The DisFort's Chit Chat Cafe

[team bradfield]

 

[jbrostek]

100% true

 

[team bradfield]

Disney has a new perk, 1st day arrival we have a free pass to the water parks, I asked for blizzard beach and they are sending us to Pensacola

 

[Sjm9911]

Hey all be safe if your down south in the snow.

 

[Sjm9911]

I probably should give a knee update. I don't want to. Lol. Still not good. Have 25 percent range of motion and can barly put weight on it. I also have a blood clot. They bad one, deep vain teombossis, so I am on blood thinners for 3 to 12 months. That makes the blood swelling in the knee much worse. That's why I can't move it much. Not good. Anyway, other then that, I am ok. I wouldn't have done this if I knew before hand what it would be like. But the other one went well. In life you never know what will happen. So, live it to your best. And be happy for what you have. I am sure this will get better ,but its taking a long time. Rant over.

 

[jbrostek]

Ouch Spencer. Hopefully, you can heal up a little quicker then that.

The snow and cold this week hasn't really impacted out house. Our county schools where closed yesterday and today for teacher work days, confrences, etc for end of the grading quarter. Melissa had to go in, but roads where clear.

 

[bama_ed]

I found this article/link today about my local Alabama state park that is closing down now for a TOTAL redesign. Camped there often with my Scout Troop in my youth (1970s).

https://tuscaloosathread.com/lake-lurleen-closed-for-upgrades/

This is significant because this is the closest SP to Titletown for home football games in the fall.

But there was a link to a state-wide article from this past summer about improvements coming to many State Parks in Alabama (all self-funded by bond sales).

https://www.outdooralabama.com/articles/alabama-state-parks-marks-progress-major-renovations

This covers MANY improvements throughout the SPs. Gulf SP is mentioned (golf course campsites) as well as Meaher SP on the Eastern Shore across Mobile Bay from Mobile along I-10 (pronounced MAY-er). I like Meaher in winter - summer is warm, humid, and buggy kinda like I imagine Grand Bay, AL would be 10 months of the year.

Really, Alabama has beautiful state parks from its Gulf of America beaches to Mobile Bay all the way north to Cheaha SP (highest point in state) and DeSoto SP in the mountains near Chattanooga.

And hey, @Teamubr, at age 62 I qualify for a 15% discount on campsite rates. akshually DW will qualify for the discount before I do.

We have a CoE campground near us on the Black Warrior River which is "adequate" but rustic and a little remote. Having a revamped Lake Lurleen SP near us would be nice for Mon-Fri stays (hey, we're retired).

Come visit us in the Yellowhammer state!

Bama Ed

 

[jbrostek]

have to keep those in mind when I do finally make it through that state.

 

[jbrostek]

Today I had my MOHS procedure. It went well, the found they removed any basal cell left in the area on the first round. Made it home by noon for lunch and a nap. I now look like I got into a fight with a feisty raccoon. Seriously Rocket….



That said I’m shifting into camping season mode. Only 6 weeks to drivers school and start of my RV use. A good time to start some lists while I relax on the couch….

 

[Sjm9911]

Heal up!

 

[Teamubr]

Today I had my MOHS procedure. It went well,

That said I’m shifting into camping season mode. Only 6 weeks to drivers school and start of my RV use. A good time to start some lists while I relax on the couch….

Heal up fast. All mine did pretty good.

We still have a while before I can de-winterize. I did go down and run the generator for about 30 minutes today. I haven't even been to the rig since I covered it up in mid-November after the DIS Meet. Generator fired right up and the batteries were all good.

Phil saw his shadow Sunday, so I'm looking at least 8 weeks before I am safe from freezing.

j

 

[Sjm9911]

And for my update, sorry to take away from the others, still cant walk. I am not happy. Let's leave out all the other curse words and crap. Not good. I am way past the point when staying positive was good. I am at the point when ,I have no idea what I did to myself. If you guys didn't post I wouldn't look at this point. Staying true and exercising as much as I can and praying the way I know how but not improving. Trying to stay positive but at this point I am not hopeful.

 

[jbrostek]

@Sjm9911 ouch man. Maybe time to find a second opinion on that knee??

 

[garneska]

Bert and I got our first round of the shingles vaccine on Thursday afternoon. I was worried how it would be but i had to do it. All evening was fine and around bedtime the arm started to hurt. It was a problem sleeping on my left side (which is my preferred side). Got up this morning and my arm hurts and i am tired, but that might be because it is Friday. I am not sick though. I did not try and lift yet, maybe this afternoon, but was expecting it to be a down day today. Now we wait two months to get the second dose.

@Sjm9911 sorry that knee is not getting better. Hope you have a break through soon.

 

[bama_ed]

Bert and I got our first round of the shingles vaccine on Thursday afternoon.

I got my shingles shots last year, Kris. Coincidently, when driving to Fort Wilderness last January 2024, I heard a radio host on SiriusXM explain why he had missed SEVERAL weeks of hosting his show (it was because he came down with shingles) and described how painful that illness can be. That motivated me to take action (no issues). Hope you get to feeling better.

Hang in there, Spencer.

Ed

 

[bama_ed]

I have waited a few weeks before I make the following announcement but I can finally confidently say that "I AM SMARTER THAN A SQUIRREL"!

This winter I got a new bird feeder for the front yard and filled it with our spicy birdseed. We use the spicy because in the past it discouraged the squirrels from eating it (they tried). Here is a pic of the new feeder. It is about 5 feet above the ground.



Would you believe a squirrel came down the wire, hooked a foot around the wire, and hung upside down over the edge of the top and put his face in the seed tray and started eating? No pic but that's what happened. The spicy seed did not deter him. So I hustled outside and brought the feeder inside the porch while I brain-stormed a prevention technique. I did a lot of research on anti-squirrel devices/strategies and saw some obvious flaws. But I came up with a home-made solution.

The feeder is too high to get to from the ground. Thus I just had to prevent an attack from above. My idea was to buy an 18" clear $2 plastic plate from Party City, drill a hole in the middle of it, slide it down the wire thru the hole, and GLUE it to the green top of the feeder.







Then I sat at my desk inside the front office area and waited for the squirrels to advance.

And they did not disappoint.

They came down the wire to the edge of the plate but there was nothing on the plate edge to hang on to and they could not reach the seed tray nor the perch ring. Standing out there on the edge, the feeder tipped slightly and the squirrel fell into the mulch below (unharmed) flailing away. I admit, it did make me laugh.

He tried again with the same result then ran off. Next day, a squirrel tried it (not the same one I guess) but got the same result. Haven't had any squirrels on top of the feeder since and the birds can eat in peace.



Bama Ed

PS - I don't think that I've seen the end of the squirrel attempts but it's been about 2 weeks now and I haven't seen another try.

 

[Teamubr]

Bert and I got our first round of the shingles vaccine on Thursday afternoon. I was worried how it would be but i had to do it.

Hopefully the sore arm and tired is the worst of it. Several staff have had it and said it was miserable. I am up on all my other old age vaccines except that one.

j

 

[Sjm9911]

I can walk a little now with no crutches. But, seems always a but recently, kido got me sick. And I can not take any medication because of the blood thinners. I may try to hit the doctor up Monday, bit from what I read any thing for a sinus /broncitis infection is a no go. So , it go slow. But I am still hanging in their. This too shall pass! I am atually relived, I thought the knee was damaged to much.

 

[4077]

I have waited a few weeks before I make the following announcement but I can finally confidently say that "I AM SMARTER THAN A SQUIRREL"!

This winter I got a new bird feeder for the front yard and filled it with our spicy birdseed. We use the spicy because in the past it discouraged the squirrels from eating it (they tried). Here is a pic of the new feeder. It is about 5 feet above the ground.



Would you believe a squirrel came down the wire, hooked a foot around the wire, and hung upside down over the edge of the top and put his face in the seed tray and started eating? No pic but that's what happened. The spicy seed did not deter him. So I hustled outside and brought the feeder inside the porch while I brain-stormed a prevention technique. I did a lot of research on anti-squirrel devices/strategies and saw some obvious flaws. But I came up with a home-made solution.

The feeder is too high to get to from the ground. Thus I just had to prevent an attack from above. My idea was to buy an 18" clear $2 plastic plate from Party City, drill a hole in the middle of it, slide it down the wire thru the hole, and GLUE it to the green top of the feeder.







Then I sat at my desk inside the front office area and waited for the squirrels to advance.

And they did not disappoint.

They came down the wire to the edge of the plate but there was nothing on the plate edge to hang on to and they could not reach the seed tray nor the perch ring. Standing out there on the edge, the feeder tipped slightly and the squirrel fell into the mulch below (unharmed) flailing away. I admit, it did make me laugh.

He tried again with the same result then ran off. Next day, a squirrel tried it (not the same one I guess) but got the same result. Haven't had any squirrels on top of the feeder since and the birds can eat in peace.



Bama Ed

PS - I don't think that I've seen the end of the squirrel attempts but it's been about 2 weeks now and I haven't seen another try.

I have bird feeders on my back deck (which is up one story from the ground)... I had a more labor intensive squirrel prevention about 2 years ago...

It got to the point that I would have 8-10 squirrels on my deck at once...I watched the "family" grow for a couple years. 1 or 2 squirrels was fine...but this was too much... I spent a couple months trapping and moving them all down the hill and across a bridge to other side of a river... haven't had but an occasional single squirrel since.... I like your solution to your situation!!

 

[jbrostek]

@bama_ed That is some good noodling. I might have to borrow that idea. My first line of defense of course is Penny the squirrel herder. She LOVES to send them back to their trees. However, sometimes they still get a free lunch.

@garneska I got my tetnis booster last visit because Dr. wants me to get Shingles this time around. Getting it is really not fun. I had it twice already so anything to stop a 3rd is good in my book.

My face is healing up. I will save you from a picture of the wound itself. The gauze covering it makes it less of an issue even if I am out and about.



And with my half century mark just around the corner....AARP wanted to welcome me in the 50s club.



Seems that level 50 is a real honor and priveledge. Still a few weeks to the official day, yet next weekend having a small party with people over to celebrate. It was a good excuse to show off the puzzle wall too.