The Story of My Life: June 2022

Thursday, June 30, 2022

Helene vs the Entire United States.

What shall I do today? It involves the VA as usual.

Seven months ago the VA wanted me to attend a telephone seminar for four weeks. It happened every Monday morning at 8:00 am and lasted for one and a half hours each time. And what did they want me to learn? Innovative methods of dealing with pain. So many things wrong with this. Why 8:00 am? Why so long? Why Monday?

Would it surprise you that I dragged my feet? But eventually I decided to play their game. What did I learn? Well..... On the final day I listened to a psychologist (female) tell us all about how she didn't suffer pain but she knew all about how to put it at bay. She explained that we had all been the pain medication route. Oh??? No, they have stopped doing pain medication. It's an evil opioid. Go sit or lie somewhere and whimper. She held out the hope of relief by meditation. Did she say hypnotherapy? No. She said meditation, but she didn't elaborate. Even if that worked, the problem is that pain gets in the way of the things you want and need to do, and meditation would quit working when you stopped meditating tried to do anything, if it worked at all. She went from there to talking about herself for an hour. Thankfully, it was the last class. Then questions and answers. Someone asked about getting new electrodes for their BioWave. BioWave? What is that? "It's a machine that interferes with the with nerves that transmit pain to the brain." "OK. I want one." Whaaaaat?

The months went by with all sorts of VA dodges to pretend that they were going to do this but not doing this. Finally one day I was sent to physical therapy classes to learn to use the device. This lasted two weeks, and was held at the VA clinic. Not long after that I came down with a high fever over 105º and then after a few days, collapse of blood pressure. This finally resulted in total collapse. The sheriff came out and picked me up, then the paramedics. They said I had COVID, probably contracted at the VA clinic. But I survived the dread disease. I was told that the BioWave machine was going to arrive on June 22, six and a half months after I started attempting to get it from the VA. Did I believe this? I would when I saw it. This is June 30th.

I had begun calling the VA on June 23 and first I was told to wait a few days. The physical therapist also said that she would be on indefinite leave due to a family emergency. "I'm sorry," I said.

From then on calls to the VA only resulted in reaching an answering service. "Why can't I reach the VA anymore?" I asked. "Oh, there's no one there anymore. They had to let everyone go." OK. So they took messages that went no where.

One day I got a call from the great physical therapy main clinic telling me that my BioWave was being returned to sender. I should call FedEx they said. "What is my tracking number?" I asked, several times. Thankfully I finally got it.

I called FedEx on an 800 number and reached the country of India. They said that they had tried to deliver it to the wrong address over and over. "Well, can you deliver it to my actual address?" "No." Finally they agreed to deliver it to "the Dollar General." It turns out FedEx is allied with Dollar General in some weird, incestuous way. They use Dollar General Stores all over the place as FedEx centers. However, not only can you not reach FedEx by calling the Dollar General, you also can't reach the Dollar General for any reason. The phone number is unlisted.

"Which Dollar General? There are hundreds of them you know. There are twelve of them in this county." "I don't know." "What city is this Dollar General in?" They gave me the name of a town about fifteen miles away. "Well, OK, I can do that. When will it be there?" "Tomorrow."

That was yesterday. Guess what? The BioWave was in a FedEx warehouse 75 miles away. I know this because I had finally been given my tracking number and looked it up on the internet. I called FedEx again, and reached someone that said their name was "me," again in India. Me had no record of any calls by me to FedEx. The last record they had of a shipment with this tracking number was three weeks ago and it was being returned to sender today. (Yesterday) I chose to argue.

About an hour later I got a call from Dana with FedEx. She spoke English. I told her I would like to have my parcel and I had been told to pick it up at Dollar General. "I think it would be closer to you if you went to pick it up at the Dollar General three counties away." "That's 75 miles away. Why can't you just ship this to me at my correct address?" "Oh sure." So they called "Me," who they were now calling Melissa. Melissa said I had never asked for the parcel to be shipped to my home. Also, she claimed that I had insisted that it be delivered on a Saturday. I bit my tongue to not say that I thought the problem was the language barrier. I did mention that I wouldn't have said that because I observe the Sabbath.

"Would you let Melissa know I do want the parcel delivered to my home address?" We carefully verified my correct address.

Dana told me my parcel would be here today. Just like I've been doing for two weeks, I will be spending today sitting by the front door, waiting for FedEx to deliver my parcel. I know my tracking number FedEx!

UPDATE Will my parcel be delivered today? Of course not. Delivery was again attempted at the incorrect address. I know this because, since I know my tracking number, I was able to see which city it was being delivered to on the internet. It isn't the one I live in. And they know that. So after four more calls, and being hung up on once by "Rena," FedEx has again said they will leave it at the Dollar General. How long has this been going on with FedEx? Well, since June 16th. They say they will give me five days to retrieve it from Dollar General. This is approximately $10 in gas.

High fevers, blood pressure collapse, deliveries on the Sabbath, cancelled appointments more than once, disappearing clinics, unbelievable run arounds with FedEx, fools errands to Dollar General. It seems diabolical. I hope this BioWave is good. I can't believe what a struggle they've put up.

Saturday, June 25, 2022

Biden administration uses 'slogans, spin and weasel words' instead of fa...

Friday, June 24, 2022

Turley: Abortion now belongs to democratic process

Thursday, June 23, 2022

New Mystery Penny

I found a new mystery penny today. This one was near the backdoor on the concrete by the back steps. It was a 2020 penny from the Denver Mint.

I was sitting on the back step annoying the feral cat. The cat has had four kittens, and I have been wondering what to do with them. I tried to stop feeding them, but then put some Kit n Kaboodle next to my foot to force them to approach me. They usually keep their distance and all stand around hissing at me, which I don't like.

At first the kittens threw caution to the wind and came up to me to eat cat food, but then I guess their mother warned them about me, and now they avoid me even more, as she stands there hissing. Then I pick up the cat food and go back inside. It just irks me.

We're at an impasse I suppose, because they have no options but to wait for me to come to my senses and feed them.

So there I sat, surrounded by hissing cats, when I noticed a penny lying in front of me. Hmmm. A new mystery coin. Nice.

It wasn't nice like this one in the photo though. It was covered in some sort of grunge, which is odd for a newer coin. It usually takes longer than a few months to get that messed up.

Supreme Court makes 'momentous' Second Amendment ruling

Monday, June 20, 2022

Mashed Cauliflower

It seems to me that the biggest obstacle most people face in a diet is food preparation. There are lots of nice dishes on the ketogenic diet, but they have to be searched for, and shopping can also be more involved. Then, fixing the nice dish almost always takes longer than prepared food.

I decided to try a new twist on the mock mashed potato dish that substitutes, semi successfully, with cauliflower. The biggest problem is that, while it's a nice recipe, it usually just tastes like cauliflower. If you need to have the mashed potato craving go away, it may not happen.

The new step was to put the cauliflower through a potato ricer after pureeing it. I've never tried this with a potato, but I actually spent around $15 buying a potato ricer just for the mashed cauliflower recipe. According to the video that recommended this, this technique would take mashed cauliflower to a whole new level, and be indistinguishable from regular mashed potatoes. Why? They claimed it removed the excessive cauliflower juice and that this juice was what gave the telltale taste of cauliflower.

I bought a cauliflower. I washed it, and decided to use my new knife to cut it....$79 on sale. It is a great knife. I carefully unboxed it when it arrived, and cut myself anyway. If you look at it funny it will cut you. It's my sharpest knife ever, and about the length of a chef's knife. I was thrilled that it cut through the cauliflower like butter. It was way easier to get through this step than usual.

I boiled the cauliflower, and gave half of it to Mom, buttered. I tried to puree my half with the immersion blender, but in the future, should there be a future, I'll use a regular blender, since it didn't turn out puréed.

And then....I put it through the potato ricer!!! I don't know what I thought was going to happen. What did happen was cauliflower juice gushing out of the cauliflower in a surprising volume. Well, maybe half a cup. I looked inside the ricer to see how my cauliflower was doing. Well, there was a little paste on the bottom of the ricer. I removed it with my hand and put it in a bowl. There was about a half a cup of cauliflower left. Hmmm. That's not the way it looked on the video. They had a big bowl of mock mashed potatoes that they suggested one put out for Thanksgiving, insisting that no one would ever know the difference.

It was cold now, so I heated it in the microwave and put butter and salt and sour cream in it.

It was tasty, and it did taste less like cauliflower. It was disappointing that half a cauliflower resulted in only half a cup of finished product. I looked at the time. This took one hour of time from start to finish.

So probably my biggest issue is how small the result of my efforts was. It sure didn't look anything like the mashed cauliflower in this photo. How many cauliflowers would it take to make a serving bowl of mashed cauliflower? At least two. Maybe four. And they cost around $2.50 each. That crazy endeavor would cost $5.00 to $10.00.

So should there be a future, I'll probably go rogue and fix real mashed potatoes from Idahoan potato flakes next time. They're yummy.

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Joe Biden is ‘angry’ that Americans are ‘complaining’

Friday, June 17, 2022

Power Generators May Need To Go Offline

Wednesday, June 15, 2022

Henry Mancini - Experiment In Terror

Monday, June 13, 2022

RESURRECTION MARY sighting AUG 12, 2011

Sunday, June 12, 2022

Laurie ( Strange Things Happen )- Dickey Lee -1965

Friday, June 10, 2022

Dra-Chei-Chah

Holy, Holy, Holy - Audrey Assad

Thursday, June 9, 2022

Matthew 1

Matthew 1. written from memory

Saint Matthew

1. The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

The Sacrifice of Isaac

2. Abraham begat Isaac, and Isaac begat Jacob, and Jacob begat Judas and his brethren.

Isaac blesses Jacob

Jacob'x Ladder

Jacob's Ladder

3. And Judas begat Phares and Zara of Thamar, and Phares begat Esrom, and Esrom begat Aram,

4. And Aram begat Aminadab, and Aminadab begat Naasson, and Naasson begat Salmon,

5. And Salmon begat Booz of Rachab, and Booz begat Obed of Ruth, and Obed begat Jesse,

David by Michelangelo

6. And Jesse begat David the king, and David the king begat Solomon of her that had been the wife of Urias,

The Temple of Solomon

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2tha7ogpec

7. And Solomon begat Roboam, and Roboam begat Abias, and Abias begat Asa,

8. And Asa begat Josaphat, and Josaphat begat Joram, and Joram begat Ozias,

9. And Ozias begat Joatham, and Joatham begat Achaz, and Achaz begat Ezekias,

10. And Ezekias begat Manassas, and Manassas begat Amon, and Amon begat Josias,

Gate at Babylon

11, And Josias begat Jechonias and his brethren, about the time they were carried away to Babylon,

Jews led into exile in Babylon

12. And after they were brought to Babylon, Jechonias begat Salathiel, and Salathiel begat Zorobabel,

13. And Zorobabel begat Abiud, and Abiud begat Eliachim, and Eliachim begat Azor,

14. And Azor begat Sadoc, and Sadoc begat Achim, and Achim begat Eliud,

15. And Eliud begat Eleazar, and Eleazar begat Matthan, and Matthan begat Jacob,

16, And Jacob begat Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.

17. So all the generation from Abraham to David are fourteen generations, and from David to the carrying away into Babylon are fourteen generations, and from the carrying away into Babylon unto Christ are fourteen generations.

The Wall of Babylon

18. Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise. When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.

19. Then Joseph, her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily.

The angel of the Lord appears to Joseph

20. But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.

The angel of the Lord appears to Joseph

21. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS, for he shall save his people from their sins.

22. Now all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,

Joseph cradles Jesus

23. Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and she shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.

Joseph, Mary, and Jesus

24. Then Joseph, being raised from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife.

Jesus is taught carpentry by Joseph

25. And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son, and he called his name JESUS.

Vegetarian Recipes | Chef Jean-Pierre

Chicken Fricassée A French Chicken Stew | Chef Jean-Pierre

Chicken Recipes | Chef Jean-Pierre

Tuesday, June 7, 2022

Chess Opinions

"Chess is a foolish expedient for making idle people believe they are doing something very clever, when they are only wasting their time." George Bernard Shaw

Well that's kind of negative! It's a little hard to argue, since it has some truth. But I'll try.

What is life really about? Doing necessary unpleasant chores? Working on a chain gang? Watching TV? Life is about finding joy in living. This doesn't mean never doing less enjoyable tasks, since if things don't get done problems can result. It just means loving to do the special things. So for some of us chess has a mysterious way of bringing joy.

How many chess players are, as a result of frittering away their time playing chess, compelled to pay for their idleness by robbing a bank? Well, no more than those that find other ways of being idle. Idle moments of joy have value, being the reward for doing the moments of tedium.

Therefore, the statement by Mr. Shaw is waaaaay off base. Wasting one's time?? Nay Mr. Shaw! Without chess life would be less joyful. And this is to say nothing of the social value of playing chess. How many friends over the years have met playing chess? Probably many. Everything doesn't have to have a tangible product.

Earliest Depictions of Jesus in Art

Sunday, June 5, 2022

A Cabinency of Dunces

As the nation sinks inexplicably into self-created crisis after crisis, debate rages whether President Joe Biden is incompetent, mean-spirited, or an ideologue who feels the country's mess is his success.

A second national discussion revolves around who actually is overseeing the current national catastrophe, given Biden's frequent bewilderment and cognitive challenges.

But one area of agreement is the sheer craziness of Biden's cabinet appointments, who have translated his incoherent ideology into catastrophic governance.

Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas has essentially nullified federal immigration law. Over 2 million foreign nationals have illegally crossed the southern border without audit -- and without COVID vaccinations and tests during a pandemic.

Mayorkas either cannot or will not follow federal law.

But he did create a new Disinformation Governance Board. To head his new Orwellian Ministry of Truth, he appointed Nina Jankowicz -- an arch disinformationist who helped peddle the Russian collusion, Steele dossier, and Alfa Bank hoaxes.

While Jankowicz's adolescent videos and past tweets finally forced her resignation, Mayorkas promises his board will carry on.

In the days before the recent Virginia election, grassroots parent groups challenged critical race theory taught in the schools.

In reaction and under prompts from teachers' unions, Attorney General Merrick Garland directed both the FBI and the Justice Department to establish a special task force apparently to "investigate threats" from parents against school board members.

The FBI recently has been knee-deep in political controversies. It illegally doctored a FISA application to entrap an American citizen. Its former directors, under oath before Congress, either claimed faulty memory or admitted lying to federal investigators.

The last thing a scandal-plagued FBI needed was to go undercover at school board meetings to investigate parents worried over their children's education.

We are in a fuel price spiral that is destroying the middle class.

Yet when Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm was asked about plans to lower gas prices, she laughed off the idea as "hilarious."

Later Granholm preposterously claimed, "It is not the administration policies that have affected supply and demand."

Apparently haranguing those who finance fossil fuel production, canceling the Keystone Pipeline, suspending new federal oil and gas leases, and stopping production in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge all had nothing to do with high fuel prices.

Currently, supply chain disruptions are paralyzing the U.S. economy.

The huge Port of Los Angeles has been a mess for over a year. Since last fall dozens of cargo ships have been backed up to the horizon. Thousands of trucks are bottlenecked at the port.

During the mess, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg was not at work. Instead at the height of the crisis, he took a two-month paternity leave to help out his husband and two newborn babies.

Such paternal concern is a noble thing. But Buttigieg is supposed to ensure that life-or-death supplies reach millions of strapped Americans.

This winter, trains entering and leaving Los Angeles were routinely looted in the Old-West style of train robbing -- without much of a response from Buttigieg's transportation bureau.

In Senate testimony Secretary of the Interior Secretary Deb Haaland refused to explain why her department is slow walking federal oil and gas leases at a time when Americans are paying between $5 and $6 a gallon for gas.

Haaland was unable to provide simple answers about when new leases will result in more supplies of oil and gas. Her panicked aides slid talking points to her -- given that in deer-in-the-headlights fashion, she seemed incapable of providing senators with basic information about U.S. energy production on federal lands.

The United States is sending many billions of dollars worth of sophisticated weapons to Ukraine to combat Russian aggression. We rightly claim it is not a proxy war against Russia but instead an effort to help stop a brutal Russian invasion.

Why then did Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin tell the world the very opposite in a fashion that could only convince Russians that our real aim in Ukraine is to destroy Russia as a superpower?

As Austin put it publicly, "We want to see Russia weakened to the degree that it can't do the kinds of things that it has done in invading Ukraine."

Even if that description of the agenda is true, why broadcast it -- given Russia has over 6,000 nuclear weapons and its President Vladimir Putin is increasingly erratic and paranoid?

The common denominator to these Biden appointees is ideological rigidity, nonchalance, and sheer incompetence.

They seem indifferent to the current border, inflation, energy, and crime disasters. When confronted, they are unable to answer simple questions from Congress, or they mock anyone asking for answers on behalf of the strapped American people.

We don't know why or how such an unimpressive cadre ended up running the government, only that they are here and the American people are suffering from their presence.

Victor Davis Hanson is the Martin and Illie Anderson Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution and the author, most recently, of The Case for Trump. You can reach him by e-mailing author@victorhanson.com.

By Victor Davis Hanson

May 26, 2022

I'm Not Lisa

Saturday, June 4, 2022

Feral Kittens

I've been continuing to feed my feral cat friends. There is one tomcat, a yellow tiger cat. Two females, one black speckled little cat I call Speck, and a grey tabby. There used to be a pretty grey tomcat, but one day "Ole Yeller" showed up scratched to ribbons with bald areas, and the grey tomcat never came back again.

The Ole Yeller is the only one of them that has been at all friendly. He follows me inside and wants to see what's in the refrigerator. He wants to be petted, too.

Question. What if the ladies have kittens? Well, this morning there were two grey tabby kittens with the grey tabby cat. I went outside and they arched their backs and hissed. When that didn't frighten me they ran away. They were not tiny kittens, but just short of half grown.

I looked out the backdoor later and saw a black speckled kitten with Speck. This one was much smaller. I opened the door, and the black kitten had run away, but there was a yellow tiger kitten. Wow. Ole Yeller's kitten. It was also with Speck, but Speck kept her distance. The kitten was too young to be able to figure out what to do, and I reached down and grabbed it, to its mother's horror, and to its own shock and horror. "The goblins have my baby!" she thought. I took it in and showed it to my mother. It was putting up all the fight it knew how to put up. I think it was a little surprised to be overpowered. It howled loudly and put up a vigorous defense. I wondered if it would tire of putting up a fight, but I was tired of the kitten anyway, and took it to the backdoor and tossed it from there onto the grass, since I supposed if I tried to put it down I would be scratched.

It landed with a thud. Its mother was still at the backdoor puzzling over what to do. As soon as it landed, it leapt up and ran into the bushes, along with its mother.

I'm not going to feed an ever expanding colony of feral cats. I think they'll go away when I quit feeding them.