Obviously I have renamed a classic favorite of yore, The Green, Green Grass of Home , a country song, popularized by Tom Jones, into an easy listening song, and my favorite version.
Brown fields on HWY 235 between Yellville - Marshall, AR
I had an appointment with a cardiac electrophysiologist this week. The rural scenery starkly showed the effect of the severe drought Arkansas is enduring, and almost transformed me into thinking I was in Texas instead. Photos are from a moving car, and not very good, but look for the brown patches. These spots are as far as you can see as you travel to Little Rock are cleared land, usually pastures or hay fields. It seemed more severe north of Clinton AR which includes where we live.
Man at Top of Verizon Cell Tower on an 104 degree Day.
The tower picture I think has heat waves coming off it. It is a Verizon cell tower just built on land leased by our church. The man was putting the final touches before it was activated. The temperature that day was 104 degrees amd this was about noon.
After consultation with all my physicians I will be taking our trip. The A-Fib attacks will take place whether I am sitting home feeling sorry for myself, or if I am having a good time traveling. As long as I am on blood thinners, I have been assured I am fairly safe from the dangers of the arrhythmias. I do have emergency drugs which lower blood pressure and other means to break up the fibrillation.
A Scene North of Marshall, AR. This Barn Is Nearly Empty of Hay Bales and No Sign of a Second Crop which Farmers in this Area Usually Are Able to Reap. Note Brown Hill in Distance, too.
We are trying to get Pass Cards so we can drive into Canada and see Niagara Falls on the Canadian side where the spectacular Horseshoe Falls is located. We will of course see both sides, and I hope to ride the Maid of the Mist!
I will try to later regale the trials of getting a Pass Port or Pass Card. It is unbelievable, and time is not on our side. So our trip may be shorter and my heart procedure scheduled earlier. The next two weeks will probably tell the tale1
Being an aficionado of Broadway Musicals I thought I'd treat you to the song that inspired this post, only substitute 'I' for 'you.' Some of the words are ironically applicable, like "I have often walked this street before....", however, the main perception of which I write is less inspiring. [If video does not play or show, here a link to one version on You Tube: On the Street Where You Live .
On the Street Where You Live
[From My Fair Lady] - Vic Damone -YouTube
I served as alderman for 6 years (3 terms less 2 months) in our local government. From the beginning an abandoned house across from my property was in deplorable condition, both house and yard. I knew the owner personally. This is area zoned for manufactured housing on residential lots, not so-called 'mobile home parks."
After his wife died the owner moved out-of-state in my first term. Already in deplorable condition, which was forgivable during his wife's long battle with cancer, the neglect accelerated with high weed/grass growth, and 1000-year ice storm wherein a tree fell thorough the roof, wildlife living under and in the house, and druggies apparently entering and having late niight parties at some intervals. All the rest of my term I tried to get the house condemned; but failed.
Condemned Manufactured Home Across Street From My House
You have no idea what it takes to legally condemn someone's property and destroy it if the warning to the owner is unheeded.
First,the condemnation notice was finally issued during the first year I was out of office. The owner ignored it until I spent my own funds hunting him down, because, miraculously a man wanted to buy the land, move off or demolish the structure, and place a new structure on the property.
Unfortunately, the owner seemed delusional, as he perceived the worth a gold mine. After leaving, he never returned to retrieve personal items nor to witness the increasing delapidation of his property and rapidly declining worth. He seemingly walked away, food in the fridge and dirty dishes in the sink.
Negotiations fell through, but there was a glimmer of hope, as he owed property taxes. The prospective buyer hinted the owner owed back real estate and personal property taxes. He mistakenly thought since he had an homestead exemption on it, even though he no longer lived there as his principal residence. He quickly found money (probably his son) to pay back taxes minutes before the auction on the court house steps.
So the city issued the condemnation notice which allegedly give the owner 30 days to rectify the situation. He ignored it. The City found out the federal and state governments had liens on the property for different reasons, so the City was going to be a loser if we placed a lien via his tax records, which is done in Arkansas. A water bill in his name had already been writen off by the City.
Finally a couple offered to tear it down to sell whatever materials had any value as junk or recyclable. The owner and the couple created this deal, so the City was not involved. The City would have been out considerable more money because of state regulations in condemnation, like fire inspections, hazardous materials, etc. Unfortunately, I knew the couple were not going to follow these rules, but the City was out of the loop, thus not responsible..
Condemned House Across Street From My House [Normal Garbage Pick-up does not include building materials; besides no monthly fee is being paid for this location]
Anyway, the two photos (straight out of the camera) are in this post. Why should I try to make them look better---it is horrible. Plus wild life has moved over to tearing up our expensive landscaping. We have live traps set. So far only a kitty has been captured. The digging is not a kitty, maybe a skunk, but I doubt both. We turned the kitty loose.
The saga of the couple who orginally started the demolition is too complicated to write. Let's say he is in jail and has charges in two counties. The girl friend has now taken up with another guy, both of which have continued the demolition. All of them have conections with the many druggies in our neighborhood.
One my one block there are only three of us that are not in drug trafficking or use, that I know for sure. One family and one bachelor, I am not sure, and two houses are vacant. On the block behind us is at least one other engaged in drug trafficking and one old woman alcoholic.
When we moved here it was a nice quite suburban area. However, we are too old to just pull up stakes and move. Further, we do not fear bodily harm, maybe some theft, but Luckie is a good alarm barker and is only friendly with one neighbor, who is NOT among the druggies.
The heat and time are causing my A-Fib episodes to be more frequent, but short. I have an appointment for scheduling a heart procedure Aug. 3. As advised when I was first diagnosed, the medications 'fade' over time and I have been fortunate the time for me is longer than the one year expectation given.
I may be absent a lot for the next 3 months. I have been OK'd to take in September vacation, even though it may not be so pleasant for me or Husband, as the episodes will still occur. But so-far we are going. Walking upgrades are debilitating as I rapidly become short of breath which may create an episode, as can the heat and some bodily functions. At least New York in September should be cooler than Arkansas!!!
As I have already mentioned we are going to Plattsburgh NY for the reunion of the U.S.S. Henley, one of my husband's ships. The Plattsburgh area is the site of several War of 1812 battles. The reunion is same time asthe last weekend of a 2-week remembrance celebration of the War of 1812.
The Navy guys will be participating in a parade, and all of us will see two re-enactments, one on land, and one on Lake Champlain. The history freak in me will be soaking up facts as I always regarded this British skimish a mundane short event. However historians have described it as the USA's most successful ground war! I surely have missed something from the history books!!!
What am I doing these days as I have neither posted much and visited my favorites little?
1). Playing musical chairs with the computers in the house getting them repaired as much as possible. My immediate previous laptop bought at a BIG BOX store that sold me a useless expensive maintenance contract by contract group known as the GEEK squad. Purposely I was not informed in-home service meant 40 mi. radius of any of their stores. I live in the Ozarks at least 100 mi. from any store. I did take it in once and returned a month later to pick it up. They "found nothing wrong."
It turns out the time period a large number of HP series with NVIDIA Graphic Processors unfortunately were designed not to handle heat problems. Bad choices of paste, so-called heat sinks and variable fan speeds led to all manner of screen failures to outright black/blank screens or screens with all manner of weird artifacts (mine was the latter).
Mine went to HP 3 times (they extended warranties 6 months past my two year contract), but they replaced the defect with the same cr----py parts. The actual remedy was 4 pieces of copper for heat sink,better heat paste and a fixed speed fan (runs all the time). I belatedly found a repair shop and paid to have mine fixed.
The good news is it is fixed; the bad news is the repair shop ran tests on it after repair which indicated it may fail again in one year, especially if I don't turn it off every time I am not using it--no snooze, sleep or hibernate modes.
There are two class action suits near completion with both companies claiming no wrong, but customers may be eligible for new computers or repair costs. I may be able to reclaim my repair costs.
2) My housekeeper had foot surgery the end of December; she returns Feb.1. I became housekeeper and cook. I hate cooking and dusting. I don't mind vacuum for our commercial carpet and Swifter floor washer for vinyl, except I have to take breaks to rest back, shoulder and hip pain. I am proud I got the entire house done once each week she has been gone, but NO dusting, and reluctant cooking.
I am routinely responsible for two rooms; the washroom and the smallest bathroom.
I cannot believe she gets all the house done in approximately 4 hours--worth every dollar to me. I literally fell asleep when I set down in the evenings.
3) We are having the entire ductwork replaced in our manufactured home. Our electric bill kept escalating despite a second insulated roof over, new windows and doors, solar shades, and numerous indoor renovations.
After over 3 years and 2 estimators from the company to which we were loyal, my Husband asked a neighbor employee of the local HVAC co. to take a look. He found a hole the size of a large man's fist in a major section.
They started work the next day. Of course new vents and boots are a part which require inside sawing which makes them square and larger. Mobiles have nothing square or level. So more dust--sawdust.
Furthermore, ducts were constructed of the same cr----py particle board as the floor; get it wet and it is a goner. The insulation was inside the duct which meant we have been inhaling the particles for 30+ years. No wonder my asthma/allergies/bronchitis/COPD hate living here!
We are hoping for completion Monday as they work despite rain. Tuesday does not look like its going to be a fun day.
4) We are still considering the course of treatment for my A-Fib. By the way, the website, AFIBSTROKE, com sis pretty good but don't believe everything in the forums. This heart irregularity is rather common and seem to have a mild case somewhat complicated by vagal nerve intervention like when I eat too much, or need a BM--perhaps other events.
April is set for decision. Apparently my case is nothing compared to one lady who has 42 hour long episodes or those in permanent A-Fib.
It seems when you start with a clinic it is hard to change but it looks like we'll have an ablation, which I would just as soon skip and go straight to a pacemaker, which is a later step.
After a frenzied two weeks of political (I resigned) and medical activities, I decided to post an alert I'm still around.
I will be spending about a week at the Arkansas Heart Hospital in Little Rock to hopefully regain control of atrial fibrillation, short is A-Fib, where a special oral tablet will carefully be subjected to titration for my body and circumstances.
If things go as expected, I am given 2 tablets a day and I can read, sleep, whatever I want while being evaluated. I am sure evaluated means wires hanging out of you in ever conceivable manner.
However, I was promised I may be able to take less meds which is comforting, too, at least as the ones related to heart and blood pressure.
So maybe I will be able to catch up on reading your blogs!! And my Kindle.
We have two laptops so HUSBAND gets the one that works the best at the nearby motel. Luckie gets the one that is near dead. HAH HAH.
