This is something I haven't done in years. Not sure just what to say or if this is even viewable by anyone other than me. So many things have changed. Both Caroline and myself are now retired but other than that so little has really changed. Of course there is now covid and that has really changed the world. Not only is there sickness and death on a worldwide level but the whole thing has been so politicized that it isn't even funny anymore. There have always been the conspiracy people and they are having a field day. There are anti-vax people and nut jobs saying that the vaccine will change our DNA. That it is made from dead fetuses. That it will make you infertile or make you magnetic. That it has tracking devices in it or is it mind control. People are unwilling to do even the simplest things to ensure theirs and other peoples safety. Masks or quarantine are just about fighting words anymore. There have been several different variants of the disease, some more lethal than others. Wearing a mask and getting vaccinated all help and make it so if you do get sick it isn't as bad but will people do that. Hell no. Where does this all end. I don't think anyone knows but it now seems as if it is here to stay. 

Like I said I'm not sure if anyone other than me will ever see this but I will try and keep adding to this.

Medicare and Pharamcies

I hit that magic 65 last June and went from my wife's really good insurance to Medicare with lots of Medigap insurance. It hasn't been too bad but the medication stuff has been a pain. There has been some increases in out of pocket expenses. The two most costly medications I take went from $60 to over $130 out of pocket. Also there has been some really odd increases for stuff that had been free or a $20 co-pay. I use insulin and the price of the needles is outrageous to say the least. It cost $112 for 300 needles the last time. Why? The insulin is unusable without them and in my mind they should come with the insulin when you refill that.

Also there seems to be more paperwork than ever. When I do refill the needles and test strips there is paperwork that has to be filled out by the doctor before you can get them refilled. He is basically certifying that you are using them. Really? Again the insulin is unusable without the needles and you need the test strips to know how much you need to take. It would seem to me that if the government was trying to control costs they would stop some of this unnecessary paperwork and trust the doctors to know what their patients need, at least when it comes to diabetes.

Insulin has been in the marketplace since the 1920's but there is no generic for it. This is partially because it is a biologic and not a chemical. The government and FDA control the chemical stuff but allow the pharmaceuticals free reign when it comes to biologic based medications. So, no generics and super high costs. Insulin is an $8 billion a year cash cow for the pharmaceutical companies in the USA.

Guns at School

Sadly the gun debate hasn't made any progress or shown any signs of finding some common ground or common sense. Now the talk is about arming the teachers and other staff. I have no problem with this if the staff and teachers are willing to do it  but no one should be forced to carry a gun. Also there is lots and lots of training that would have to be done before this would have even a ghost of a chance of working. Also I really doubt that more guns is even close to the solution we need. Can you even begin to imagine if for some reason a teacher shot a student by mistake.

Real common sense and solutions that both sides of the more sensible people have said they'd like aren't even on the table as the NRA and its members get absolutely hysterical if they are brought up. Things like an assault type weapons ban or large capacity magazine bans. More and better background checks. These can't even be brought up because of the NRA. In Florida the legislature voted down an assault weapons ban while survivors of the last mass shooting watched in the gallery. I wonder how much that cost the NRA. How bankrupt of a moral compass do you have to have to do that.

I read on a news site that there have been 16 police officers killed in the line of duty so far this year. The article was written as if this was horrible thing and made the school shootings less of an issue because police had been killed. I worked with law enforcement for 25 years and every officer knows and understands there is a chance they may meet a violent death. And don't get me wrong here, any persons death is a tragedy but how messed up and pathetic is the world if our children have to accept that same idea when going to school. What a sickening and sad vision of America do you have to have for that to be acceptable to you.

As for teachers with guns to protect our students, just remember that every police officer that died while on duty was armed. Now imagine a teacher armed with a Glock in a classroom with 20-30 very frightened, possibly screaming kids fending off an attacker armed with an AR-15 with a 30 round magazine.

Guns and America

Sadly the last couple of years have been rather busy with lone gunmen shooting up schools, churches, malls, workplaces and just about anywhere else they can. The weapon of choice has been the AR-15 or some sort of semi-automatic rifle based on one or another military assault rifle. They use large capacity magazines and in at least one case a bump stock or trigger crank to increase the rate of fire on these semi-automatic weapons. These events are followed by a national outcry for some sort of gun legislation followed by hand wringing and politicians saying it is too soon to talk about this issue. And of course the obligatory "Thoughts and Prayers". Anymore it seems that thoughts and prayers is Washington DC speak for we are going to do nothing.

There has been no meaningful gun control laws or common sense in the gun debate for the last 40 years. The last real gun law was the Brady Bill that controlled  magazine capacity and civilian styled assault rifles, AR-15's and AK-47's mostly. When that bill expired it has been impossible to have any kind of discussion or legislation about gun control without the NRA and other gun enthusiasts screaming that "they are coming to take away our guns".  The NRA has spent money lavishly to buy off the politicians in both DC and the state capitols. In Idaho alone the four person congressional delegation has received $95,050 over the years they have been in office. They all mention very loudly in their reelection speeches and pamphlets that they are unconditional supporters of the Second Amendment. Hard to get a word in edge wise with that kind of rhetoric.

Then there are those folks that own weapons. If you believe the media and their pollsters, the majority of Americans and gun owners too support some sort of gun control. That said the vocal minority is the only voice the politicians hear. The gun owners and the NRA yell that more people are killed in cars than killed by guns every year. While in numbers that is true, that argument misses the point. Which I believe is what they intend anyway. The last thing these people want is a calm, rational discussion and solution to the issue. Something about a slippery slope, I think.

I don't believe there is a simple or easy solution here but in the present atmosphere it is impossible to even talk about it. Right now the only things you hear are talk of outright bans and abolition or, and this is from the NRA, only a good guy with a gun can stop a bad guy with gun. Just try having a rational discussion when that is the kind of people you are talking with. So, unfortunately the only options left are useless hand wringing and of course thoughts and prayers. 

Here I am again and it has been years since I have written anything here. Lots has happened. I did get the gastric bypass surgery in February of 2014. I had lost right 100 pounds but in the last year about 25 pounds has come back. The best thing is that I have stopped taking as much medication and stopped taking two different medications. My type 2 diabetes is mostly under control and my blood pressure has come down significantly.  I can't say that I'm totally pleased with some of the changes that the surgery has brought on. Eating is more of a challenge as I can only eat a little of most things. My wife and I used to love going out to eat but we don't that hardly at all anymore. There are now foods that will make me sick to the point of throwing up and many things will just make me feel as if I would like to throw up. Not the most pleasant feeling. While I'm glad I did it I'm not sure I'd do it again knowing what I know now. 

The First Steps

Last night I took the first steps on a journey. Since my overall health is starting to get worse and with my doctor's advise I took the first steps to learning about bariatric surgery. Dr. Bateman says that medication has done all it is going to do to control my high blood pressure. Also my blood sugars are high. For the second time in a row my A1c was 7 or higher. My kidneys are starting to pay the price. Most of the level are off the charts for my kidneys and it is only a matter of time before they start to shut down. Dr. Bateman says he thinks I'm a good candidate for bariatric surgery and recommended Dr. Oakley at St Luke's Bariatric Surgery Unit.

Caroline and I went to St. Luke's Meridian last night and attended a seminar on the surgery. Dr. Valentine was the speaker and he was very knowledgeable and interesting to listen to. He discussed and showed videos of the different procedures. He covered the pros and the cons for each and answered any and all questions. I have to admit that I don't like the idea of cutting up and rearranging my stomach and intestines but his explanations did help. We turned in the paperwork for the next step which is checking all the insurances and then getting an appointment to see the surgeon.

While this is for me, Caroline also turned in the paperwork. She is overweight and would benefit from the procedure before she has any big health issues. She does have high cholesterol but so far no other issues that we know of. She really needs to see the doctor for a real physical and blood work. As for me, I need to do something before my kidneys fail or I start to have heart or stroke issues from the high sugars and blood pressures.

Its Been Awhile

Its has been awhile since I wrote anything here. I seem to have lost my voice. There have been things I wanted to write about but the words just don't want to come.

 My health has been an issue. My blood pressure has been high. Even with 5 different medications, it is high. Same with my blood sugars. That one is more my fault than the blood pressure. Eating has always been my comfort and my downfall as far as keeping my blood sugars and my weight down. Things are to the point that my doctor has suggested that I see a bariatric surgeon. Seems there is nothing else that medication can do for me. Losing weight is the only option and that has always been very difficult for me. So I'm going to check into it.

I rather like being retired and have had no desire to go back to work. I have never defined myself by the work I did. I liked being a 911 dispatcher and I did enjoy helping people. I just never needed work to define or justify my life. Caroline is still working for the City of Boise and that is the single biggest reason I can stay home. Without her insurance coverage none of this would be possible. She can retire in a few months but says she wants to continue working for awhile. I have told her that her working is helpful and we would be better off if she continued but I also said that she shouldn't stay a minute longer than she wants too. We will get by and we do have some money for insurance until we are old enough for Medicare.

Well, this was a little easier than I thought it would be. Maybe I will try and write some more tomorrow or Monday.

$50 Worth, Please

Growing up in the 50's and 60's I have fond memories of going for a ride. On the weekends or sometimes on a week night we would all pile into the car and just drive. We never went anywhere in particular, we just drove around. Sometimes we would go see that new big building that was being constructed or we would park out at Sea-Tac Airport and just watch the planes. If we were luckily and had been good  dad would stop at McDonald's and we would have milkshakes. They were still just a 25 cents , so a buck covered it and dad always had 5 one dollar bills in his wallet. A ride and a milkshake was some pretty good entertainment when Seattle only had 4 TV stations and we only had a black and white set.

The most fun, though, would be if dad stopped for gas. I'll admit it, I loved the smell of the gasoline as it was being pumped into the car. The bigger stations always had a give away too. These were usually glasses or towels. My mom still has drinking glasses we got at Shell in the early 60's. All this happened at a service station, that is a place were a honest goodness real person came out and took your money, pumped the gas and washed the windows. He would even check the oil and water levels in the engine and check the belts if you popped open the hood. The fun for us was hearing my dad say "Three bucks worth please". Mom always made fun of him as the last of the big spenders and would say the attendant would most likely die of surprise if dad ever said "Fill her up".

Three bucks worth though almost always did fill her up. Gas was 25 to 33 cents a gallon during most of my youth and I don't think many cars had bigger than 15 to 18 gallon tanks. So 3 bucks just about always did it. It is one of the most endearing and enduring memories I have of my father. I can still hear his voice saying "3 bucks worth please".

Well, dad is dead now and gas is $3.59 a gallon today in Boise. My car also has a 22 gallon tank, so we don't take long rides just for entertainment. I'm not sure what a milkshake costs at McDonald's but I'm sure it is more than 25 cents. Also "$50 bucks worth please" just doesn't have the same feel. Oh, and there is no attendant to tell it to anyway.

I Hate The Wind

My father always hated the wind. He could stand for hours in the rain, the cold and the blistering sun but would be in the house in minutes if it was windy. I don't mean a gentle breeze, I mean sustained winds of 12 mph or more. Since the last years of his life he lived on an island in Puget Sound on a hilltop there was plenty of wind. There wasn't a time that I visited that he didn't complain about the wind. Now I have to admit that at the time the wind didn't bother me me all that much but those days are behind me now. In the 11 years since my father died I guess I have aged more than I thought. The wind now cuts right through me and chills me to the bone. Right now it is 53 degrees in Boise but I'm wearing my Carhartt lined work parka to walk the dogs. I can just hear my father as I'm thinking that it is the middle of March damn it and I should be wearing a light jacket to do this. But there is that damned wind. I can hardly wait for Summer with its heat so I can start to complain about the 100 degree days.

St. Patrick's Day

I had corned beef hash and eggs for breakfast today in honor of St. Patrick. It seems odd to eat a rather British meal to celebrate an Irishman. Oh wait, St. Patrick is British. I think that is all I'll do to honor St. Patrick today as I never have been a big drinker of green beer or whiskey.

When I was a child mom always made a boiled dinner for St. Patrick's Day. She would get out the pressure cooker and in would go the potatoes, cabbage and either beef or a large ham. Ham was my favorite. To this day I will always try boiled cabbage at any place that serves it, I love boiled cabbage.  Irish food is rather bland and that may be why they like the beer and whiskey.

Mom would like to listen to some Irish folk music but I always thought it was so sad. Then I learned something about Irish history and can understand why the music is so sad.  So I will eat my hash and think of my mother and that will make my St. Patrick's Day just about perfect. ERIN GO BRAUGH.