Saturday morning

First I want to say thanks to those who have provided some farm stories.  Please don't limit it to only the farm, as I realize many of you didn't have the opportunity to visit a working farm in years gone by.  I love any stories of life back before things got so rushed and difficult.  I had a relatively uncomplicated and carefree childhood compared to today's kids, even considering that I had strict parents (and I was a rebel, which resulted in a lot of clashes) and there was nothing in the way of technological wonders available today.  Not only did we have a rotary phone, it was on a party line, meaning there were several families who used the same line so we had to take turns.

I know some of you want to comment but can't because I have blocked anonymous comments.  I might try to lift that block for a day and see what happens - you may remember it got so bad a few months back I had close to 100 spam comments in one day!  I've since tried to remove the block and it seems the spam starts up almost immediately.  

I watched the Dr. Oz show yesterday.  I usually check to see who is on the show and the topics to be discussed, but rarely watch much of it because every day it is mostly about losing weight.  Much of yesterday's show was devoted to avoiding the flu.  A panel of experts including someone from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) agreed the shot is only about 60% effective.  A couple of the doctors said that healthy adults should NOT get the vaccine, but that anyone over 65 should get it.  I was shocked, to tell the truth.  It is what I have always believed but have never heard anyone in the health field say it in public. 

This is just another example of why I don't trust what most "experts" say no matter what field they are in.  Everything bears checking out and making your own decision.  I finally got the flu shot but it wasn't because a doctor kept badgering me to get it - it was a realization I arrived at on my own after careful research and having recently had pneumonia.

The Dr. Oz show provided video of crowded hospitals, with beds in the hallways.  One large hospital had so many cases that they converted a part of their huge waiting area to little cubicles with beds for flu patients.  Can you imagine how much rest you would get if you were put into a bed in the waiting area?

Even though the nights are below freezing we are hoping the thermometer gets up to at least 60 in the coming afternoons.  I like the fact that the weather is pretty good although I am envious when I see the videos of all the snow in the Great Lakes and other areas of the country.  I never did like below zero weather though.

It looks like I will definitely be camp hosting at Lassen this year (Butte Lake).  The cabin is very well equipped and comfortable, except for the lighting which is propane and casts a very soft glow.  My eyes are such that I need good lighting to see well, and I might need to look for some kind of lantern that I can use when necessary.  The length of daylight means that I cook, eat, and clean up way before it gets dark, but the overhang of the roof and orientation of the cabin makes it so that not much bright sunlight gets into the dwelling.  I remember the week I worked there last year and how I spent most free time outdoors, and that is probably what I will do again this year.  I did the same even back when I had the RV.  I will have to adapt to getting groceries once a week since the nearest supermarket is at least 50 miles away, making it a 100-mile round trip.   I'm used to running to Bel Air or similar every other day to pick up a few items.  I always did prefer to shop often and get the very freshest of fruits & vegetables.

Computer use will be a real problem with no electricity.  The last time I had my laptop which I used a few minutes each day to write a little on my blog, but the Acer notebook is just about worthless to me - mostly I play solitaire and mah jong on it.  I'm afraid of the cost of a new MacBook or even if there is a possibility of having my old one refurbished.  I need to get moving on getting the old one fixed up but keep procrastinating because of the cost.

I hope everyone has a good weekend.