I don’t know how people who live in places where there’s actual rain put up with it. I really don’t.
Water that falls out of the sky and makes everything…wet! Over and over! I’m sorry, that’s just bad design.
I mean, what if you’re an old one-legged dude, and every single joint in your body right down to the thumbs has been stressed at some point? You know how much fun you’re gonna have getting out of bed in the morning when the humidity level is … whatever it is? (I have no notion that this dumb little gauge is anything like accurate, but I know it rarely cranks itself this far to the right.)
I did get a little work done yesterday. Between rain showers.
The new conduit is installed in the powershed – though of course nothing is wired up yet – and the trench is reburied. Then I put my workbench back in its place and…
…cobbled together a junction box that will accommodate that weird 2″ plastic conduit. Still need a couple of small strain reliefs for the wires coming out to the porch and cabin interior.
Yeah, we got two hours of actual sunshine yesterday afternoon. Then we got a big evening thunderstorm. Go figure. Naturally I left the box on the bench for the caulk to cure. Should have put it in the powershed, because now it’s soaking wet before paint. I really hate Monsoon.
Speaking of things that need water:
…can anybody identify this mystery plant? It seems to propagate through runners just under the sand. Cattle won’t eat it, it’s been quietly flourishing in the wash, and last summer’s flood spread it far and wide.
Finally – I was out on the porch yesterday just before the rain resumed, heard a strange noise, looked up and found I had a visitor…
I only had my phone, and if there’s a way to make that camera zoom I haven’t yet discovered it, so forgive the quality, but…
He was a big fella, maybe the second biggest I ever saw. And this is the first time I ever heard their call. What he was calling I couldn’t say: I’ve never seen two together, though I assume that’s where little roadrunners come from.
Landlady is up this weekend and says she has packages, so expect a care package post. But it might not be till tomorrow, because they’re time-consuming to compose and I have to go to a neighborhood party this afternoon/evening.
Don’t forget to include a gastronomical review after the neighborhood party! If all else fails, tell them it’s supposed to be CBD…
While it is undoubtedly unfortunately slippery, it’s good to see the waterproofing is working as advertised.
A couple of weeks ago I saw a mother roadrunner feeding her young one… and it was the same size as her. But it followed her everywhere she went and kept begging for food, and she kept feeding it. BIrds get full-sized fast.
Think yourself lucky for the rain, we finally got a bit last night after three weeks with nada. There are fire bans all over the place and everything’s as dry as… well, a desert.
I took a look at the brush you couldn’t identify, beats me what it is. My lovely wife looked at it and her best guess was Tamarix AKA tamarisk or salt cedar which would explain what the cows will have nothing to do with it. Too much salt for them to digest.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamarix
What Mike said. Salt Cedar. Grew big back home in NM And sucked all the water it could out of the ground. The roadrunner is the state bird there too. Seen some tall as jackrabbits.
Only 75% humidity. I am envious.
What Mike and DT said. Very invasive non-native plant, sucks up water, almost impossible to eradicate or even control once it gets started. It was used for years to stabilize canal, stream and river banks because of the root system. Cut it down, dig it up, spray it with Roundup.
Off topic subject and question for you .
Spent a few months laying in a hospital bed , here about four years ago. My roommate was a fellow Vietnam veteran of the same vintage, only he was a Squid , where I was Army…
Well , long story told shorter…I was able to keep my lower leg, albeit gimpy.
Sad though it was , my roommate had to have his leg amputated just below the knee. This was like two years ago. He still cannot walk without a walker and maybe only a couple steps with a cane…
Most of his time is spent in a wheelchair.
Primarily because he complains of it’s to painful and rubs his stump raw.
I asked if he wears a sock, like I’ve heard you speak of. He says no, because it’s too hot and he says it already sweats too much.
Any advice ? I’ve told him that I’m sure the sock helps for chaffing and think that it would also help to wick sweat away.
Thanks ahead of time for any words of wisdom you may have.
Spud, sorry, for some reason this question went to the spam locker where it absolutely doesn’t belong.
There’s all sorts suspension systems for leg prostheses, and I don’t know much about most of them. There have in the past been suction-type sockets that I understand didn’t use socks, but most do. If your friend wears a socket that’s designed for use with socks it absolutely won’t fit without them and will pound his stump bloody every chance it gets. Either way, chafing and pain are caused by a badly-fitting socket and your friend needs to get himself back to the prosthetist ASAP. If he’s got a proper BK stump, there is no reason he should have to live with unmanageable pain. My leg is over 20 years old and doesn’t fit especially well and sometimes causes me pain but I can manage it through adjusting the socks between me and the socket.
As for heat: Of course the stump will sweat. And sometimes putting the whole thing on when it’s hot is not a joy. But once you’re going you really don’t notice. I use gelsocks, which don’t breathe at all, and between that and my skin I wear a nylon sheath and a thick stumpsock to wick away and contain the sweat. I keep the stump as clean as I can, and with the exception of one pressure sore that’s been an old frenemy for decades, I seldom have to deal with skin conditions.
You are correct in assuming that your friend is suffering unnecessarily. With a BK amputation he should be able to walk fine. Do him a favor: Bug him unmercifully until he gets a new fitting. Either he or his prosthetist is doing something wrong.
Thank you much Joel for the advice. Yes will unmercifully rag on him to follow your advice.
In fact, I have to drive him over to the VA Hospital in Orlando tomorrow. So he will be stuck in my truck with me for around four hours then.
His biggest issue is that he doesn’t follow directions well…we both had Halo’s on our lower legs yet he didn’t listen and put weight before he should have….dumb ass squid.
Yeah I give him shit, but he is a hell of a nice guy.