USMB Coffee Shop IV

[Ringel05]

One of the big red harvester ants found it's way onto my right foot when I was outside, as I felt it and looked it bit...... That was hours ago and it still hurts.

One of these remedies might help?

How to Take the Sting and Itch Out of Insect Bites

Thanks but I took care of it, washed it then hit it with xylocaine topical, took a benadryl before going to bed. Still mildly sore this morning and it could last for up to three days, Harvester ant poison is 20 times more toxic than a honeybee's and unlike the honeybee the ant can keep stinging.
The biggest danger is a severe allergic reaction, thankfully I did not have one.

 

[Foxfyre]

Good morning everybody. The evening rains are gone but we got enough that a few puddles remain this morning. That's a good thing. We might make it up to 80 today but that will be iffy. I'm loving it.

 

[Dajjal]

Got more Gold coins today. I am confident it will go up in value. So its better than leaving your money in the bank with no interest.

 

[Big Black Dog]

I was going to tell you about the trip from the 7th Ranch Campground in Garyowen, MT (close to the Custer Battlefield) but before I do I want to tell you about Steven C. Adelson. He is the ranger we listened to tell the story of the Custer battle on Last Stand Hill at the Custer Battlefield. He is the most remarkable story teller I have ever listened to. He's written a book called "Little Bighorn - Voices from a Distant Wind and this book comes with a DVD that has recorded his talk he gives concerning the events at the battle at the Custer Battlefield. I highly recommend it and I know you will truly enjoy watching the DVD. I have watched it several times since I have been home. Now, back to the trip from the 7th Ranch Campground to the campground at Three Forks, MT...

Not a bad drive. Fairly scenic as a matter of fact. We pulled into the campground at Three Forks and were almost immediately greeted by rabbits! Black rabbits. I don't know how many black rabbits roam around this campground but I counted a group of six at one sighting and there were always more. As it turns out, the lady that owns the campground turns them loose in the early spring and collects them in the late fall so they can be housed for the winter months. They just hop around and do what rabbits do. They are not wild but they won't let you catch them by hand. I guess it their way of keeping the grass mowed or just one of the odd things you see at campgrounds. Our campground was very busy with folks coming and going daily. We stayed here for 5 days and made day trips to various places. Our first day trip was to Yellowstone and to see Old Faithful. What a sight it was. The ground shook. There was a loud rumble and then the water and steam shot up into the air higher that the trees. I was impressed. We rode around Yellowstone taking it all in and the only wild life we saw was elks. Saw lots of elks but no bears, buffalo, or anything else. Just elks. Got some nice photos of them. Yellowstone was a pretty place but I have to tell you that I've never in my life seen so many people in one place in my whole life. Traffic was stop and go. At times completely stopped, then slow, then normal speed and then back to stop. I guess you have to expect that at a place like Yellowstone. It was an enjoyable time at Yellowstone and if you've never been there you should put it on your bucket list.

The next day we drove into Bozeman to have a look around and to pick up a few things at Walmart. Nice town. We went through a couple of museums there and saw some fantastic things. At lunch we found a little hamburger place called "The U" down by the college. Terrific hamburgers there and the milkshakes are good too. Bozeman is a pretty nice place and being a student there might be a good thing. They love their Cougars there in Bozeman because just about everywhere you look there is a sign that says "Go Cats!".

Next day we drove around and ended up taking a trolly tour of Butte, MT. Copper mining is their claim to fame and they have a really big hole in the ground there to prove it. Mrs. BBD collects thimbles and she score one made out of copper there in Butte. Butte is also the hometown of Evil Kenival. Remember him? He would jump over anything with his motorcycle. I met him years before while working as a corpsman on Ward 4C at Bethesda Naval Hospital. He rode his motorcycle onto the ward to visit with patients and was well-received. Quite a showman he was. While we were in Butte, it happened to be the Evil Kenival Festival and we got to see some guy jump through a hoop of fire on his motor cycle. Butte also has quite a mineral museum. The town though, I have to tell you is a bit run down and would not be my first choice if I was going to live in Montana. Saw lots of stuff on the trolley tour and even what used to be the town's bordello. Yep. There is a bordello museum you can go into if you are so inclined. Right there in downtown Butte.

After we left Butte we drove up to a small town called Phillipsburg. Our friends in SD are going to move to Phillipsburg when they sell their ranch. Very pretty drive from Butte to Phillipsburg and Phillipsburg is indeed a very small town. They have a strip geared to tourists with lots of stuff to see and do. The candy store was amazing. I saw candy in there that I have not seen since I was a kid. Ate some really good ribs at the local restaurant. Bought Mrs. BBD a little gold pen that was a crossed shovel and a pick ax. They have a store in Phillipsburg that sells precious stones and it was a good stop. Didn't buy anything in there because it was quite expensive. Very pretty but also very high-priced stuff. Almost all of the stones are found locally though.

We left Phillipsburg and made our way back to the camp ground and was happy to be back just to relax. The next day we didn't do anything except lounge around, read, relax and enjoy the nice weather sitting outside watching the rabbits hop around.

Will tell more later...

 

[gallantwarrior]

Well, I am less stressed today. The drive was freaking me out. Ever driven thru LA and their yarnballs of freeways and highways and interstates?
*shudder*
Google and Bing both gave me such weird directions, I couldn't make heads or tails out of it. And fwys turn into highways and if you make the wrong lane turn, you wind up in an area you don't want to be in. So...I have been freaked out. But...my friends are going to rent a car in their town, drop it off in Ventura at the Enterprise location, we meet them there and they ride with us back to their place. He will ride with mrG and she will drive my van.

I feel so much better.

Maps are your friends and I'm sure you, or Mr. G., are capable of deciphering them, if not folding them back into their pristine packets.

Ah, maps. I love maps, or at least used to. Still have about a million, including somewhere a road map of Poland.
GPS makes ya real lazy though.

I've collected many Atlas' over the years. Now, they are more a history lesson than a way to find your way. Countries that used to exist are no longer there, many new names...

 

[gallantwarrior]

Screw the maps. It isn't really them that is the problem. The problem is the multiple names of each and every fwy, hwy, rd, route, etc.
101 is the ventura freeway when you get near ventura, but then its still the 101 aka 85B, which turns into the 210 but is really still the 101 and the 134, THEN goes to 210 with other stupid names of 34A or some such...and you have to be in the correct lane on that yarn ball otherwise you wind up in san diego or worse, a part of a neighborhood you do not want to be in....so in the middle lane. And hope it doesnt lead you to some other godforsaken place. Then you have to find the 10 but it twists left right up down north south east west....so aim to palm springs but you might wind up in upper arizona instead of where you want to go. 101, 134, 85B, 210, 10, ventura hwy that turns into another hwy I forget the name of, but still is the 101 until you get to wherever then its the 134 but is STILL the 101 that happens to be the non remembers hwy name as well.

Fuck that shit.

I've been on Route 66 multiple times. The first time when my parents brought us to Cali from NC. It was the only road available. Then we drove back that way three years later. When I left Cali in 1975 on my Honda, I followed '66 as much as possible, but even then it had given way to Interstate 40.

 

[gallantwarrior]

Well, I am less stressed today. The drive was freaking me out. Ever driven thru LA and their yarnballs of freeways and highways and interstates?
*shudder*
Google and Bing both gave me such weird directions, I couldn't make heads or tails out of it. And fwys turn into highways and if you make the wrong lane turn, you wind up in an area you don't want to be in. So...I have been freaked out. But...my friends are going to rent a car in their town, drop it off in Ventura at the Enterprise location, we meet them there and they ride with us back to their place. He will ride with mrG and she will drive my van.

I feel so much better.

Maps are your friends and I'm sure you, or Mr. G., are capable of deciphering them, if not folding them back into their pristine packets.

Maps? I remember those things........

Well, I am less stressed today. The drive was freaking me out. Ever driven thru LA and their yarnballs of freeways and highways and interstates?
*shudder*
Google and Bing both gave me such weird directions, I couldn't make heads or tails out of it. And fwys turn into highways and if you make the wrong lane turn, you wind up in an area you don't want to be in. So...I have been freaked out. But...my friends are going to rent a car in their town, drop it off in Ventura at the Enterprise location, we meet them there and they ride with us back to their place. He will ride with mrG and she will drive my van.

I feel so much better.

Maps are your friends and I'm sure you, or Mr. G., are capable of deciphering them, if not folding them back into their pristine packets.

Ah, maps. I love maps, or at least used to. Still have about a million, including somewhere a road map of Poland.
GPS makes ya real lazy though.

Indeed it does. We don't buy maps any more but heavily depend on the Garmin. I think I would not dare drive the roads of Los Angeles without a GPS system. Gracie is far more brave than I am. But when Hombre and I were driving the entire state of New Mexico as well as a good chunk of Texas, we had maps to every city, town, village, and sometimes county. If somebody was headed for Tijeras NM (population 500 or so) and needed a map, we had one.

I have GPS on my truck. If I set my address in Birchwood when I leave Willow, the damned thing keeps telling me to turn right at every intersecting road. Only problem...every intersecting road ends at the inlet and my truck is not equipped for amphibian operations. GPS systems do have limitations. AND, they want you to update map info, for a fee, of course.

 

[gallantwarrior]

Good morning everybody. Our windows and doors are wide open to welcome in the crisp fresh morning air. We'll close up later today as it warms into the mid 80's. The sky is so blue now it hurts your eyes to look directly at it, but later it will give way to white thunderheads and a few showers here and there. It is still monsoon season in New Mexico. But as I lament that the showers are still too inadequate to fully break the back of our prolonged drought here, I am reminded of our blessings.

A friend who lives in the area recently posted these photos:

Interstate 12 approaching Denham Springs LA.

And when the rains came, 90% of the homes in that parish have been severely damaged or destroyed:

YIKES!!

 

[gallantwarrior]

Got more Gold coins today. I am confident it will go up in value. So its better than leaving your money in the bank with no interest.

OK for you. Last week, I invested in a John Deere 410, with a custom boom mounted on top! Worth its weight in gold in these parts, I assure you.

 

[gallantwarrior]

To be honest, I pondered on whether to give her a wide berth with that name. I thought "oh no. Another bible thumper looking for a box to stand on beside the other one that thinks USMB is a church and we all need saved". But after reading her posts, she seems like a nice lady. Still...what do I call her when I address her? Insane? Jesus? I4J? It all sounds unapproachable.

JMHO

ScottishLass? ScotlandGal? LadyLass? Anything but what she has. But again...JMHO.

Ah, cut some slack, Gracie! We don't stand on soap boxes in the CS, and everyone needs a place to just be a regular 'joe'. How's the transition progressing?

 

[gallantwarrior]

Hi CS!

Hi, Chris!!

 

[Dajjal]

Got more Gold coins today. I am confident it will go up in value. So its better than leaving your money in the bank with no interest.

OK for you. Last week, I invested in a John Deere 410, with a custom boom mounted on top! Worth its weight in gold in these parts, I assure you.
View attachment 86464

I think not, I realize you are just using a figure of speech. Because If you got the value of the weight of a vehicle like that in gold it would probably make you the richest man in the world.

 

[gallantwarrior]

Good morning everybody. Hope all are having a pleasant weekend. Glorious weather in Albuquerque these days--glorious bright blue skies dotted with white thunderheads in the afternoons. Temps in low 80's now as far ahead as they forecast--we expect temps like this in late September or early October. So it may just be a temporary blip or we may be headed for an early winter. Too soon to tell.

We're overcast with sprinkles down here.
Been watching the hummingbirds, three of them keep chasing each other off the feeder and around the yard. One will land on the feeder then another will come and hover above him and the chase is on.

We've had one very bossy hummingbird that does that too. Must be the male.

It's a strong trait of hummingbirds, especially the ruby throat and rufus. They can be very territorial especially when there is only one feeder. There is less fighting over the feeder when you put out 10 or 12.

I put several feeders out on different walls. Invariably at least one of them assesses the placement and takes a position in a bush on the corner where he can see both walls and attack either one.

We have hummingbirds in Alaska, too, but effort is better expended building bat and swallow houses. Both bats and
swallows consume HUGE quantities of mosquitos. Here are some drawing of bat houses:
.

 

[gallantwarrior]

Got more Gold coins today. I am confident it will go up in value. So its better than leaving your money in the bank with no interest.

OK for you. Last week, I invested in a John Deere 410, with a custom boom mounted on top! Worth its weight in gold in these parts, I assure you.
View attachment 86464

I think not, I realize you are just using a figure of speech. Because If you got the value of the weight of a vehicle like that in gold it would probably make you the richest man in the world.

We estimate around 18,000 lbs (close to 8.100 kg), so, yeah, you're probably right. Would I mind having that much gold? Well, I certainly could not use it unless I converted it into the proper equipment, etc.

 

[gallantwarrior]

Gonna share this. Debated with myself whether to or not, but I think I wanna. So I am.

I have been praying a lot. And mood swings? omg. Thoughts of just saying fuckit and not deal with life any more? Yup, that too. Thinking thinking thinking, calling calling calling, hunting hunting hunting. And lots of praying and just talking with God..begging, pleading, then finally saying ok...lead me. I will go. Sometimes I know you hafta say no. I might not like it, but...I'll do it. Tell me what to do. SHOW ME.

And He did. He is closing this door. But he opened other doors and left it to me to choose which one to walk through. So I chose wicked LA area. Then I begged, pleaded, cried, sobbed, and questioned my decision and asked if I am taking the path He hoped I would take because it was my decision, after all. At least He opened the doors to 3 places..not counting living in our vehicles. To be honest, I am still musing over that one too. I shouldn't though, because yet another 2 doors opened yesterday and today.

We are on 3 waiting lists here locally, for low income housing. It is a 3 to 5 year wait. Lots of people are on that list..us included. But I called all three and gave them the updated info to the LA area, and when a unit comes available..they can reach us and we can come back home. One of those places has a landlady that spoke with me almost an hour on the phone..just chatting about how hard it is nowadays, and she might be in the same boat herself soon, and general chitchat. But she also said she would do what she could to get us in as fast as she could because us being retired property managers...well..she has no relief if she wants a vacation, or family problems where she needs some days off to go to them, etc...and she was going to speak to her bosses about us being back up managers for that possible scenario. I won't hold my breath cuz she said not to, but she would try. I perked me up a bit, but as soon as I saw the 12 boxes in the dining room stuffed with things I could not bear to get rid of and everything else gone..I burst into tears. That was yesterday.

Today...MrG and I went to the bank to start a new account for our SS checks to be direct deposited since the bank we have used for 30 years here, does not have a branch anywhere in LA. So..I found two local banks that have two branches no more than 1 mile from where we are going to be living. I chose one of the two because they said "we do this all the time. We can help you". And boy, did they. THEY sent a fax to SS with the new routing number, new bank, etc...which means MrG and I don't have to sit in the SS office for hours. The bank is doing it. Plus, they said I qualified..ME...for a cc if I wanted one. Did I? I said sure. I have a secured card for only 300 bucks so I can build my credit and she said its BUILT, missy. I have a credit amount of 2500.00. I was amazed. The new checks will go straight to our new address, the CC will come here where we are now because it will arrive in a few days and I am going to use that to pay for my new eyeglasses because I have been going without any since the surgery and have been stressing where to find the money to pay for the new lenses. I don't have to stress any more. I have a new CC coming.

I take that as a sign that the paths He showed me...I chose the right one. I may not like living there, but its a roof. I may have had to sell all my stuff, but I can get different stuff. I may only be there a year but at least I can come home cuz I am on the list to come home. And my family...MrG, my 2 furkids and I...will survive. Hell, I may keel over dead before I get to come home from some ailment, but at least I know I CAN, when they call. IF I don't like it there.

So..I am still moody. Still sad. Still stressed a bit over this. But doors keep opening. I kinda like that. Whats on the other side, I ask myself. I'll find out soon enough.

While things might feel like a revolving door with multiple outlets, you will eventually settle on one exit. Your own spirit will make that place home. Remember, home is where the heart is, not the stuff.

 

[gallantwarrior]

LMAO!!

 

[Dajjal]

Got more Gold coins today. I am confident it will go up in value. So its better than leaving your money in the bank with no interest.

OK for you. Last week, I invested in a John Deere 410, with a custom boom mounted on top! Worth its weight in gold in these parts, I assure you.
View attachment 86464

I think not, I realize you are just using a figure of speech. Because If you got the value of the weight of a vehicle like that in gold it would probably make you the richest man in the world.

We estimate around 18,000 lbs (close to 8.100 kg), so, yeah, you're probably right. Would I mind having that much gold? Well, I certainly could not use it unless I converted it into the proper equipment, etc.

Well I paid £275 each for Gold coins weighing 8 grams. So you do the maths.

 

[gallantwarrior]

OK, I'll be able to give it one effort here, for now.
My "Old Lady" cat is probably dying. She's not eating and takes water only when I provide it with a syringe (after she sits by the water dish and howls). So soon after the loss of my doxie (Uschi), this is going to cause great pain. But, after so many beloved fur-kids, I do recognize the signs, regardless of how much I would prefer to ignore those signs. She's still cuddling and loving, but...
Gracie, I'm so sorry to witness your travails and wish there were some way to make them easier. But, who knows why things happen and whether the outcome has no special meaning. Still, my heart is with you and you know you have a home, regardless of the climate. Hell, based on this last summer and the last couple of winters, we might be able to grow tomatoes without a greenhouse soon!

 

[gallantwarrior]

Got more Gold coins today. I am confident it will go up in value. So its better than leaving your money in the bank with no interest.

OK for you. Last week, I invested in a John Deere 410, with a custom boom mounted on top! Worth its weight in gold in these parts, I assure you.
View attachment 86464

I think not, I realize you are just using a figure of speech. Because If you got the value of the weight of a vehicle like that in gold it would probably make you the richest man in the world.

We estimate around 18,000 lbs (close to 8.100 kg), so, yeah, you're probably right. Would I mind having that much gold? Well, I certainly could not use it unless I converted it into the proper equipment, etc.

Well I paid £275 each for Gold coins weighing 8 grams. So you do the maths.

I still come out ahead. Can you clear 200 acres of trees and erect a barn using your gold coins?

 

[Dajjal]

Got more Gold coins today. I am confident it will go up in value. So its better than leaving your money in the bank with no interest.

OK for you. Last week, I invested in a John Deere 410, with a custom boom mounted on top! Worth its weight in gold in these parts, I assure you.
View attachment 86464

I think not, I realize you are just using a figure of speech. Because If you got the value of the weight of a vehicle like that in gold it would probably make you the richest man in the world.

We estimate around 18,000 lbs (close to 8.100 kg), so, yeah, you're probably right. Would I mind having that much gold? Well, I certainly could not use it unless I converted it into the proper equipment, etc.

Well I paid £275 each for Gold coins weighing 8 grams. So you do the maths.

I still come out ahead. Can you clear 200 acres of trees and erect a barn using your gold coins?

I am too lazy to do all that work. I will just sit watching television, and make money as the gold prices rise.