Saturday, March 1, 2025 — 19 days to spring

This old softy has been too lazy to blog for a few days, but the former arctic weather moved on enough to allow some outdoor work, including chainsaw fun. I enjoyed sawing up a fallen dead tree for firewood, hauled that up from the wood lot and split it into convenient-sized pieces, and put it away. The big tub by the fireplace is full, the wood box behind the house has enough in it to last at least a couple of weeks, and there are three boxes of stove-size wood in the kitchen. There are more than enough chilly days to suit me, but occasional highs in the seventies are a big improvement. Tonight's treat was dinner at Buffet City in Wichita. The movie was Nickel Boys, a picture unlikely ever to make it down here to Podunk. The local public radio critic called it the best movie of the year. I don't think I would go that far, but it was certainly better than most I've seen recently.


Sunday, March 2, 2025 — 18 days to spring

Other than a drive to town for a few groceries, my outdoor activity today was pretty limited. That was a walk down to the wood lot to fetch a few sticks of kindling. The forecast predicted I'll need it. We have several days coming with cool highs in the fifties. That makes the return of seventies the following week a very pleasant prospect. Meanwhile the national political madness continues. In the face of a serious threat to the country's founding principle, many Americans are too obsessed by distracting red-blue cultural warfare to care about that, or even to see that it's happening.


Monday, March 3, 2025 — 17 days to spring

A chilly wind was blowing, but it was a minor annoyance compared to what's in the forecast for the following couple of days. A single winter coat was the only extra clothing I needed for the work at hand. That job was taking the truck down to the wood lot and filling a couple of boxes with dried bark scraps. While I was at it, I collected some cedar branches that will serve as kindling. I hope I have enough fuel laid in to last until comfortable weather returns next week.


Tuesday, March 4, 2025 — 16 days to spring

Today I got busy on sorting receipts by month and looking for papers required for filing taxes. I've been putting this off too long, so there's more of it than I could do in one day. That's a result of spending too much time just trying to stay warm, and neglecting what I should have been doing. I hope I can at least get through this before good weather returns next week. There's plenty of outdoor work waiting for me to get to it.


Wednesday, March 5, 2025 — 15 days to spring

Another day of longing for the chill to go away. Instead of something useful, I spent way too much time playing online. At least I have enough firewood laid in to last me until after the pleasant weather arrives next week. I plan to use the pleasant days to build the wood supply enough to last through the end of burning season. Then I won't have to deal only with dead trees. It will be OK to cut wood that's still green, and let it dry during the summer.


Thursday, March 6, 2025 — 14 days to spring

Yesterday was the day when the local movie theater updates its website. This week we're getting the new show from Bong Joon Ho, who wrote and directed this adaptation of a novel by Edward Ashton. Does Bong's previous success guarantee that this will be any good? No, but it's a hopeful sign. Maybe he can live up to his previous hit.


Friday, March 7, 2025 — 13 days to spring

A tantalizing high of 59º suggests that next week's highs in the seventies are practically a sure thing. Before we get to that, I still have to sort and file a lot of receipts. The important part of that will be setting aside the stuff I will need to give my CPA for doing last year's taxes. I think my days of being able to do it myself are over. Having an age that starts with 8, plus a TBI, makes me too easily confused to handle the job anymore.


Saturday, March 8, 2025 — 12 days to spring

It was a day for a bit of catching up. First up was a drive to the recycling center with three boxes of plastic containers and a box of cans. After bringing the four boxes home, the next job was a drive down to the gasino to fill the Camry. For Saturday treat night dinner was carnitas at La Fiesta. The movie was Mickey 17, a sci fi tale about people who are considered expendable  because they can be replaced with a new copy printed out by technology. Robert Pattinson shines as two copies of Mickey, #17 and #18, convincingly playing some scenes that include both Mickeys.


Sunday, March 9, 2025 — 11 days to spring

Today's visit to the wood lot was just for assembling a little pile of kindling. I didn't even take the truck down to haul the pile up to the house. Tomorrow will be soon enough for that. I went to the room above the shop that has served as my office, looking for folders to hold receipts. I found one sheet of white tag, which was enough to make just two folders. I'll have to go shopping for more, as I'm going to need more than two folders.


Monday, March 10, 2025 — 10 days to spring

What a bummer! Some of my favorite TV programs disappear during fund-raising drives, and in their place we get "specials" I'd rather do without. Oh well, that makes next week something to wait for.  Meanwhile, I'll find things to do. Today it was folders. I went to town and bought some 24" x 36" sheets of white tag, which can each be cut into four pieces for folders. Now I have 11 folders, enough to hold receipts for six months plus some of the papers that will go to the CPA who gets to do my taxes. I also have some bills to pay, along with some outdoor jobs like building the firewood supply and moving my wrecked car into the shop. I guess I'm not in any danger of running out of things to do.


Tuesday, March 11, 2025 — 9 days to spring

An unremarkable day. I walked down to the wood lot and brought back a few days' kindling. I fetched wood into the kitchen, probably enough to last the rest of the week. I went to the scales and found that I weigh 147 pounds. That's OK, as I aim to stay in the 140-150 range. Tonight I hunted up some clean clothes for tomorrow, and hit the shower, so tomorrow I'll be clean in body and attire. One other piece of business was putting receipts into folders, one month per folder. Maybe tomorrow I can take time to write checks and pay bills.

Wednesday, March 12, 2025 — 8 days to spring By noon I had two loads of laundry hung out to dry. I won't need to do laundry again anytime soon. While I was at it I took this picture, as practice using my camera, followed by practice at posting pictures here on my blog. Both bits of practice were very much needed, as I haven't been taking pictures as regularly as I used to, and haven't made much of the effort to post pictures online. Now that I'm relearning to do both, I'll shoot and post photos more often. Thursday, March 13, 2025 — 7 days to spring This was the day to take care of a chore that's been a nagging little worry lately. I took a collection of papers to the CPA who will be doing my taxes. While I was there he gave me some good news. The money from my Go Fund Me account paid my medical bills from last year and left me with four grand I don't need to report because it was a gift. I also got started on another chore, paying a stack of bills that has built up recently. I paid my eye doc and my car insurance for the next six months. That leaves bout half a dozen I still need to pay, and I expect I'll do those tomorrow.

Friday, March 14, 2025 — 6 days to spring

This was the day to get a few things done. I wrote checks to pay bills, and got some of them ready to mail. I had no return envelope for one, so I took it to the company and left it in their mail box. I also had a couple of forms to turn in at the USDA office, and just finding the place was infuriating. Have you ever driven down a street trying to find an address? It is amazing how many people are too stupid to put visible numbers on their buildings. Eventually I found the USDA office after wasting over twenty minutes looking for it. While I was in Winfield I stopped at the Walmart and bought a couple of items that were out of stock for several days in Arkansas City. That reminds me that the local public TV station had a "special" last night about Kansas geography, in which the narrator referred several times to the "Arkinsaw" River. If you want to phone the local post office here, a recording at the USPS 800 number will give you the number to call in "Arkinsaw City".


Saturday, March 15, 2025 — 5 days to spring

I would call today moderately busy. Zack came by and took care of a job that's too much for me now, putting tire chains on the truck. That will reduce the chance of getting stuck in soft ground when I go down to the wood lot to convert fallen trees or branches into firewood. While he was working on that, I got started collecting twigs and small branches out of the driveway and off the front lawn. I filled one box and half of a second one, and there's considerably more to do. My last collecting job was bones the dogs have left decorating the front lawn. If I keep up this kind of activity, the place may reach the point of looking halfway civilized.

Sunday, March 16, 2025  — 5 days to spring This turned out to be more than I expected. I walked up to the cemetery just to "howdy the old timers" and found this surprise. The big wind (Friday, I think) did considerable damage to this tree, which I believe is one of the originals from the 1870's. It was a little more exercise than I had planned, but I went home and got my camera, and returned to take this picture and a couple of others. The first white homesteader here was my great grandfather, Elisha B Parker. That big stone in the center is his. When the cemetery was new (early1870's) he took a wagon down to the Cimarron River in Indian Territory and brought back trees for the cemetery. In those days trees were mostly along streams. That was long before birds made the Eastern Red Cedar ubiquitous by spreading its seeds everywhere.

Monday, March 17, 2025   — 4 days to spring The weather gods granted me a pleasant day that allowed the old man to work outdoors. Today's picture has nothing to do with the work. It's just more wind damage from the big blow of Friday and/or Saturday. In this case the top blew off one of the cedars behind the house. In the world of work,  I struggled with the weed trimmer I'm borrowing from Donna. It should be an easy start, but it seems I lack the touch for that. Eventually I got it running and cleared some of the dead grass and weeds that need to go. The object of that is to uncover stumps left by somebody's bad job of removing small trees. Most of the stumps are just tall enough to make mowing the area impossible. I took a pick with me and used it to dig some of them out of the ground, which is not as bad as it sounds because so many of the roots have rotted away. I ran out of time for the project, so I hope to get more of it done tomorrow. I  suspect I'll have to finish when we're back in cold weather.

Tuesday, March 18, 2025  — 3 days to spring

It was a day well spent. I worked on the project that's been waiting for years. That's the patch of ground beside the road, at the southwest corner of the place, where somebody once did a bad job of cutting small trees. They left a lot of stumps high enough to interfere with a mower, and the area became infested with johnson grass. Winter killed that grass. and I planned to remove it all with a weed trimmer to uncover the stumps, and get rid of them. I used the trimmer a little yesterday, but today it was a no-go. I was able to locate and attack most of the stumps,  which were rotten enough for me to pry them out of the ground with a pick. Then I was able to run the Dixon riding mower over nearly all the dead grass. I ended the day with the project mostly finished. There are two stumps I wasn't able to remove, and I'll need to use a chainsaw on them. That will leave the area just a part of the regular mowing along the road.


Wednesday, March 19, 2025 — 2 days to spring

Dang! Yesterday's pleasant weather sure went away. By noon today the temperature was in the thirties and falling, and  a strong north wind made it colder. I braved the elements for groceries, brought firewood into the house, and stayed inside.


Thursday, March 20, 2025 — 1 day to (the first full day of) Spring

Yes, I know. Technically it arrived today, but the first full day is good enough for me. I spent the day in Okieland. I drove down to Duncan, about a half hour's drive south of Chickasha. The folks who have been running the Chickasha Prewar Meet for many years have quit, so the Duncan Swap Meet has added a prewar section where you can shop for car parts before 1942. That basically means Model T or Model A Ford parts, though you may find a Whippet or Jordan item or two. After all, before Model T production ended in 1927, half of all the cars in the world were Fords. It stands to reason that there would be a lot of Ford parts still around. I didn't go looking for anything in particular, and nothing yelled "Buy me today", so I came away empty-handed. But it was nice to visit with some of my fellow Model T wizards. I haven't seen them for a couple of years.


Friday, March 21, 2025

Today's shopping was for frozen vegetables — peas, broccoli, Lima beans, spinach, Brussels sprouts, etc. What I got today is likely to last at least three weeks. I took advantage of the plesant weather to get started removing inconvenient little trees with my home-made tree puller. It works quite well for most of them. It couldn't get a grip on two or three, and I'll cut those off with the clippers and poison the stumps. I'll pull the trees I have time for, and leave the rest for the cousins. If they don't have the time, I won't worry about it.

Saturday, March 22, 2025 This was weeding and treeing day. I pulled weeds west of the garage and used the puller on dozens of little trees. After the first hour my back told me it was time to stop and rest, but I kept the break down to less than fifteen minutes. After that first break I worked pretty steadily through most of the afternoon until quitting time, which was 4:30. I stopped with some little trees waiting to be pulled, but I expect to finish the job in another hour or so. For Saturday treat night, dinner was the buffet at Pizza Ranch. This week's movie was Alto Knights, in which Mister De Niro has both leading roles. He plays both Frank Costello and Vito Genovese, and is so good that I found myself at times forgetting it was the same guy playing both roles. The world portrayed in this movie will be new territory for younger viewers, but the famous convention of crime bosses in upstate New York was a current event when I was in high school, and the TV entertainment and the popular music included here were a stroll down Memory Lane for me. So what's next? I have a wrecked 1915 Ford sitting in front of the shop with a tarp over it, and now that the miserably cold days are pretty much over I need to clear some shop space where I can dig in and see how much of the car is still usable. Of course the warmer days of spring don't mean that there will be no more cold weather. Some evenings will still be chilly enough to call for some heat, so I'll need to keep building the firewood supply.

Sunday, March 23, 2025

If not for a chilly north wind, it would have been fine. I resumed the job of pulling little trees west of the garage, and the stiff breeze made the fifties feel cold. I stayed with it and finished pulling about 12:30. I'll plan to haul away the debris tomorrow when it's warmer outside. This afternoon I brought some kindling up from the wood lot, then took a tour along the west drive to see which small trees need to go. I'll wait for redbuds to bloom before I start removing little trees there.


Monday, March 24, 2025

At the center of today's activity were pills. After a visit to the pharmacy to refill a couple of prescriptions, I arranged my medications for the next three weeks. One pill tray has compartments for four times a day, and I use two — morning and evening, for seven days. Three trays hold pills for three weeks. It's convenient to open the compartment for Monday morning, for example, and take the seven pills scheduled for Monday morning, then later open the second Monday compartment and take the Monday evening pill. I suppose all this counts as an adventure when your age starts with 8.

 

Tuesday, March 25, 2025 Some good, some not so good. Good included the session with my psychologist at Four County Mental Health. It's nice to go in occasionally and blather about myself for an hour or so. As I was up that way, I went to Winfield and stopped at the main bank to buy $100 in twos, plus two $25 rolls of dollars. Once at another bank, when I asked for a roll of dollars the teller thought I meant paper singles rolled up. No, that's not what I meant. Not so successful was clearing some space in the shop where I can dig into the wrecked car and sort out what is still good and what is junk. When I look at all the clutter in there and think about deciding where to put everything, it kills my desire to get started. I'll just have to work up the motivation and do it.

Wednesday, March 26, 2025

Sometimes there's good news. The local public TV station has been in fundraising mode for weeks (it feels like months), which means some of the programs I prefer have been replaced by "specials" of little or no interest to me. Tonight I got to watch BBC News and Amanpour & Company for the first time in a long time. The first is exactly what the name says, a half hour newscast well done by experienced pros. The second is an hour with Christiane Amanpour, Michel Martin, and others doing often informative interviews with people who know their stuff. This is far, far above political trolls on Facebook obsessed by the eternal tribal contention over red versus blue distractions. Boys on girls' teams, Haitians eating your pets, the danger of vaccinations, Hunter's laptop, blah blah blah... Give me a break.


Thursday, March 27, 2025

It's like farming. Before you can get anything done, you have to stop and fix the equipment. Today I spent forever working on the chain from my "good" chainsaw. (The other one wouldn't start.) When I had a working saw I took it down the road and used it on the tree remains that were too stubborn to get out of the ground with a pick. I believe I have that area by the windmill tower in shape for mowing when we get into mowing season. That leaves only about three thousand other jobs I need to get done.


Friday, March 28, 2025

Having a working saw, I put it to work. First I cut up the branch in the front yard, the one I cleared of twigs and little branches the other day. Then I attacked the big tree parts brought down by the wind in the back yard recently. Today's job was just removing large branches that were in the way of driving there. Cleaning off all the twigs and small branches will come later. Then I got busy on aluminum cans. For years I've been squashing them and storing them in large boxes. Now it's time to sell them and make some space. Of course, some of the old boxes are in bad shape, so today I started transferring the cans to new intact boxes. I think this project may take several days.

Saturday, March 29, 2025

Most of the day I worked on getting my thousands of squashed aluminum cans ready to sell. I had to take them out of old boxes that were sagging and splitting, and put them into newer boxes likely to hold together. The stack of boxes in front of the shop will more than fill the Suburban, and I hope I won't have to make more than two trips. Saturday treat night dinner was enchiladas blancas at La Fiesta, and this week's movie was A Working Man, in which a badass former agent comes out of retirement and brings down an international criminal gang. Lots of shooting and beating. Ho-hum.


Sunday, March 30, 2025

One more day of dealing with aluminum cans has me ready to start hauling them away to sell. The first load will include some new boxes I'll save and use for some of the second load. I've cut up some of the old boxes that were in bad shape, and they will feed the fireplace. I don't know how much I'll get for all these cans, but I expect they will at least pay for the gas I burn up hauling them, with maybe a little profit for my work.


Monday, March 31, 2025

I was about to take aluminum cans to sell, but I never left. The other day the guys burying a new cable line broke a water line which leaked enough to soften the ground beside the road, and today the Suburban's front wheels sank to the hubs in mud. Digging with a shovel and pulling with the Dodge truck eventually got it out, but took so long that I decided to take the cans tomorrow.

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