Just call me old.

Set the bar low for the start of bee quest
Set the bar low for the start of bee quest

Time for my summer photo fun, hunting for the perfect bee shot. And, the best magnolia.

But, let’s bitch. I am a senior. Hate that title. I am an old person. You can only be a senior citizen if there are junior citizens. And sophomore citizens. What’s wrong with just being old?

Well one thing wrong is being bombarded day and night with messages like this one:

We anticipate there will be a lot of seniors who come out of the woodwork when they realize their TVs go black,” said Theresa Lambert, who leads the digital TV outreach efforts for the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging. “No matter how much information is out there, it’s not until those TVs go dark that you get their attention.”

Hello World, us old people didn’t actually invent the Internet – Al Gore did that – and we didn’t invent the computer or the television – our parents and grand parents did that.  We are not Luddites. We designed, built, repaired, operated and programmed those big iron computing machines. Machines that supported the Manhattan Project, machines that landed men on the moon and got them back home.  Ray Tomlinson actually invented E-Mail. And he is a senior. We can figure out converter boxes.


Saturday

Found some more pictures to sort. No surprise there. I am no where near finished. 2005, 2006 are all done and 2001 is almost done. 2001 is all cataloged. But, some additional deleting is required.

Been thinking entirely too much about getting a new camera. I want a new lens for my L1. But, the one I want isn’t available. I am on a wait list for one. Sort of like being on a list for Hermes bags. We know that Hermes will keep making bags. Not so sure about my lens, not much market for thousand dollar lenses for an extinct line of camera.

So, I went an snagged a couple of songs from iTunes.  As if 6 days of music isn’t enough. But you can never have too many tunes.

Do nothing kind of a day…

roses
Rose bush in the middle of the street

Not doing much on a rainy Friday. I did my forced march around the inside of the building. And, the dog walkers exercised their charges by tossing tennis balls up and down the hall ways.

The American Way…

converterbox2It is the American way. We the people have the right to TV, but not to health care. If you are one the unfortunates that have neither cable nor digital TV’s – that would be Carlton – our government will send you a coupon for $40 off a converter box. And, if you can not figure out how to set up your converter box – the government will send an Americorps person to your house to set it up. (Carlton had me set up his converter boxes.)

All things considered, wouldn’t you rather have a government who would send you a coupon for $40 off your medical care. And, a doctor to check on you in your home when you are ill.

One day you wake up old…

drugsYesterday morning, I was just Peg. This evening, I am an old woman. My medicine cabinet is outfitted with not one, but two, blood pressure drugs. I have to go get lab stuff done tomorrow. And get EKG. And, I have to go back and see the Doc in less than 2 weeks. I suppose I should be glad that she thinks I’ll be alive 12 days from now.

But, how is that for medical service. Within 24 hours I decided to see a doctor, I got an appointment and saw a doctor. All thanks to our county’s  Outpatient Clinic. It is cheap. $38 a visit.  Your doctor is a resident. But, heck, if you were in Medora North Dakota or Skagway Alaska – your medical care provider would be a nurse or a vet. So, figure it is a good value. My two drugs were selected from the $4 list from Target and WalMart. The waiting room leaves much to be desired. And, the exam rooms are sort of Motel 6-ish. But, the residents are from a fine medical school.

I think I need a treat. Maybe a new toy.

I give up

Another shot from Saturday's Bike Race
Another shot from Saturday's Bike Race L1 w/kit lens

I give up on the blood pressure issue. It is still scary. An hour a day of forced marching doesn’t seem to lower it enough. So, I either have to:

  1. Give up and stop taking my blood pressure, or
  2. Give up and seek medical help.

Guess I’ll take the second option. Both options involve giving up.

Oh, savings bonds. Maybe 5 years ago I started buying old fashioned savings bonds – instead of nursing home insurance. Well, I just discovered that MY government has stopped paying interest on my savings bonds. My interest rate is ZERO percent. The reason being the cost of living has gone down. And the interest rates are tagged to the CPI. But, I bet that the cost of a stay in the nursing home next door hasn’t gone down.

Hey, It’s June Already

Hey, it is June. General Motors has declared bankruptcy. Something seems wrong about Fiat buying Chrysler and Jeep. (Remember, boys and girls, Jeep is a WW2 vet.)  And, GM goes bellyup. Now, let it be said that in my 50 years of car ownerhip I have owned all or part of:

  1. British built Metropolitian
  2. WV
  3. Austin Mini – the original
  4. BMW
  5. Jaguar
  6. Fiat
  7. Honda, another Honda
  8. Alfa
  9. Miata
  10. Plus 3 or 4 boring Toyota products

So, an American manufactured car has never darkened my driveway. It would seem that I am part of the problem.  But, Ike Turner’s Rocket 88 is on my Fitness Walking playlist. That is about as close to a GM product as I get.

Working with WordPress

Today – seeking a better way to do photo galleries with WordPress.

Apparently this needs work … time to RTFM. Or go to the pool. Or take a nap.


Now that is better. I took a nap. And took a peak at the documentation. This is sweet.

But, one image does not make a photo gallery.


This is good too… I am using the NextGen Gallery plug-in.  I am having way too much fun with this.

Did a power walk this morning. Blood pressure still pretty spooky. Might try 2 power walks per day. That cuts an entire hour out of the day. Of course, death would cut 24 hours out of every day.

Day At The Races

bikeracep1040213_edited-1
Clarendon Bike Race - L1 w/kit lens

500 plus images came home from the bike race. Less than 50 remain. Doing better – keeping up with the newcomers at least.

Really tired tonight. Been trying to get in a “forced march” every day. That would be 30 minutes of walking like I am going to miss the last train out of town. I hope  that I will get used to the forced march and will start feeling stronger. For now, I just feel tired. Very tired.

I am trying to knock my blood pressure down. Carlton is sort of a “Christian Scientist” w/o the God component. He doesn’t approve of modern “life style meds”. Meds  that try to control blood pressure, cholesterol, sleeping, etc. So, I am trying to keep my BP out of the scary range with exercise.  And diet.

BTW – Carlton is OK with antibiotics and aspirin.

A WordPress Project.

tame iris found at farm market - the last iris of the year - maybe
tame iris found at farm market - the last iris of the year - maybe. L1 w/kit lens

I managed to batter my images from 2001 into the previous post. My latest WordPress project will be to find a more elegant solution. I am sure there is one to be had. I just have to kick my senior brain cells into action.

Farm market – one block away – opened today. Not much to be had yet – but the old vendors were back. I got asparagus, strawberries  and honey. And an apple turnover for Carlton.

Bike racing this weekend.