by this. He is an old friend. He used to come eat with us a couple times a week, but he got quite offended that we were not MAGA. He had tried his best to convert us. We finally had to tell him we did not want to discuss politics. He was angry, left the house and never came back.

He was always a talker. A hard worker, a machinist like Tim. A hunter. Cuts and hauls his own firewood to store for winter. A lifelong batchelor. he was all of those things, but now he is an invisible person, an elderly man alone, becoming increasingly unable to manage. I imagine there are many people like him. 

I am not sure why he decided to drop in tonight, but we are both sure glad he did.

Paychecks

 Steve Reed commented yesterday that the No King participants are supposedly paid by George Soros, according  to the GOP and MAGA.

Now this is the same spiel provided by the acquaintance who flatly stated that no Christian should participate in No King rallies because the were nothing but a device to divide Americans. (Um...hello? This is pot calling kettle...) Anyways, when I pointed out that many religious leaders felt it was their faith that called them to be there, her response was about the undercurrents of evil behind these sort of things and spoke at great length about George Soros.

I felt sad about it but i blocked her. Once someone falls down that conspiracy rabbit hole, there is no reasoning with them. 

Anyways, so I put it out to you all:  who got paid yesterday? Anybody? 

Nothing much to report, but I did want to say that I did try my scalloped potatoes today, my dehydrated potato slices and my 'instant' sauce mix. Interesting enough, the recipe for the sauce was good. However the amount of liquid that she added to the dehydrated potato slices was just not enough. The thing is, I knew it. I questioned it, but made the decision to go with the instructions as provided. I shouldn't have. I did go back and actually doubled the amount of liquid, added more sauce mix. The potatoes did soften up. The verdict was the flavor is perfect, and probably if they had baked an extra 20 minutes, it would have been perfect. 

So...I guess that product is fine. I just need to do some math, figure out the proper liquid to potato ratio.

It started raining this afternoon and hasn't stopped yet, which is okay, because the rain is sorely needed. As a matter of fact, we have rain in the forecast every day this week. It is supposed to be much colder too. 

No Kings

There were between 300-400 people today at the rally. For our little town, it was a pretty big deal. What amazed me the most was the cheering and honking from the cars. For the first time, I saw business semi trucks tooting their horns in solidarity. A lot of public support.

Local news picked it up. 

Erie News Now coverage of 10.18.25 NO KINGS RALLY in Warren!

file:///var/mobile/Library/SMS/Attachments/c8/08/3613D6CD-CBC5-4857-8CBE-A6B5223DAEF6/IMG_7253.MOV

So did the newspapers.

Nationwide, they are saying seven million people mobilized so far, making it the largest protest in the nation's history.

We are pleased to have been a part of it.

Can you pick Tim and I out?