Thursday, November 7, 2019

Imbalance







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Got schmacked good out of the gate this morning. Finally got a family member into the alcohol treatment facility. It's 200 miles out in the sticks. That, combined with perhaps a hint of actual willingness, might induce the person in question to stick it out. Time will tell.


It's not an isolated story. Lots of people and families have to deal with alcoholism and much worse. We're pulling for a good outcome and know it's not guaranteed.

We also know it could be a terrible outcome, and if that's the way it works out we'll grieve and take it day by day.

It's all part of the big adventure.

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In the middle of checking cows I got a text about a buyer of the '47 ford pickup. It was kind of a rush deal getting all the paperwork arranged, title and bill of sale, and getting the pickup fired up and ready to go.


It went down the road just after 2 p.m. with a happy new owner at the helm. His grandpa had one just like it and he has fond memories of summertime rides with a man he loved but is long gone. It's a nice thing and I suspect Dad is glad it went to this particular new home. I know I am.

Then the '48 International KB-5 got a solid bite.


I had a bit more time to get paperwork together as the buyer won't be here until tomorrow. Farmer from over by the North Platte River northeast of us. I suspect that'll be a good home too.

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A freezing drizzle set in last evening and conditions were ideal for the formation of black ice. When I went to town shortly after sunset I was slipping all over the place in 4WD at 30 mph. Not a fun experience. The Canada Standard defroster on the ranger handled the ice fine and I was able to see better than most I think.

The town fire whistle blew on and off most of the night. The RFD, Law Enforcement, and EMS had a busy time of it with lots of wrecks on I-80.

It was still quite slick this morning but the temp came up and the sun came out off and on and the ice went away.

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Took the Chevy 3500 in for service and to diagnose a tail light problem the other day. Unfortunately the news sucked; mice have destroyed the under hood fuse box and a good deal of the wiring. So more expense. Tie rods need replaced too. It's always something but that's the way of life on the ranch. It's a good pickup and we need it more than we need the relatively small pile of cash it's gonna take to put things right.

On the upside Mom's car is nearly ready to come home after a complete-to-the-bare-metal teardown to demouse that thing. Needed a completely new Environmental Control System and lots of wiring and hoses replaced as well as a good bleach scrubbing. Insurance will cover all but the deductible of the $10K bill.


Good lessons learned. One of those is that just because Dad was Dad doesn't mean it was a good idea to ignore an ongoing mouse problem for years. All of us humans have feet of clay, and none of us are immune from the stupids. Especially those of us who are certain we're immune.

Again, all part of the adventure.

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It was a gorgeous sunset but I didn't get any pics. This evening a brother showed up with a certified expert friend and they plan to shingle exactly one-half of the chicken house this weekend. The project gets an E for effort and is welcome, lord knows I'm not gonna shingle the damme thing.

Speaking of chickens, the hens continue to lay like crazy. Maybe our scheme of lights on a timer to simulate longer days is working. More likely it's the excellent diet they get; scratch grains and layer feed and Mom's daily "treat" of leftovers. They're without a doubt the best fed chickens in the land, and we reap the bounty of many, many farm fresh eggs. It's an ongoing adventure.

And that's all I'm good for today, now that most of today is behind me.

Be well and enjoy the blessings of Liberty.

16 comments:

  1. I hope tomorrow brings better wx. Mice and autos are a bad mix. Good to read about your chickens though. Life is an adventure, some parts more enjoyable than others; but we take to bad with the good and drive on.

    Thanks for sharing.
    Paul L. Quandt

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    1. Lots of wisdom in that comment Paul.

      Thanks for stopping by and commenting!

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  2. Last winter we had some very odd weather, one morning it was -10, abstaining lightly. I had the thermostat in the cab of my F-150 set to 73, and it wasn't keeping up. Resetting it to 95 did thebtrick, though!

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    1. Gotta get the windshield glass warm enough, that sometimes takes a lot of energetic air parcticles. :-) Looking like we'll have a winter of my youth with lots more cold and snow than we've had the last 20 years. Love the variability of our Earthly climate. Helps keep the adventure going.

      Thanks for stopping by and commenting!

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  3. Will hope for a good outcome on the treatment for the family member. Been through that with a couple of family members. One made it, one didn't.
    We had trouble keeping the mice out of wiring on equipment, tried a lot of things that worked sometimes. The worst were the rats when I lived in the bunkhouse at Marymine's place. Had to check my car every day to make sure there were none building nests in the engine.
    Yay on getting the pickup sold, and the International, and ma's car fixed up. You are making headway!

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    1. When it gets to the vodka stage it becomes a trainwreck and the whole family is along for the ride. Thanks for the positive thoughts. There are some hopeful signs. Time will tell.

      Rodents are a bane to our preferred way of living, but also a good reminder that were not omnipotent. Be nice to have some tame coyotes on call, but they'd eat the chickens and be too easy to shoot. As it turns out God doesn't need my help running the planet!

      We're indeed making headway. :-)

      Thanks for stopping by and commenting Brig!

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  4. The alcoholism that runs in my family is the reason I am a complete teatoaler.

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    1. Not a bad choice for anyone. I gave it up completely the last time I got threwn in jail more than two decades ago. I used to love getting fueled up and fighting; bad habit I picked up in the navy. Wasn't an anger thing, it was a contest thing. Butt polite society didn't allow it any more, and that was really the only reason I had to drink at the watering hole, so...

      Priceless look on the Judge's face when I mentioned my track record of getting my ass kicked in at least 17 states...

      Those were the days!

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  5. Alcohol abuse. Dealt with it with my sons. Stay away from it myself. I'm stupid enough sober to need help being more stupid.

    Hope for a good outcome with the family member.

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    1. Thanks muchly for the kind words and wishes. And for stopping by and commenting.

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  6. Good on y'all getting the family member into a program. Hope it works. Might point out that staying away from demon rum (or his cousins) can be a really good thing, as our President learned watching problems in his family. Hard to do when you've become addicted, but it can be done, and many do, and those who do all seem to be a damn sight better off for sticking with it.

    Critter problems- dang, those mice are just tearing stuff up. I though all farms had herds of feral cats to keep rodents under control. If you got cats, they need to be replaced with hungry mousers. If not willing to put up with stinky cats (I would never let one in the house) than maybe Mausers in .22 caliber will be needed.

    Gotta get your windshield fixed, too, looks like.
    Best wishes for all for the coming winter.
    John Blackshoe

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    1. Thanks John. The list of to-dos gets longer every day. Darn dogs kill cats, so we're somewhat imbalanced. Thanks for stopping by and commenting!

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  7. Alcoholism, I've seen it in my family. I used to drink myself silly when I was a young airman, a couple of good sergeants straightened my ass out and I've pretty much behaved myself ever since. Note that I said 'pretty much." My only vice when drinking is dancing like nobody's watching, yet everyone is. The Missus Herself keeps me on a tight leash. Smart woman.

    Mice and vehicles, even the Germans had trouble with those in Russia. An old problem.

    Beautiful pics!

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    1. Man that dances like that needs a strong wife who knows her way around a leash! Thanks for stopping by and commenting!

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  8. Willingness, even a little, is a good start toward the reversal of alcoholism.
    An open mind helps bunches, too.
    Recovery is a lifetime process, but it isn't necessary to do it alone, DAMHIK.
    Prayers for a fruitful outcome.

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    1. Sage wisdom indeed. Thanks for sharing.

      And thanks for stopping by and commenting!

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