Wear and Tear

I spent the other day mowing, some weed-whacking, and nothing much else. None of it was strenuous, but I was getting some sharp occasional pains around my belt-line. I've had a small hernia for a few years, and it never bothered me, until then. Since it was Thursday, and my doctor is off on Friday, I called for an appointment. They fit me in, and  gave me one at 10:30 am with a nurse practitioner, so off I went. 

I'll be scheduled for a CT scan, and a visit to a surgeon. While the hernia isn't bothering me today, if it should become worse, I'm on the path to what is now just a day surgery. I'm pushing 70 years old, and the longer I wait, the chances of complications increase. It will put me semi-out of condition for about 6 weeks, but after that, I should be running on 8 cylinders again. 

I'm guessing my years of hard labor work, such as lifting heavy concrete forms, bags of cement products, concrete finishing, and other things that lead to hernias has finally caught up with me. It's wear, and tear, and time to get it fixed. 

Thoughts on 6/23/2026

Tech stocks are not doing well. It's the typical stock market game. Buy low, sell high, and hope you didn't wait too late for either. It doesn't matter if the money keeps jobs, or helps a company to continue offering a needed service, or good. That's not important, and the shifting of capital sloshes like the bilges of a ship in a storm. 

Foreign visitors are having their preconceptions of the U.S. changed. They find most people are friendly, the food is good, there is prosperity to be seen, and regardless of the media, the majority of U.S. citizens don't eat their young. 

Congress is in the process of committee examinations of affordability for citizens. Like all committees, the donuts will be fresh, the coffee good, and the freedom to waste hours without repercussions relished like a cool rain on a hot day. Of course, they'll ignore the real solution has been available for decades, but they would have to close the nation's wallet and stop wasting money on credit.

The reflecting pool is still offering hours of reflection of its importance in the grand scheme of things. A report will be available on most news channels. Nothing new, but it's really nothing in the first place.

Judges are still ignoring their duties, attorneys are still cluttering up the courts, and you can find relief from both by calling the number on the commercial. They'll help you as along as there is some money to be made. Otherwise, don't waste your time. They don't care for you, and tee-off is at 10:00 am.

The number of medications with acronym descriptions is almost mind-boggling. Whether you have PMS, ALS, GERD, IBS, or any other affliction, ask your doctor if it's right for you. Watch out for allergic reactions, liver damage, kidney damage, an increase in strokes, early dementia, rare cancers, or a infection between your anus and genitals that can be deadly.

Reflecting Pool Thoughts

Apparently, the large reflecting pool in the capitol was probably a mistake from the beginning. From what I've read, it's leaked from the beginning, when it was completed  in the 20's. It's been through a few renovations, and all (from what I know about concrete retaining structures) were more of trying to make chicken salad from chicken shit. 

Concrete leaks, and any attempts to refurbish concrete that has been saturated for a long time is a process that can't be accomplished in a short period of time. With a constant infiltration by ground water, the process is even more onerous. Considering the size of the pool, the cost of lasting repairs, and the constant filtration required to keep it clear, from the beginning, it was a blunder, along with a huge waste of tax dollars. To make things worse, regardless of what happens between those that hate Trump, and the Trump Administration, it will continue to be a blunder. Even if it was filled in, and grass planted, it would still be a costly piece of real estate requiring costly maintenance.

I don't know why this pissing contest has struck a nerve with me. Maybe it's the fact the national debt is something more than a small worry, and pissing off money on egos is something that doesn't make sense to me. 

Dangerous Heat

After a tropical system, and there is a lot of rain that falls, the heat afterwards is dangerous. Heat indices can easily reach the 120 degree range, and the haze lasts for days. That's what we've had since Arthur passed by to the south. The storm didn't drop much rain, but the days preceding had some downpours. Yesterday was brutal, so I avoided outside when I could. Today, it was bad until about two hours ago. Slow moving, to stationary, thunderstorms are around, and the downdrafts have cooled the air. Hopefully we won't get any rain. The ground is saturated, and the mosquitoes are breeding in any pool of water to be found. 

I cleaned the evaporator coils today on the a/c. I had a new can of the cleaner you just spray on, and leave for the condensation to rinse. I had plenty, so I took care of two sister-in-law's coils too. I'll have to clean one sister-in-laws coil again in a few weeks. I took care of the build-up, and sprayed the coils, but the cleaning wasn't complete. The cleaner will dissolve most of what's left, and another cleaning should be enough.

I cut what I could of the lawn. Most is still too wet, and it will take days to finally dry enough for mowing...if we don't get more rain. It is what it is, and in a month, it may be so dry mowing will be less often, and the grass will be stressed. We'll see.  

Tropical Deluge

 I poured almost two inches from the rain gauge the day before yesterday. This morning, I poured almost four inches of rain from the gauge. It's still raining, and it's forecast to continue for the next two days. 

There's a low pressure area around Brownsville, moving to the east, and may go into the Gulf. It's not forecast to develop, but could, and is guaranteed to lead to torrential rains along the coast, along with inland counties near the coast. We'll get enough of the rain to some minor flooding, and a saturated yard. The road in may flood, but we're ready.