Driving Around

Dodge Caravan turns 50,000

2011-10-31T17:18:00.000-05:00

Hey, I noticed that my 2007 Grand Caravan (put into service in February 2007) just turned 50,000 miles. Quite a bit less driving lately than was the miles accumulated with Volvo! I still have an occasional dream about pulling with Volvo! But I have enjoyed the last years without adventures with Volvo!

Vacation in Gulf Shores at Best Deal in Gulf Shores! La Bella Vita!

2009-03-29T08:48:00.002-05:00

What a treat! It was my first longer winter absence from the North's cold and snow! It was winter cool but certainly no snow was seen on the Gulf of Mexico. Only the white sand beaches were white ! I spent hours on the condo's balcony sunning myself! The beach was a constantly changing walkway! The backyard tropical area was a refreshing bit of the areas summer in winter! The boat docks provided many hours of bird watching. I will do it again. My condo was named the La Bella Vita by its owner. They post more details on http://www.vrbo.com/196958 where one can find specs, phone numbers, and pictures. I strongly recommend this unit! South facing balconys are not always available but this one has one! I would love to spend some summery time there some day too.

2009-01-22T17:59:00.001-06:00

"Graduation" Day Oh my, who would have thought I could graduate from anything at this age? But after a gruelling 23 sessions of walking and cranking and weight lifting I made it! Thanks to some of America's finest PT drill sergeants at DCH I did all by myself with their encouragement and will join them later this year for more torture! Thanks to Kelly and Shirley and Judy who drove me to success!

Question for Us

2009-01-20T11:48:00.002-06:00

Today what would Rosa Parks say?

Politics at Its Best!

2008-12-31T14:17:00.003-06:00

Almost as bad as picking up ink for Norway in Chicago is the the current Chicago political scene! Blogo rules! It will be fun to watch this one work its way through the silly political system!

Wow! 40 years!

2008-11-09T15:06:00.004-06:00

Forty years ago I remember seeing this film. I would say we (the US as a people) have come a long way!

Obama Wins

2008-11-04T20:38:00.001-06:00

Its 8:37 and i declare Obama our next President!

HI, Mrs Palin,

2008-11-03T14:46:00.002-06:00

I am Resident ofUpper Michigan! It is a small country you might not have had relations with lately. I really think all people who are as vulnerable to French Canadians as you should be banned from running for any political office.

Vote Obama!

2008-11-03T11:59:00.002-06:00

One for GI Joe fans !

More Please

2008-10-26T21:50:00.004-05:00

In those days of JFK teaching was on my mind and thats what i started by duties by doing. Then in later years of life i concluded my contributing years by making sure the grocery stores had food on their shelves! Now in this Age of Obama I only ask for my share of the social programs to which I contributed. I do in my greed, however, hope i get more like maybe a bailout!

Ha, A pig with red lips

2008-09-14T14:44:00.002-05:00

Fighting about a pig with lipstick! I remember when they went for the feed trough! Is that whats happening to Amercan political "heroes". I say ban them all and get some decent folks in to to replace them! How about a discussion about social security or healthcare or some issues related to national security! I laughed when the little boy Rudy asked Bob G why his lips were so red after eating a sno-cone in Davenport! It was so funny for me to connect the two!

Songs or what were they?

2008-09-02T20:03:00.002-05:00

If i was borderline, i, after looking at the singer who just "entertained" the republican convention i would be a paid card holding Democrat ASAP.

I remember!

2008-08-28T22:08:00.002-05:00

Not often do I get political but I do remember JFK's speech at the convention in those days. Today's speech is historically equal or better!

Really. is it?

2008-08-23T14:41:00.002-05:00

As I ponder the news from Russia and Georgia and South whatever and Obama and whoever it is making another try to be a v.p and personal name calling attacks by some who still need to realize what life is really about, I concede. There will never be peace here on earth even though!

Delivery Fee???

2008-07-09T15:05:00.002-05:00

Sorry about not blogging here for awhile but i have been entremely "busy". LOL. anyway i felt obligated to write today to show you what i have been doing as per "baybay's' demonstration and per the Schwans man's addition a DOLLAR to my box of fish as a "delivery charge"! HUH??

As Close to Socialized Medicine as I Will Get

2008-05-01T20:34:00.003-05:00

Today marked that special day in my life! My health care is now in the hands of the Medicare System and the Office of Retirement Services of the State of Michigan! Sounds great doesn't it!
Well lets say we will try it out tomorrow with our new shipment of poison and next week at the ACU. Soon we will get our scripts filled and see how that part works as well. I do know that the cost of the new coverage is not cheap! If one figures in a dollar value (equal to Medicare B that we have deducted from our monthly checks) for Medicare A which is supposedly free my total healthcare insurance is about 20 percent more costly than the private plan I was on lately! So much for socialized savings! Wish me lots of luck with the systems! The coverage comes in handy lately!

Hey, It's 60!

2008-04-05T14:53:00.005-05:00

I woke up this morning and while getting my coffee ready I heard what sounded like some kids noisy pickup outside! Then I realized it was coming from across the highway from the motorcycle shop! It must now be officially spring! Yup, sure enough bikes were out on display and the place had lookers a plenty! Noisy little bastards! Anyway, about 11am it was so inviting sunshine wise that i took the 25 minute walk over to Hardee's for a cup of coffee! I even took off my cap to sun the bare spot up there! One has to work on that so it doesn't burn later! Maybe I'll spread some sunscreen up there and take another walk! And it's funny how that sun and all makes me want a new summer jacket!

How Time Flies

2008-03-30T18:45:00.004-05:00

Here we are in the final hours of March! Wow! Where did the past 4 weeks go? I guess they passed unnoticed into history. I've been putting up with the miserable climate of cool nights and not much better days. If we get to 40 I rush out for a walk! I like to see the sun pushing back the snow banks at least on the north side of the streets. Some sidewalks for what they are worth are appearing too. Strange what the melting snows uncover! Yesterday I saw a lost bike, a few hubcaps, and other odds and ends! Come on lets get on with spring with some nice sun and nice temps and a few crocus and daffodils!

Well It is Gone!

2008-02-29T20:14:00.002-06:00

Here we are in the final hours of February! Summer is almost here! It was so ugly cold today that I took a nap instead of going to Walmart to excercise! The winter hibernation didnt cause me to loose any fat! I think I might have put some on! For spring and summer my goal is to drop the other 15 pounds and put me at the right mass for my height! That of course will require less fast food and more slow food! Slow food is stuff one has to chew like raw carrots and celery.
Well anyway enough of that! I should report that yesterday we used my new Bard Access System for the second time! Sounds like something one would need to get into the White House or somewhere like that huh! Actually its a "port" buried just beneath the skin in my chest on the right side and is connected to a tube going on to my juglar. The "port" is accessed with a needle poked through the skin and through the membrane of the skin side of the device and the dope is then fed though it rather than a vein in my hand! So much handier it is! It would be nice if they would sell food that could be fed directly to the bloodstream and I wouldn't have to eat anymore! Just go to Olive Garden and order up some contrived Italian concoction and inject it! Would save a lot of time! It could be bought from the drive though as a mobile injectable too! Well this is getting down right stupid now but one can dream right?
Enough for now!

Amateur Poet I Am I Am!

2008-02-29T12:48:00.001-06:00

See the poem here http://www.poetry.com/voteforme/poemvote1.asp?PID=12686699

Driving Around

2008-02-27T19:49:00.002-06:00

Well, the winter blizzards will soon be a thing of the past so the time to take a few trips is in order. The first run will be one to see the Northfield grand daughters for a couple days. I haven't seen them for a long time. Then a trip to the deep South is probably in order for the Alabama gangs move into a new house! I've been helping with their move from the old world to here and then south so why stop now! We have to keep the wheels rolling while they can still roll!

The House is in Good Order

2008-02-26T20:41:00.003-06:00

Well after waiting a few months and then moving for a week I have things in pretty good order in the new high rise suite! I'm actually having fun "decorating" if that is the proper term! I found a place for most everything to start and then made more space when necessary! I enjoy the separate rooms and the kitchen! I don't have to stare at the unmade bed all day now. The kitchen is not stainless steel and tile but it allows me to use a stove for the first time in a dozen years! I can actually cook in pots on burners now! I need to get accustomed to the highway noise which I didn't get much of in the old house since it was in the back! All things considered I have decided I like the new house! Tonight I had a steak to celebrate!

The First Walk of Spring!

2008-02-24T21:39:00.002-06:00

As temperatures rose to 40 at 3 pm I decided it was time to get up and get out! I toured the neighborhood on foot for about a half hour! It was nice to be out again in air warm enough to breathe! So now begins the season for those long pleasant strolls!

Melting Today!

2008-02-24T09:06:00.002-06:00

It looks like the weather is heading toward spring! Highs will be in the 30's today! Its nice to see the white stuff starting to disappear! Soon I'll be walking again! The cold of winter has kept me indoors a lot. I have to loose another bunch of fat this summer! Sunshine please!

In Two Months

2008-02-22T07:49:00.004-06:00

Oh my I have been delinquent in posting here on Driving Around but I guess its because in part that I've been driving around or for starters flying west to home since that last post from Gelderland! Its been a busy two months with a few major events.

1.Picked up the Ex-pats now Unexpats at O'Hare on New Years Eve and had a leisurely trip back to the U.P.
2. Spent near a week in Canada with the Staffords fulfilling some legal requirements! Had a good time with the cute little baby at a nice cozy cabin in the Canadian Soo!
3. Made a couple overnight trips to Hancock to visit with the cute little one who was staing with her mama and dada at Grandma's house.
4. Convoyed to Birmingham with the Pensky truck and the Grand Caravan and spent a few days there enjoying the sun and warmth of the South!
5 Enjoyed a morning in the hospital just Tuesday having a port put in to make infusions much easier! We already used it yesterday!
6. Moving to a new suite here in this building! A real cute apartment with a real bedroom and small kitchen with a stove! I can actually cook now! My view changed from east to west too! Does that mean I will be facing the setting sun!

I promise to enter here more often as things settle down now and we wait for spring and the melting of the snows and greening of the earth here on this cold, cold -4 degree morning!

Potpourri from an Afternooon Ride In Gelderland

2007-12-24T14:54:00.000-06:00

It may be difficult to see but the oldtimer on the bike was wearing his wooden shoes! Yes they do wear wooden shoes but usually with leather liners to make them snug and comfortable!
A typical quaint Dutch farmstead just off the dike near the Waal River. The Waal is the Southern branch of the Rhine in the Nederland. Just in case you don't know the Rhine splits into two upstream and then sort of becomes one again near Rotterdam.
The area is potato country. Fields are plowed and ready for the spring.
The "Big Road" bridge spans the Vaal while barge traffic moves up and down the river! The water in the foreground is apparently flooded area for water control downstream.
Cows in their shed loafing and eating! I would guess this herd numbered 40 or so Holsteins.

The Sun Shone Today in the Nederland's Gelderland!

2007-12-22T13:09:00.000-06:00

As the sunshine warmed the Dutch countryside the weeks accumulation of frost on the trees and ground melted off but the freezing temperatures of the past few days left the flooded areas along the dikes frozen stiff! Hundreds of folks were out enjoying the almost endless skating rinks there as is the tradition here. We then went through the outdoor market in Wagenining where each Wednesday and Saturday shoppers can find a big assortment of fish, meats, cheeses, fruits, vegatables, bakery, fresh and live herbs, of course, fresh cut flowers and live plants, and more and if course visit with plenty of people doing their Saturday shopping! Beth bought a bunch of budding tulips and Buga got a loaf of bread which she gnawed on for the next hour or so and ate the "whole thing" by herself!

The Last Roses of the Year!

2007-12-21T08:39:00.000-06:00

Outside the door here in Zetten are the final attempts of the big yellow rose bush to color itself. These have survived a week of below freezing temperatures as indicated by the mid-afternoon frost on the grass and trees! Its winter here in the Nederlands!

2007-12-19T07:22:00.000-06:00

I was looking at this egg carton the other day and thought there is something wrong with it! Could it be the Queeen's way of keeping down cholesterol levels? Or does it have something to do with the weights and measures and counts system?

Where is Sun?

2007-12-19T06:28:00.000-06:00

Here in Holland when approching the shortest days of the year the sun has barely reached into the sky at 1 o'clock. In the picture you can see it peeking thought the shrubs! I'm guessing its shining from about 30 degrees and therefore doing very little to warm anything! This area is at about the same lattitude as Edmonton, Canada. These are the days of total darkness for those way up north! That must be a hard life!

2007-12-15T13:02:00.000-06:00

We left the snowcovered landscape in Green Bay

Rebecca was the first of the family to see me from her vantage point on her Dads shoulders!

The Journey told as told through Saturday!

After shopping around and packing around and loading the car around and driving around to Green Bay I left the Grand Caravan in the hands of the GRB parking attendants and left the driving to NWA. We had a good uneventful trip to Detroit and then on to Dusseldorf where Rebecca and parents were waiting for me to get me and my goodie filled bags! Yesterday was busy helping the soon to be non-expats pack, taking care of the baby, cooking, and being a nuisance in general. Today was jet lag day or it seemed that way at least. I overslept to start. I think that the 9:45 am awakening was the latest in more than a year. Then this afternoon I conveniently missed being a participant in a bike ride to a nearby village while I napped! Lucky me! Then of course the rest of the day flew by and now I have been recruited to babysit while the folks go off to a movie! How much do American baby sitters make per hour?

HIPPA News

2007-12-06T09:45:00.001-06:00

Tuesday the local needle inserters were switching over to a brand new computerized information system. The DCH lobby waiting area was packed with people as I walked in and I wondered if some epidemic had struck the area and I hadn't heard about it. Any way I got to the ACU and got into my chair and the PN comes up to me with this little tiny laptop perched atop a rolling platform and explains that she need to get my full medical history, medications, and height and weight and whatever the hell else from me and that we had to hurry cause she had to get the same info from everyone else coming in! So here I am.....however many years old with a medical history equally as long......attempting to remember all my stuff. Surgery, broken arms, suicides, immunizations, and on and on. At the end I told her that I am here now to be infused with Aralast to boost my antitrypsin deficiency. She punches some buttons, then asks me to spell that.....which I did.....she pushes some more buttons.....looks up at me and says...."It doesn't look like thats in here so we'll skip it for now"! Oh my! Any way as I was saying about HIPPA news, as I sat there for the 3 hours I was treated to hearing the full medical histories of at least 5 other folks who came in and sat on either side of me! I heard of their cancers and blood deseases, HIV infections and hepatitus problems, of their lung deficiences and stomach ailments, of broken bones and colonoscopies, and on and on. Where are the HIPPA rules here I wondered? Maybe they were suspended for the day!

I Thought I Lost It Forever

2007-12-06T09:33:00.000-06:00

Last week and weekend C and I switched my email to Gmail and it took some new passwords and usernames and then for the past three days I havent been able to get into this blog. I finally did enough things to get to it. I finally reset my new google account password to the exact same existing new password. Silly huh? And that even gave me back my old google calendar!

2007-12-06T09:10:00.000-06:00

Oh Christmas Tree! All set for The Clas Man to drop a new pickup truck under it!

Coming Soon to This Blog

2007-11-22T22:50:00.000-06:00

I have some ornaments on my tree. Pic will be taken and posted soon.

Thanksgiving 2007

2007-11-22T22:12:00.000-06:00

At my age its hard to say what and who in what order I should be offering to thank on this Thanksgiving Day. I guess the fact that I still live to talk about it is one thing. Thank you Baxter and Accredo and Drs Smoot and Bruner and DCH and the staff there for your help. Thank you Mr G and company for your support and help and for the fun we had with the horses. And thank you, family and friends, for your support during those scary times!

I've managed nearly a year now in retirement and have no regrets that I couldn't continue working. Thanks to all and everything that made and continues to make the lazy life possible.
I've been thinking about family and am happy and thankful that all of you are safe and sound and doing your things. Thanks to all and everything that makes that possible. Of course we keep Grandma J in our thoughts!
Of course there are many more thanks to give but that would take a book!

I'll conclude by saying thanks again to Mike and Lupa for today's meal and company. Knowing you two is one of life's special treats!

Large Buck Attacks and Kills Hunter

2007-11-06T21:55:00.000-06:00

BEWARE HUNTERS is the word for the 2007 season

HIPPA News The Recap of October with Emphasis on the Night of October 31st

2007-11-01T19:23:00.000-05:00

My "Buddy" and related wires and tubes after I was "unwired" this morning!

I know I promised you a summary of my HIPPA events for October but I am so tired of HIPPA events that I will not do it. I don't care if its a record or not and I don't care if you want to know or not but I am not doing any HIPPA entries on this blog for at least a while! After trying to sleep at the sleep clinic with 20 electrodes attached with glue and tape to my legs and torso and head and two belts around my body to measure breathing and a O2 sensor clamped and taped to my finger and a thing stuck in my nose to measure CO2 coming out and open microphones listening to me talk and snore and infrared lights shining at me and TV cameras looking at me and having to verbally call the tech when I wanted to go to the toilet and he having to come and disconnect my "buddy" as he called it from its base and hang the big box around my neck with about a 20 yards of wires and tubes trailing me to the toilet so I could go and the fact that they didn't even so much as have coffee in the morning made it even worse so therefore I am too tired to write anything today! There is however a great deal of good information for you to study at the link I provided above!

The $64,000 Question!

2007-10-31T13:09:00.001-05:00

I had my chance at the money but blew it!

Oh, Halloween is Soon Gone and Oh, Christmas Will Be Next in Line!

2007-10-30T21:07:00.000-05:00

Over the last few months my Christmas tree has grown rather top heavy! I need suggestions on types of decorations. (Cheap ones because I might not even trim it since I won't be around!) We'll let the Norfolk Island Pine grow for an other year and see where its at a year from now. I might have to call an arborist to keep it somewhat shaped. Or as I said before maybe I'll take her to Cost Cutters!

HIPPA News for Saturday

2007-10-27T11:59:00.000-05:00

Looks redundant? These 3 came today. One yesterday. Its getting sickening! We wonder why our healthcare system is going to the dogs with excessive waste!

New AAT Drug Therapy Trials Underway

2007-10-25T22:43:00.000-05:00

Life will get much easier for me and others with this new devlopment in AAT therapy

This from Pharmaceutical Online http://www.pharmaceuticalonline.com

Kamada Is Pursuing U.S. Market With Its Aerosolized AAT
-->10/23/2007
Kamada a bio-pharmaceutical company, has submitted its clinical development program to the FDA for its flagship drug, Alpha-1 Antitrypsin (AAT) with its aerosolized (inhaled) form for the treatment of Congenital Emphysema caused by Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency (AATD). The company plans to commence clinical development in the US concurrently with the trials already underway towards registration in Europe.
“The potential number of AATD subjects worldwide is estimated by the US Alpha -1 patients' organization at approximately 200,000. According to an independent survey, only 5,000 of these are currently treated. We therefore see a significant potential in the treatment of AATD with the aerosolized AAT drug. The cost of treatment with the aerosolized version is expected to be lower than with intravenously administered AAT. Furthermore, there is continuously growing clinical evidence from all over the world indicating that the rationale in treating Congenital Emphysema with AAT is also valid for treating other respiratory diseases, such as: Cystic Fibrosis, and possibly others. Therefore, development of the product for additional indications is underway. We are collaborating with the leading worldwide physicians in this field,” said Kamada's CEO, David Tsur.
According to John Walsh, President of US Alpha One Foundation, “the US Alpha-1 community is extremely excited about this submission and the progress made in Kamada’s European trials for aerosolized delivery of augmentation therapy. The Alpha-1 Foundation has prioritized the development of aerosolized AAT and is committed to supporting this application.”
The AAT drug, also known as API (Alpha-1 Proteinase Inhibitor), is currently indicated for treating Congenital Emphysema. This disease, caused by an inborn deficiency in the Alpha-1 Antitrypsin protein and manifested by a gradual destruction of the lung tissue, may lead to severe deterioration of lung function and eventually to death. To date, the only available treatment for the disease is intravenous administration of AAT. This treatment, performed by means of intravenous infusion on a weekly basis, is time consuming. Kamada's development of the aerosolized version is expected to make a significant difference in patient's quality of life by allowing a simple and non-invasive route of administration.
According to Tsur, “the AAT product of Kamada holds numerous advantages over competitive products, among them its being liquid and its ready to use formulation allowing easier drug handling. These features, together with the product's exceptional purity level and exclusive rights for the use of an inhalation device by PARI (a Germany-based world leader in inhalation solutions), formed the route of a strong and sound basis for the development of an aerosolized AAT drug by Kamada.”
Kamada's aerosolized AAT drug was designated by both the US-FDA and the European Agency for the Evaluation of Medicinal Products (EMEA) as an Orphan Drug for two indications - Congenital Emphysema and CF. This important attribute has granted the company research funds benefits, waiver of user fees and free scientific advise by the regulatory authorities. Furthermore, if Kamada is the first company to successfully complete clinical trials and receive marketing approval in the US or the EU, the company shall gain exclusive marketing rights for the duration of seven years in the US, and for 10 or 12 years in Europe.
At present, Kamada manufactures and markets its intravenous AAT drug in several countries around the world. A Phase III clinical trial in the US is currently underway.
Kamada is a public company traded on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange The company was founded in 1990 and specializes in the development, manufacturing and marketing of specialty bio therapeutics indicated for medical emergencies.
SOURCE: Kamada

Deer With Nowhere To Hide Being Slaughtered

2007-10-25T21:56:00.000-05:00

This from the Ironwood Daily Globe

City deer hunt already doubles last year's effortPublished Wednesday, October 24, 2007 4:31:08 PM Central Time
IRONWOOD -- The second year of Ironwood's inter-city deer hunt is going a long way to reduce the high population of whitetails.
As of Monday, city officials reported 44 antlerless deer had been shot. City manager Scott Erickson noted that compares to a total harvest of only 16 deer last year.
While last year's hunt was in the "Caves" area near McLeod Avenue, this year the bow hunters are pursuing deer in four sites in the city.
New to the hunt this year is the fact that three hunters will be allowed to shoot bucks.
At Monday evening's city commission meeting, the names of hunters Chad Cricks, Justin Lehto and Dave Marten Jr. were drawn out of a hat. They'll be eligible to each shoot a buck.
Hunters attending the meeting said they've been seeing some bucks.
Hunters were required to pass shooting efficiency tests before the hunt and were required to register with the city for permits.
On Monday, an illegal deer hunting tree stand not connected with the city hunt was confiscated from the Bonnie Street area, according to a public safety department report.
The stand is being held in the public safety department garage.

Back to Normal!

2007-10-25T21:01:00.000-05:00

Well, Tuesday was back to routine here in the north woods for this invalid! My scheduled infusion went off as clockwork as the dope pump worked its way though the bag of diluted Aralast for two hours. As soon as I got home and had lunch the phone rang and it was Dr.B's people soliciting a new time for a visit. "Can you come in at 3 today?" she asked! I agreed so we got two HIPPA jobs done on Tuesday. By the way he did find a new "stuff" that I should be taking. Its Omega3 pills. More on that some other time because we can't get off the topic of HIPPA appointments! We are going for a record this month remember! Anyway I woke up Wednesday morning and promptly journeyed over to DCH again to Dr Smoot's office where he listened and prodded and asked questions. He then decided that a chest xray is in order and a sleep study is in order and a pulmonary function battery is in order so we came up with four new HIPPA events for October! The girl from Smoot's offfice then led me to the sleep clinic where I was briefed on what to expect Halloween night when I am invited to "sleep" at the sleep clinic! I then had the x-ray right away so that was done. Now its lunch time and I hurry home to get ready for my appointment at Dentist Santini's where he had me try "in" the prototype new chompers! I get them soon but we can't stray from the subject at hand. Today I counselled a friend who is a fellow invalid about life as a disabled former truck driver. He needs to get SSDI and AFLAC stuff coming in as he is no longer fit to work due to a cancer problem. I am counting that session with him as a HIPPA event. All in all, then, this week totals how many? I count 2 Tuesday, 4 on Wednesday, and 1 today which totals to 7. Additional October events will be the sleep in, the pulmonary tests, and an additional dentist stop in for a final fitting. I also need to pick up some drugs at Walmart this week so that is one more. Dr. B's visit in Tuesday was a wash because we had already talked about an appointment which we now cancelled. I can now tell you that this is going to be a record HIPPA month. Wow, it will be an interesting total when we get it all added up! Only a few more days till we total it up!

Yes, I Was There!

2007-10-24T19:38:00.000-05:00

A truck driver with manure a fork! It was a bad combination but necessary since Mrs. G wasn't there!
Ross poses for the camera after his 2nd place showing in the men's cart.
Grand Champion Belgian Gelding! His name is Cash!
This is our horse wagon! Done up in Mr. G's shop from a used furniture type trailer. The front third is the trainers/drivers quarters and is complete with hot and cold water, bathroom facilities, fridge, stove, bed, storage, heat or AC powered by an on-board Honda generator. The center area has stalls for 6 horses and it too is air conditioned. The rear area has room for the big show wagon and other show supplies. Its suspension is completely air so the horses have a very smooth ride! They do complain once in a while with comments like "Are we there yet?"

It was quite an experience for one who has not been to the "big time" as far as horse shows are concerned. Its too big to put into words but you can imagine what 1100 horses could do for 4 days in an arena which easily held 92 two thousand pound horses hooked by 6's to 16 wagons. Absolutely incredible! The Wilderness Ridge Farms horses did their tricks some of which we can brag about and some which will need more work over the next months. Mr G can be proud of his gelding named Cash who was named the Grand Champion Belgian Gelding. We can be proud of Ross and his 2nd placing in the men's cart class! I think we can be proud that we were there and survived the week without any major "hitches". I did, however, give Mr. G a black eye when I smacked him with a chunk of harness I was cleaning! I guess one should not get too close to a dumb truck driver demoted to harness cleaner!

Help! Too Many Horses!

2007-10-20T20:59:00.000-05:00

Here a horse,
There a horse,
Everywhere are dozens of horses!
One cannot escape the horses!
Hear a horse banging on the wall
There a horse clomping down the aisle,
Everywhere is a horse click'n n clack'n
One cannot escape the horses!
The sights and sounds
The smells and textures
Everywhere are horses of every breed
One cannot excape the horses!
Not at this horse place!

By Monday morning when we leave this horse mania I will have seen more horses for more days than I ever thought could congregate in one place for so long!

HIPPA News for Sunday October 14

2007-10-14T09:57:00.000-05:00

Ordinarily there would be no HIPPA news on a Sunday except for emergencies of some kind but I did find something non-emergensical while digging into a big box of literature that was in yesterdays mail. The box came from my friends at Aralast, the drug I get duly infused with. Whoops I gave you the link to the wrong Aralast! Here's a better one. Above is pictured what they sent! Now I can keep a personal "diary" of my HIPPA events each day! I can put out down my pressure like 96/56 or 180/139, my glucose like 198 , my aches and pains and infections like swollen left knee or not breathing today, my excercise like walked 5 miles to and back from the mall , my food intake like 3 pork chops and potatoes with pork chop fry pan drippings for gravy, color of my pee like yellow , the number of times i had to go like hardly ever at night like the TV ads say I should , consistency of my stool, how purple my feet are today like light or dark , whether the $2850 dentures were really worth it, how I can now eat cobbed corn, and so on and on and on and on like some sort of hypocrondiac!

Today was a Real Nice Fall Day

2007-10-13T19:14:00.000-05:00

It was so nice in fact that I took two long walks in the neighborhood. The sun was out and the northwind wasn't howling too much. A few folks were out mowing lawns and there was even a painting crew outside at the local pub. Some late fall flowers were displaying their final colors as our first big frost hit this week. Maybe next spring I will have the ambition to put in a little flower bed downstairs. All in all, how many more such days will be coming! I hope quite a few. I really hate the thought of freezing cold and blowing snow! But, it too will come and I'll watch from my window....if I'm here!

With over 1,000 draft horses from around the U.S. and Canada, the MGLI is unarguably the most significant annual draft horse show in North America.

2007-10-12T21:08:00.001-05:00

And we are on our way Tuesday morning to high step around the arena at MSU's Pavilion for Agriculture and Livestock Education! They hitch 8 horses there! Hopefully just for fun! Take a look at this U-tube tape of some of the 2006 events! Will Wilderness Farms six horse hitch take a top placing again? The video is of our hitch in Ohio.

HIPPA News for Friday October 12

2007-10-12T19:36:00.000-05:00

Today's mail! Four of them. Need I say any more?

What was Under the City!

2007-10-11T18:29:00.000-05:00

At one time there were more than 50 miles of railroad tracks under the city of Ishpeming! Thats according to TV6 News!

Dont need Danon Activa!

2007-10-11T18:05:00.000-05:00

I had my first full dish of my home brew viili today. Yum. The picture is not the most picturesque though. Hope you can properly imagine it shaking like a bowl full of jello! YUM. I have to hire someone to babysit my viili when I go to Lansing next week~! A new batch needs to be made each day to keep the viili fresh. Maybe I'll try to freeze some and see if it works when I get back! Otherwise I'll have to beg the nurse at the hospital from whom I got the starter to bring in another start for me.

Explain This!`

2007-10-10T12:58:00.000-05:00

I could get my mail delivered to my place into the boxes downstairs and if I had a house right to the front door and into the mail slot. All this I could get for free! But I have a post office box and have to pay $80 a year for it! I save the USPS hundreds of dollars a year in delivery costs and they charge me $80 bucks! Doesn't make any sense to me!

Oh My!

2007-10-09T19:46:00.000-05:00

What is happening here?

UPDATED STORY! George Gipp’s body exhumed for DNA testing
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
By Gazette staffLAURIUM — The body of Notre Dame football hero and Laurium legend George Gipp was exhumed from his gravesite at Lake View Cemetery Thursday

Hippa News for Tuesday Oct 9, 2007

2007-10-09T18:46:00.000-05:00

Dickinson County Hospital is pictured below. Old fashioned "bloodletting".

Today, as I was being duly infused with my bags of proteinase inhibitor and salt water at the local hospital I, being such an observer of things happening around me, was witness to a real honest to goodness "bloodletting". As pictured above in the olden day the sick guy stood in a tub and the "doctor" poked him a few times and let out a bunch of blood. I had heard of "bloodletting" being done in the early times to treat diseases but would never have believed it still goes on. This old timer came in and sat next to me and grunted a few words and the staff proceeded to take a pint of blood right out of him and throw it away. At least I hope they threw it away. My curiosity was such that I had to ask what the heck was going on! The nurse told me about the client having a high iron level and that by taking a pint out and replacing the blood with salt water the iron level will be closer to normal. Sort of like if you have too much sugar in your coffee and you dump some out and add more coffee the sugar level is reduced. The nurse listed a number of problems that are treated this way. He had hemochromatosis ...HUH what a treatment. I never thought this happens. I learn something new every day! That's Hippa news for today! Happy Wednesday!

Need to Put Up Signs for These Guys

2007-10-09T18:28:00.000-05:00

Sign will say. DO NOT FEED THE BEARs and will be posted at the bridge to warn the trolls about the bears in da UP being sort of wild! Here's the story as I found in the Ironwood Daily Globe!
Hunter attacked by bear
MARQUETTE -- A lower Michigan man was in stable condition Monday in a Marquette hospital after being bitten by a bear in Ontonagon County on Sunday.
Steve Remsing, 53, of Sterling Heights, was being treated at Marquette General Hospital after being transferred from Ontonagon Memorial Hospital.
Michigan State Police from the L'Anse post responded to the report of Remsing being bitten by the bear near Courtney Lake in Bohemia Township.

Amazing Temperatures

2007-10-08T15:59:00.000-05:00

Its all of 83 degrees in the northland today! That's hot for here! Looks like the top of a real hot area is just reaching the Michigan-Wisconsin border! I wonder if it has to do with global warming!

2007-10-04T19:42:00.001-05:00

This cute little moose is said to have roamed the streets on the south side of the cave area in Iron Mountain not too far from where I live! Guess he got a lot of attention from cops and DNR and onlookers! He finally wandered off into the "wilderness"! Well actually not because I just happened to be standing on my balcony yesterday and saw this car hauler flatbed go roaring north with a police/sherrif escort on the highway with that moose in forced sleep and about 10 guys sitting around him to be sure he stayed asleep. I wondered what the heck was going on but now two and two came together! Photo appeared in the Daily News

One More to Add to the Score~

2007-10-04T18:00:00.000-05:00

Well I was feeling so rotten in the breathers (the link is somewhat graphic to if you have a weak tummy be careful) today so I decided to call my favorite heath care provider and see if I could get some meds or an office visit. I guess the good receptionist knows me and my invalidism and got me in to see Dr. Judy. He (yah its a him) dosed me with some Biaxin for a few days and I sure hope whatever this is clears up. The Biaxin is the same stuff the doctor in Zetten prescribed except is is called clarithromycin over there! And by the way it was the same stuff Dr B gave me to kill off the excess H pylori in my stomach 9 years ago. I think the current symptoms feel very similar to the symtoms I had when trucking which would go on forever. Anyway that's the score for today in the HIPPA news journal. That is 6 appointments in 4 days! Now for a break till Tuesday!

Hippa News for Wed Oct 3

2007-10-03T17:14:00.000-05:00

Well I sat around all morning waiting for the FEDEX man to make the drug drop at my house. He finally got here at a quarter to noon. That we decided counts as one Hippa appointment. Now I have to load the box into the car and drive clandestinely to the DCH to drop it off at the pharmacy there for safe keeping. That was Hippa appointment number two. So here it is October 3 and I have had 5 hippa appointments!

Day to Day Log

2007-10-02T18:50:00.000-05:00

Well we made it through the day. Lets recap Octobers HIPPA facts. Yesterday was the dentist. This morning was the infusion or was it confusion. Napped and watched TV there and glanced at all the old people in wheelchairs coming in for maybe a colonoscopy or some other old folks test. I got home in time for lunch and then went back to see Dr Carlson at the Occupational Clinic. He pounds my knees and prods my belly and makes me touch my toes and then signs me good for a year's worth of medical card to show the DOT if I get stopped for something while pulling the horses around. He did wonder why I came back for renewal after I told him I cleaned out the truck in December. I told him about the horses and my new career with them. Now I get home in time for the news and supper and that's all for today! So to recap its October 3rd and I've already had 3 medical appointments! Tomorrow, Wednesday, I have more HIPPA news. Check back for that!

So You Think I Do Nothing?`

2007-10-01T16:35:00.000-05:00

I just counted! I have 11 medicallly related appointments in October! One is already done at the dentist's place where he is making me some new chompers! Also in October is the 6 day trip to Lansing for the GLI Horse Show! Such is the life of the retired horse pulling invalid!

Holy Smokes Again

2007-09-30T18:49:00.000-05:00

Man, its been along time again. I have been so busy again that I just havent gotten to sitting here and typing! Between hauling the bills home from the post office and hauling the horses to Ohio and dieting all day and walking two miles and pumping iron and whatever else I hope you can forgive me for not blogging. I noticed today that some of you check regularly and I do appreciate your interest! Sometimes a total stranger gets to the site too! One day I saw that someone from South America somewhere followed a link to Driving Around! Anyway all is well here. I guess I proved to myself that I was still capable of running a 700 mile day twice in a few days as those trips to Ohio amount to such. We just can't pull in to a rest area and take a nap with 8 sweaty, angry Belgians stomping and scratching in the trailer! The excercise and diet are putting the numbers in line with normal. The nurse at the ACU last week wondered if the pressure meter was working right cuz the pressure was so low. The scale might lie but belts don't. That belt that was too tight in May is now running out of holes! I'll have to punch a new hole pretty soon! Havent had much else in activity. Tried to get out camping again but the weather was threatening when I could have gone. Mid October brings us to one more horse run. This one to Lansing for one of the biggest of the nation. Its at the MSU Campus and is the Great Lakes Invitational Show. I hear we will be gone from Tuesday the 16th till Monday the 22nd!

What's Happening?

2007-09-02T20:16:00.001-05:00

Holy smokes, its been a few weeks since I did anything here on Driving Around. I guess I've been so busy doing nothing except a couple of horsing around trips and appointments to see what's wrong with me now. The horses most recently made a good show better at the local fairgrounds with Bud the driver and Curtis the new ranch hand! Next week has us scheduled to show at the Sandwich County Fair. Its southwest of Aurora, Illinois. Otherwise I had to take matters into my own hands yesterday and stop taking some medication until I see the good doctor. Too may reactions from that one. The Parkinson's pill has to stay in the diet since stopping that results in some other consequences but I think it such big time mind altering that I was hallucinating a sort of light show that's not welcome to come again. Thursday my stop at the hospital for my Aralast turned fiasco because as I check in the infusion is ordered from lab and then eventually a nurse is assigned to do me. That nurse however decided to call to my doctor because I mentioned some of problems with the previously mentioned drugs. The doctor communicating through his staff here was in Marquette advised that we postpone today's infusion He probably was unaware that we had a very expensive mixture which went down the drain. In that department ....this week be better I hope! Other than that I need to sleep, eat, take a walk, take a nap, eat, and get ready for bed! Good Night! Well I do need to mention that I did go shopping a couple times! Food....you know!

Don't Have an Island? Well, Duh, Build Some!

2007-08-19T17:11:00.001-05:00

I watched with true amazement the show about the Dubai guys who are building their country it's own islands apparently to raise revenue in the future after we have exhausted their oil reserves. These islands stick out from the present coast of the country a some distance and are shaped like palm trees. A circular "breakwater" protects the delicate branches of the palm! Would you believe Dutch engineers were involved in the studies and design? The Dubai guy ordered that their construction be of totally natural materials. They used primarily sand and rock only! The three palm islands and the group of islands alike a map of the worlds continents will, it is planned, provide by increasing its beach front a greatly improved tourist industry for the little country and provide revenues for its government and residents! These pictures are from the air and space.....he has his own satellite up there to help with the construction! http://www.fresh99.com/dubai-islands.htm

Which is Better?

2007-08-19T15:59:00.000-05:00

Double Quarter Pounder® with Cheese++
9.8 oz (279 g)
740 calories. Have three and that's all you need for a day
42 grams of fat. Have another half and that's enough of that for a day
19 grams of saturated fat. Yummy!
1380 chunks of salt or 57% of ones daily need
40grams of carbos. Not bad.
48 grams of protein. Have two and you have more than enough protein for a day

OR

JT"S Special Tuna on Toast made with 2 slabs of 7 grain bread, one tbs real mayo, and one 6 oz can of Chicken of the Sea solid albacore tuna

420 calories
15 grams of fat
2 grams of saturated fat
1170 mg of sodium
37 carbos
30 grams of protein!

Walking Around

2007-08-19T14:22:00.000-05:00

I can't leave out dieting around and infusing around and "biking" sitting still! There was no "horsing around" this week so I've been sitting around watching the weather for a good camping window. It was nice Thursday but I figured I had better stay home to wait for any reactions to my proteinase inhibitor infusion. None showed up. The phone, however, kept ringing with calls from the good folks at Baxter Heathcare Corporation developer and manufacturer of Aralast, the stuff the IV dribbled into my veins, and Accredo Health Group supplier of specialized biopharmaceuticals checking to see how I am feeling and of course hoping that I was still living so they could depend on me for bunch of profits spanning the course of whatever number of years they can prolong my life! Then on Friday I decided it was nicer to sit here on the patio and get a good dose of sun instead of fighting the hoards of campers out for the weekend! Upon taking a walk I decided this walking around the neighborhoods stuff is really hard on the local dog's naps so I decided to go to Kmart and get me a stationary bike! So now I can ride in peace in air conditioned comfort! As far as the dieting and finger pricking go I think I've managed a bunch of successes. Most days of the last three weeks I have managed to stay at 1500 or fewer calories, fewer than 200 carbos, and fewer than 60m grams of total fat. In the past couple of days I have started to boost protein consumption (for those abs) to about 100 grams a day. Look out Charlie! We all know scales can lie but belts can't. In May prior to departing for The Netherlands I was forced for the sake of comfort to make a last minute longer belt buy at the Big Lots near my motel in Green Bay. Now I have gone down to the third hole on the belt which was too short then! Congratulations to me! And then there is the finger pricking! Hey this blog sounds like a doctors daily journal! But anyway it answers the question everyone asks like "How are you doing?" I'm sure they aren't concerned about my checkbook or how badly the stock market recently insulted by investments or if I am succeeding at my retirement or whatever! When people ask an invalid, "How are you", I presume it to mean that they want a rundown on my health. Anyway, most of the finger pricking results are very low so either the $4 per month Metformin, the diet with absolutely no donuts, and the exercise is doing the trick or I was misdiagnosed. Oh, I almost forgot a few things. The heart is pumping with reasonable pressures, the cholesterol is under control and the foot tingles might be subsiding with the daily dose of Parkinson's pill (be sure to follow that link and hope I WIN BIG) and I've been a month on only one Albuteral inhaler! Let me know if I missed anything because its hard to remember it all! I started out talking about looking for a camping window and maybe one will develop by tomorrow! Want to come along?

Horsing Around Again!

2007-08-11T17:43:00.001-05:00

The formal events at the Marquette County Fair's Draft Horse Show were over so we took time out for this formal photo shoot! Shown with the reins in hand is Barb, Head of Culinary Sciences and Housekeeping at Wilderness Ridge Farms! Barb is to be commended for her skills with the horses!

New Shirt Day Again?

2007-08-06T09:29:00.000-05:00

Its going up and down like a .....well OK a yo yo. Last week I was down a couple shirts. Some expert claims it is working on a 10% "adjustment" again. If so its darn near done "adjusting" I hope!

Gettin' er Done

2007-08-05T18:16:00.000-05:00

Here is a device which appears to be in further development which will help those who need to monitor blood glucose. Its called a glucowatch and is worn like a watch and sucks fluid from the tissue under it and measures glucose values. Maybe something like this is in my future. As for now I guess the conventional meters are still the style. For beginners, however, since the recent diagnosis of my extraordinary blood sweetness I have imposed upon myself the strictest of diets to effect glucose control and weight loss (Dr. B indicated that among other things, I need to be counseled about obesity). Thus the Coke Zero which adds not a calorie to my 1500 calorie daily intake! In addition I am counting carbohydrates and staying at between 150 and 175 grams per day. My diet consists of the finest selection of usual foods. For breakfast I like eggs (2 eggs but the yolk of only one), two slices of bacon instead of 4 or 5 and only one piece of toast with a bit of Parkay on it. This I do every other day alternating with cereal and a little turkey on a slice of toast. For lunch a variety of low fat meats or soups and salads fit into the plan nicely. For supper when I would in the past overload on pasta or potatoes and some real nice marbled steak I now start with a big salad with fat free ranch and then go on to a healthy supply of vegetables either cooked or fresh and then a small amount of pasta or potatoes and some meat. I still do like my share of the condemned "red meat" but in moderation my arteries should hold out and I am doing more turkey and some meat substitutes for protein. And believe it or not, I still can't, I did go to 1% milk. That was tough but I did it! I respect to proposed dietary guidelines I've studied the information from the diabetes association but find it contradictory in that they still push the carbohydrates as the bottom layer of their pyramid. I found another set of information which puts the carbos at the top of the pyramid so I am trying to make them both happy with my choices! They all preach "portion control" and that of course makes sense! Last, but not least, essential to my plan to get back into my 33 waist pants that I have stashed under the bed (about 5 years now) is exercise! For the ten years in the truck there wasn't much exercising taking place. But that is changing so for now its two or more walks a day of between 10 and 20 blocks each or as far as my legs and lungs will allow! And its working! Ten pounds disappeared in the last couple months and the rate will probably be better in the future because of the developing diet. As I said the target is a 33 inch waist and about 145 pounds. That means another 3 or 4 inches off the waist and about 25 pounds off wherever it is attached. Also in the meantime I need to do some abdominal muscle strengthening. They sort of fell to waste in the truck! Do you think a 64 year old can develop a six pack abdomen?

I Love These Silly Headlines

2007-08-01T16:42:00.000-05:00

This is today's after closing headline on Yahoo's financial site

Dow Jumps 150 Pts in Late Rally AP -
Wall Street shot higher in a last-minute advance Wednesday after careening through a session made turbulent by ongoing concerns about U.S. home loans and the credit market.

The way it looked I thought I was going to lose another shirt off my back today. But for some reason the market rallied and the American Way is safe for another day!

Zero

2007-08-01T16:01:00.000-05:00

Back few weeks ago I presented a piece about my Coke dilemma. I just want to say that I have adjusted very well to the new drink and would highly recommend its consumption to all who long for the taste but not the calories or the carbos or the sugar! Since it is totally sugar free I think it would even be fine to give the kids for breakfast before school! The only nutrition it has listed is 40 mg of salt! Try it, you'll like it!

My Great TV Show Ratings Gig

2007-08-01T15:20:00.000-05:00

The Nielson lady called a few weeks ago and asked if I would help her out by participating in the TV ratings game going on this week! She asked a bunch of questions and said I would get the stuff to record my viewing habits in a few days. Well, its almost over now and I have faithfully kept my diary since Thursday morning at 5 am. Actually I was asleep then so I told the diary that I was not watching TV. Who in their right mind would be at 5 am? People are supposed to sleep until 8 or 9 or so or get up and go to work.. Anyway I show that I don't watch a lot of TV. I watched the Today show a little, then Regis and his girlfriend a little less. I caught a twenty year old Cosby show once. I spent a few hours watching Animal Planet and TLC and the History Channel. Ice Road Truckers is on the History Channel. What a bunch of wimps! Anyway pardon the swerve. If I remember and if I am not busy I watch the TV 6 local news but the Peterson lady half anchor drives me nuts with her speech and presentation. I often wonder where they find these people. Anyway, I didn't help the big time networks much because I didn't watch any of their garbage takeoffs of American Idol. So I did my share and I'm sure they will appreciate my efforts. They even paid me already! There was a one dollar bill stuck in with the paper work!

Iraqis Play Soccer and American Young Men Die

2007-07-29T19:22:00.000-05:00

Unwilling participants Iraqi soccer players angered by Bush campaign ads

Sgt. James D. Priestap of Hardwood in the Upper Peninsula visits with Iraqi children while on patrol in Baghdad. This photo, submitted by his family, was taken just before he was shot. More photos are available at cu.ironmountaindailynews.com.
By BLAINE HYSKA,Managing Editor
IRON MOUNTAIN — Sgt. James D. Priestap was visiting with Iraqi children while on patrol in Baghdad when he was killed, photos taken just before his death show.Mark Balicki of Iron Mountain, brother-in-law of the late Sgt. James D. Priestap, submitted a photo, which was taken just before Sgt. Priestap died in Iraq on Thanksgiving Day 2006.“The pictures show the kindness that Jim always showed,” said Balicki, who is married to the former Lisa Priestap. “Everyone in our family has seen these pictures. I thought it would be nice to share them with others.”Sgt. Priestap, 39, of Hardwood was killed by enemy gunfire in Baghdad.A series of pictures were taken about 10 minutes before Sgt. Priestap was shot, added Lisa Balicki.“This was confirmed by soldiers who were in Iraq with him,” she said. “When we saved them on our computer, we could point the mouse on the pics and it would give the date and time the photo was taken.”“They were all taken on Nov. 23 between 11:10 and 11:19 a.m.,” she said. “Jim was killed on 11:29 a.m. that day.”“The pictures speak for themselves as to what kind of person Jim was,” she said.

Memorial to those who died in Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom.Most recent casualties
• Marine Cpl. Matthew R. Zindars July 24• Marine Cpl. James H. McRae July 24• Marine Lance Cpl. Robert A. Lynch July 24• Army Staff Sgt. Joshua P. Mattero July 24View all the casualties
Casualty countOfficial DoD totals. Released: July 24
Operation Iraqi Freedom
Killed: 3,626
In action:2,980
Non-Hostile:646
Wounded*: 26,953*
RTD:14,838
Not RTD12,115
Operation Enduring Freedom
Killed: 408
In action:227
Non-Hostile:181
Wounded*: 1,428
RTD:555
Not RTD873
*Wounded:RTD: Returned to duty within 72 hours. Not RTD: Did not return to duty within 72 hours.

Looking for a Cool Place

2007-07-28T20:42:00.000-05:00

It would be nice to find a short drive travel destination for next week where the forecast is moderately cool! Guess there isn't such a place. Lake Superior's coastline looks about as hot as inland. Obviously Lake Michigan locations are equally warm or warmer! So I guess I'll camp right here in air conditioned comfort and venture out onto the streets only for my daily walks and shopping trips!

Camping and Fly Killing

2007-07-25T19:59:00.000-05:00

This excursion into the hills of the wilderness of the Porkies gets a "D". Not so much for the campground but for the flies and the heat and the beach! Seldom have I seen the Lake Superior shoreline as hot as it was on Monday evening, Tuesday, and this morning! It was hot! And I suppose the heat brought out the flies who chewed on me temptingly! And then of course my enjoyment of the beach or should we say the rocks wasn't all that great given the heat and the flies!
It is very easy to find a rock to sit on at the beach. Actually it looks like one or two big rocks! Darn near should have rock walking boots, knee pads, and padded gloves and maybe even a helmet to walk this beach!
Then there is the view of Lake of the Clouds and its surrounding hills. This sight sort of makes up for the beach and the heat and the flies!

But can you believe I tended the campfire for a few hours. I guess I was trying for an outdoor sauna! It wasn't the only campfire either! I think the smoke helped chase the flies to wherever they went....like into car!

These folks woke up real early in the morning to claim their personal island! I don't know if the guy was banished from the island or what but he was standing out there in the water as if he was begging to be allowed back on rock! The Porcupine Mountains are home to the largest Hemlock forest in the United States and possibly the world. Huge Hemlock forests once dominated much of the Lake Superior region of the Western Upper Peninsula.

Horsing Around!

2007-07-21T19:07:00.000-05:00

Yesterday we went horsing around at the Menominee County Fair. Bud drove the horses to many blues! Here are Bud with the reins of a four horse hitch and Matt is navigating!

Camping and Boat Riding

2007-07-18T19:35:00.000-05:00

Well, I went camping! Haven't been camping in years and years! I think its been about 30 some years since I slept in a campground. I now have the feel for it and I think I'll go again. I camped at the Munising City Campgrounds among the big boys and the smaller boys and the even smaller boys and even close to some tents! My Grand Caravan is a bit tight but I lived in a Volvo cab for 10 years so I can make it in the minivan parked next to a picnic table and a fire pit. Parked is the word I like! I watched the kids playing, cooked over an open fire, read some of the current selection; yes, you read right, I read! Hadn't done that for a long time either!

The black in the middle is the Grand Caravan at our campsite! The Munising City Campgrounds comes highly recommended by me. It has lots of room, and its clean, and quiet and Munising Bay and a nice beach is only a few steps from any of the campsites.
First I played in the sand for awhile! It was fun! Actually that is not me! Fooled you though didn't I! I forgot my sand pail and shovel so I just watched the young man having fun with his!
Then I decided to take a boat ride to the Pictured Rocks. The east coast of Munising Bay and further north the coast of Lake Superior proper is a national park. It's the Pictured Rocks National Lake Shore and extends about 42 miles from Munising to Grand Marais. If you would like to hike there is a trail running the entire 42 miles for you to enjoy! Here is an example of the "pictured" rocks. The colors are caused by ground water seeping out of the cliffs which are about 200 or more feet high. Reds are caused by iron, greens by copper, white by limestone and black by manganese. The basic formations here are sandstone.

See the two eyes peering at you? Actually, if you look hard you should see two sets of eyes, one large set and one small set! Some folks have even seen Elvis! Julia would have a great time checking this out!

A couple of arches are major attractions. Here the story goes that an Indian maiden (poor Indians are in all the stories) jumped to her death from the arch after her hunter didn't return from a hunt! The boat captain narrating the tour wondered why any woman would do that for just a couple bucks!

Below is one of natures oddities and demonstrates the true grit of survival. You see the tree perched on top of the rock formation and wonder how it survives up there with little or no nourishment from the stone on which it lives. Look closely and you can see a series of roots extending from the rock the tree sits atop to the mainland! Many years ago the roots were actually in the ground but time has washed away that ground to leave the roots exposed.
Eventually the sun set over the water and the west shore of Munising Bay. As with any adventure it signaled that it was time to return home to toil again!

New Drink for My New Life

2007-07-15T23:15:00.000-05:00

Its bearable. Today I did the taste test! I put some of the real stuff into a glass, then some of the new stuff into a cup. I closed my eyes and mixed them up real good. Then I took hold of one and sipped and knew without a doubt that it was the new stuff I was tasting! You know what? It wasn't all that bad even with the aspartame and acesulfame potassium rather than the saccharides! Do you need more information on why I switched? Look here!

Flower Gardens

2007-07-13T15:28:00.000-05:00

In the Netherlands I enjoyed strolling (and strollering) through the neighborhoods and looking at the elaborate flower gardens which were totally the front yards of most of the homes in the newer single family residential areas. Each home had a unique garden of flowers or shrubs or a combination of them. Very little grass could be found! This pictured garden is not however a Dutch garden. It is here in Iron Mountain right next door to my building! Congratulations neighbor on the pretty sight here in our town!

Walking Day!

2007-07-13T14:50:00.000-05:00

Somewhere I read that this tingling feet syndrome might be helped a bit by walking so that's what I've been doing in my spare time. Maybe the walking loosens up the plaque so blood can flow through again. (The plaque then is destroyed by the plaque grinder in the liver) The other day I had a test done in the doctors clinic and that apparently told of a problem for which we will have further tests done on the MRI machine at the hospital. The test is called an MRA (arteriogram done with magnetic resonance) and can locate clogged arteries which cause PAD. So I've walked the neighborhood a few times and enjoyed it. I should also go for a drive in the car since it might be one on the last times I can reach the pedals before the amputations begin! No just kidding. I guess they do some bypass, or roto rooter, or stint type stuff to get the blood flowing again.

Not Leftovers Again!

2007-07-12T18:22:00.001-05:00

Yup, I have to eat this stew that I concocted and I blogged about a few days ago! I changed it to taste a bit different by adding some forbidden stuff today! It tasted just like new stew!

They Have it All Wrong Again!

2007-07-11T22:01:00.000-05:00

Saw this research done by some young ones testing how young vs old respond to jokes and other funnies. They found that young ones responded 6% better than the old folks. Well the research which was conducted by graduate student Wingyun Mak and psychology professor Brian Carpenter probably didn't take into consideration that old folks really don't think that everything that is so darn funny to the young ones is not funny to the old folks. All you have to do is watch a bit of TV aimed at the teens through the 30's or 40's and you find out what I mean. Its trash to me but highly rated "comedy" for the young ones. The other thing they didn't consider was one's reaction to hearing the same joke for the 23Th time. Hey, after the 13Th time it isn't funny anymore to us old folks.

What DidYou Eat Two Months Ago?

2007-07-10T22:46:00.000-05:00

I just found out that I did bloodletting for an A1C test which can show the average glucose in my blood for the last two months and maybe even three! What's next? Soon the doctor will be able to give me a test to see if I've recommended him to anyone in the last two months or if I have spoken well about his healing powers. Oh, Oh!

A Hot One!

2007-07-08T17:54:00.001-05:00

It was sizzling today as the Sun beat down on us in the Upper Peninsula! I was watching as the needle turned toward 90 and then to 95 with a "Real Feel" of 102! (The thermometer in the picture above was not quite accurate.) In the sun it was as good as a good old sauna! We'll have to check later to see what today's official high really was! Now after an hour or so of thunder and light rain the temperature has dropped to 77. What a relief it is/wasfor those outdoors or those without air conditioning!

New Diet for My New Life

2007-07-08T16:52:00.000-05:00

Since the Dr's Office called the other day to let me know that I am now officially a diabetic and will tomorrow see the doctor concerning that discovery, I now need to revise my diet accordingly so I'm making a diabetics moijaka! It has stew meat, only two potatoes (they are starchy) but lots of carrots, onions, cabbage, and brassica oleracea var gemmifera. It will feed me for a few days! In my salad tonight will be lettuce, cucumbers, radish, tomato, cauliflower and Hidden Valley Ranch Free! Dr. B would be proud of me! I figure about 50 carbos at the most in the stew! But what about that Coke in the fridge? The one I snuck today tasted really good! I figure that if I have no other sugar and very few carbo laden foods I can stay under 250 grams of carbohydrates today even with the Coke! Living without Coke would be like Romeo living without Juliet! (Or was it Juliet living without Romeo?) We will talk about the Jif and Nabisco Saltines, and the Schawn's Ice Cream and Nesquick Chocolate Syrup, and the Oreos delima later! Right now I have to eat!

Duty Calls

2007-07-07T20:44:00.000-05:00

The other day I was at the old Gunville office getting some paper work done when along came the trucking boss/horse collector and talked me into dragging the horse wagon to the local fairs and then perhaps to Ohio and Lansing and a real big one in Denver! At my age I should be able to say no but who can refuse the man who so rationally explained why I should be there. His reason for wanting me to be there was as he said, "We have no one else who can do it unless we take someone off the road"! OK, Bob, I think that is what we did last year!

After Four Days There were Still Leftovers!

2007-07-06T16:52:00.000-05:00

I counted at least 7 hot dishes on the above table! In the little swim pool to the right were the cold foods including the dish to which this blog is dedicated. The other table shown below was laden with the cool meat and cheese trays, salads, deserts and that kind of stuff. The red table was covered with a near a dozen or so types of homemade cookies and bars.

When Bliss and Larry throw a Graduation party they make sure no one goes away hungry......even four days later! In the days after the party we managed to get most of the large catering size dishes down to nothing or nearly so but not so for the potato salad! The potato salad was too far down the line to attract much attention from the party people. Most of them had their plates heaped with turkey and mashed potatoes and green salad and sausage or whatever and simply had to leave the poor potato salad sit. Well, on Sunday we 7 or so adults who were staying at the farm vowed to take on the potato salad so we slightly enlarged the hole in the corner of the tray. On Monday at lunch time we decided to open a pit in another corner of the tray to make it seem like we were getting fresh potato salad. Well along came Monday at 6:30 pm and the potato salad was at the table again so we opened another corner, the third corner! Guess what, on Tuesday the potato salad was at the table again so we opened the 4th corner! Now all four corners had been sampled! Do you think we got rid of the potato salad now? Oh no, not on Bliss's dead body in the Christmas Tree Patch would anything be thrown out. It had to be eaten so there it appeared at the July 4th picnic! And where did we serve from then? Well, how about making a hole in the center of the tray! Just like fresh we enjoyed potato salad with our brats and other picnic fixings! But I would guess that Bliss and Marv, the only folks left there on the farm, will be eating potato salad till nearly Labor Day! Maybe I'll stop in for some next month!

Two-thirds Complete!

2007-07-05T21:13:00.001-05:00

Over my 6 day weekend in Ironwood the only thing missing was the watermelon wine! The old dogs and children were ever present!

Time for Some Dutch Color! Contributions from Beth's Camera too.

2007-06-26T21:18:00.000-05:00

White bells on a tall stalk.
Roses in full bloom in the center of a round about

Roses is a front yard garden

Lavender display

Bells

Closeup by Beth

Lying Down on the Job

2007-06-26T21:10:00.000-05:00

It would be nice if all of life was this easy and enjoyable.

Abby and Rebecca

2007-06-26T21:02:00.000-05:00

Abby took one look at Rebecca behind the new gate and figured it was time to make her hair stand up!

Its Shopping Time in Germany. What Was Not Missing?

2007-06-24T17:08:00.000-05:00

The exterior was not quite as well appointed as the new super centers here in the new world but it was there! Sam isn't doing business in the Nederlands yet but Germany is well stocked with his stores.

It is Grocery Shopping Time but What Is Missing In Holland?

2007-06-22T17:56:00.000-05:00

The Expats, Rebecca, and I did an unplanned grocery store stop the other day. Planned grocery stops always include the two wheeled pull behind grocery container (for a better word) or large reusable cloth or leather bags into which the groceries are packed and hauled home! Since this stop was unplanned we had brought no bags so the groceries were checked and put back into the cart to be wheeled out to the car! At the car the groceries were neatly stacked in the back for the ride home!

An observer often sees "lose" groceries being stashed into saddle bags or baskets on bikes, into pack sacks, or into the bottom bin of a kid's stroller. Stores do sell shopping type bags for a hefty bunch of change so I would say only a few are sold. Can you imagine shopping here in the United States without the convenience of "would you like paper or plastic"! So now you know what's missing at the grocery store in Holland! And so too at many other kinds stores for that matter! It makes me wonder how many trees and what amount of oil are saved with this European BYO sack concept! (Please note that this writer has no allegiance of any nature to Paper Nor Plastic, LLC and refers to the website only for interesting facts and information.)

School Is On But What is Missing in Holland?

2007-06-22T12:29:00.000-05:00

Mother probably taking her daughter to school

Older kids by the hundreds bike past the Expats house morning and afternoon

Here appears to be a group of school kids on a field trip. Were they biking off to a farm?

So what is missing in the education process there in Holland? I did not see one, yes not even one, yellow school bus in three weeks. Kids in Holland pedal to school. The son and daughter of one of the Expats' friends pedal multiple kilometers taking about 30 to 45 minutes morning and night to bike to their high school in a neighboring town. Only in severe weather do they take a bus or train. And by the way their dad is a professor and mom is a medical doctor so they could probably afford a car for the kids. There are no overweight kids there and they really don't need P. E. to get into shape or burn energy! And consider the cost savings for the education process! Millions if not more not spent on fuel, vehicles, and drivers and support folks. Would it work here? On a limited basis in fall and spring maybe but its sort of hard to pedal in a snowstorm. But what would happen if bussing was ended? I suppose parents would take over transporting the kids with their cars as is the case in many areas even now. Nonetheless, it is interesting to know that in some cultures like most of rest of the world the kids are responsible for their own ride to and from school!

It is Snack Time in Holland but What is Missing?

2007-06-22T11:00:00.000-05:00

*******************I suffered withdrawal pains for lack of the above!********************
(Well almost)

Never Knew This!

2007-06-22T10:27:00.000-05:00

Did you know that Amazon in in the grocery business? What is next for this internet peddler?

What Does the Price of Gasoline in Holland Mean in English?

2007-06-21T19:23:00.000-05:00

Rebecca loves to sleep in the car. Somtimes it took no more than a mile or two and she would turn her lead into the side of the seat and fall asleep. She does not appear to be interested in the price or gasoline!
Biker Mama and Rebecca going out for an evening ride! While many of us here in the United States would jump into the car and head for the Dairy Queen or Walmart the Dutch love their bikes for such adventures.

I took a picture of the local gas stations price list the other day. This one was a few miles north of Rebecca's house. While I did my photography she was probably snoring in the back seat! Anyway what does Euro 1.409 mean. First that is the price for a liter. There are 3.784118 liters per our gallon. Thus the price for a gallon of the gasoline would be Euro 5.33. Now we have to figure how Euro 5.33 converts to USD. If I did my figuring correctly Euro 5.33 would be USD 7.13. So what that means is that gasoline in The Nederlands is about $7.13. Now I just bought gasoline for the Grand Caravan today and paid $3.129. Thus we need to heed the fact and be overjoyed that our gasoline is less than half the cost of their gasoline. Thus we should motor about with great pride that we can do so much more cheaply than they can! Maybe that's why so many bikes are everywhere over there and they are not used only for pleasure but for transportation to work, school, shopping, and whatever.

Flying Stupor Day

2007-06-20T19:28:00.000-05:00

The NWA pilot is making sure our plane for the Detroit to Green Bay flight is air worthy!

Thanks to him and many others who work in commercial aviation I'm home again in this sort of "flying stupor" today. It was a long day of travel yesterday and of course the mourning doves welcomed me home at 6 this morning! So I eventually got going to the store and the post office and then started getting some stuff out of the big luggage still in the car. I was not about to try to carry those cases up the stairs intact. While sorting through the "stuff" I remembered the customs man in Detroit who asked what I had bought overseas. I started "Oh, I have some books for the grandkids here in the states, there are some baby clothes in there too, and some tourist type things like caps and wooden shoes and calendars and hot mits and quite a bit of candy........" At that point he said "Good Bye" figuring he wasn't going to collect any fees from this old man high on albuterol huffing and puffing his way through the underground maze of security and immigration and customs and TSA folks all busy "welcoming"

us home and "welcoming" the guests to the United States with their endless supply of questions and paper work examination and screening and undressing and unpacking stuff and scanning and dressing and packing it up again! Whew! Next stop was National Coney Island and the tuna sandwich and then I happened to spy one of the plane drivers out on the tarmac doing his "pretrip". It was just like at the shop in my previous life! Reggie commanding us to be sure to do the pretrip! "Don't forget the pretrip" was his favorite order! I wonder if the pilots too have a Reggie somewhere out there saying " Make sure you do your pretrip"!

Driving Around

Dodge Caravan turns 50,000

Vacation in Gulf Shores at Best Deal in Gulf Shores! La Bella Vita!

Question for Us

Politics at Its Best!

Wow! 40 years!

Obama Wins

HI, Mrs Palin,

Vote Obama!

More Please

Ha, A pig with red lips

Songs or what were they?

I remember!

Really. is it?

Delivery Fee???

As Close to Socialized Medicine as I Will Get

Hey, It's 60!

How Time Flies

Well It is Gone!

Amateur Poet I Am I Am!

Driving Around

The House is in Good Order

The First Walk of Spring!

Melting Today!

In Two Months

Potpourri from an Afternooon Ride In Gelderland

The Sun Shone Today in the Nederland's Gelderland!

The Last Roses of the Year!

Where is Sun?

HIPPA News

I Thought I Lost It Forever

Coming Soon to This Blog

Thanksgiving 2007

Large Buck Attacks and Kills Hunter

HIPPA News The Recap of October with Emphasis on the Night of October 31st

The $64,000 Question!

Oh, Halloween is Soon Gone and Oh, Christmas Will Be Next in Line!

HIPPA News for Saturday

New AAT Drug Therapy Trials Underway

Deer With Nowhere To Hide Being Slaughtered

Back to Normal!

Yes, I Was There!

Help! Too Many Horses!

HIPPA News for Sunday October 14

Today was a Real Nice Fall Day

With over 1,000 draft horses from around the U.S. and Canada, the MGLI is unarguably the most significant annual draft horse show in North America.

HIPPA News for Friday October 12

What was Under the City!

Dont need Danon Activa!

More Problems for Downstate Hunters in Ontonagon County!

Explain This!`

Oh My!

Hippa News for Tuesday Oct 9, 2007

Need to Put Up Signs for These Guys

Amazing Temperatures

One More to Add to the Score~

Hippa News for Wed Oct 3

Day to Day Log

So You Think I Do Nothing?`

Holy Smokes Again

What's Happening?

Don't Have an Island? Well, Duh, Build Some!

Which is Better?

Walking Around

Horsing Around Again!

New Shirt Day Again?

Gettin' er Done

I Love These Silly Headlines

Zero

My Great TV Show Ratings Gig

Iraqis Play Soccer and American Young Men Die

Looking for a Cool Place

Camping and Fly Killing

Horsing Around!

Camping and Boat Riding

New Drink for My New Life

Flower Gardens

Walking Day!

Not Leftovers Again!

They Have it All Wrong Again!