Writers Inspiration

Day 18 of 366 surrounded by crazy

/ lyncrain / Leave a comment

I have a migraine nerve block appointment which involves a series of injections surrounding my occipital nerve region. ( It’s located on your back left side of your skull just above where your neck connects.) So, I say to the physician’s assistant, can we go a bit lower with the injections because my neck is very inflamed . Her response was the insurance covers specific areas. I look at her and say there’s not anyone in this room but you and I, how would they know your injecting me lower than usual. Her response was she would know. GRRRR!!

So right now, my migraine is numb, but my neck is so knotted and in pain it’s undermining where I did have the injections. It’s frustrating especially when she tells me the earliest, I can have an injection to my neck is a month because of lidocaine toxicity. Doctors monitor the doses closely to prevent brain or heart issues. Which brings me back to migraines. If this toxicity is a problem, why have I had nerve blocks for 13 years monthly without anyone saying they need to be cautious?

And why has there not been other options available offered to me?

“Just when the caterpillar thought the world was ending, he turned into a butterfly.” —Proverb

Looking at the other craziness of the day, we have more than 100,000,000 people on high alert as Polar Vortex grips the U.S. Since this cold snap begun 43 people have died.

Buffalo looks especially scary to me with the playoff game happening there this weekend. People at the game in Kansas City suffered frost bite from the cold weather. Will Buffalo have better conditions come game time.

A plane from American Airlines slid off the runway upon landing at an airport in New York. The aircraft exited the taxiway while in transit to the terminal due to snowy airfield conditions” and veered into the grass. Those passengers must have freaked out seeing that. I know I did when I was flying on American Airlines coming into Logan Airport back in 2003. We slid off the runway too! I was scared! And then having to depart the plane on the metal stairs and riding the bus back to the terminal. Whenever I fly, I remember that flight. I know it doesn’t make any sense, but I look at every airline’s website, check the prices before I look at American Airlines.

Out in my neck of the woods- Snow in the Rocky Mountains this week has brought some hope for another wet winter to feed the Colorado River. When that snow melts it flows down tributaries of the Colorado River, through dams along the way and eventually into Lake Powell. From there, water is released down the Grand Canyon and into Lake Mead. We need another record accumulation of snow to overcome the megadrought that began in the year 2000. which reduced the amount of water in the entire Colorado River Basin. The climate experts expect that trend to continue — despite last year’s above-average snowpack. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation projections released on Tuesday indicated an expected drop at Lake Mead for the next two years.

Unfortunately, in the Middle East, Pakistan retaliates with strikes inside Iran as tensions spill over. “Iranian state media reported that at least nine people, including three women and four children, were killed in the strikes, while Pakistani officials cited the deaths of “a number of terrorists. The Pakistani attacks, carried out with “drones, rockets, loitering munitions and standoff weapons,” were launched in response to Iranian strikes inside Pakistan on Tuesday that killed two children, according to Pakistani officials.” (1)

Violence between Iran and Pakistan and Israel and the Gaza Strip on the surface seem separate but they both targeted militant groups that primarily pose local challenges. Pakistan has maintained the Tehran has turned a blind eye to militants operating in Iran. Iran accuses Pakistan of seeking Israeli assistance. Thankfully neither country is hostile to each other yet. But if the strikes continue that will change.

Ali Harb and Brian Osgood wrote,” Netanyahu says that Israel must “maintain security control over all territory west of the Jordan River”, despite US talk of “working toward a two-state solution”. (2) Change has to happen before they destroy each other completely.

Today, I finished the F-16 Fighting Falcon. All that’s left is my doctor’s airplane and then the quilting begins. I’m excited it’s gone together so easily. I’m looking forward to giving it to my doctor. 

I’ve made four wall-hangings this past year. (Two Halloween and Two Christmas)

“To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong.” —Anonymous

(1) https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/pakistan-fires-retaliatory-strikes-at-iran-raising-fears-of-new-conflict

(2) https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/1/18/israels-war-on-gaza-live-medicine-arrives-for-captives-palestinians

Day 16 and 17 of 366

/ lyncrain / Leave a comment

2024 thus far has not lacked for craziness. We’ve had three major winter storms that have caused havoc on our lives and in some instances taken lives. We’ve had earthquakes, avalanches, flooding, and tornados just in the month of January. There’s eleven more months ahead of us, I don’t about you but I’m hesitant to look ahead. There’s some peace of mind in not knowing everything. “Being crazy isn’t enough.” ―  Dr. Seuss

Sadly, Iowa caucuses were predictable. I know I shouldn’t put this out in the universe but I’m going to anyway because it’s how I really feel. I want to know where an assassin is when we really need one. The media circus we’re experiencing isn’t to go away until Trump is dead, and clearly all the McDonald’s he consumes isn’t happening fast enough.

Better Homes and Gardens reported “Last year, the Economic Research Service (ERS) of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) predicted that prices would increase over 5.8 percent, In January, at-home food prices were 11.3 percent higher than they were at the same time in 2022.” Just what we all wanted to know that in addition to the high fuel costs our food is going up even more so, In 2024, prices are still set to increase, but thankfully at a slower rate. “The ERS predicts a 2.9 percent increase in food prices overall, and only a 1.9 percent increase for at-home food prices. Food away from home, or food purchased at restaurants or for takeout, are set to increase by 4.3 percent.” (1)

Beef, pork and dairy are a given with the recent drought conditions. Plus, you factor the reduced growth rate, it’s no wonder the prices are higher. Supply and demand 101. We have less livestock to consume so naturally a higher price. Thankfully, egg prices are going down again after all the chickens were destroyed with the bird flu epidemic. Fish and seafood are high but there’s no indication of an increase or a reduction reflected in the numbers. We’re going to have change our food consumption to survive.

I believe more and more families will be reducing the amount and type of food they serve to cover medical and heating expenses for their families. In the old days, a huge dinner meal was served and the left-overs were served as breakfast. There wasn’t cereal, Poptarts, or pastries as we enjoy today. Nor did the majority of people eat lunch back then. They made it work. We may have too!

The West Coast is really wet and it’s going to continue through the weekend. The rain doesn’t look like it’s subsiding. Hopefully, the higher elevations get the snow. Lake Mead needs a lot of snow to recover from its 20-year drought than what we had in the winter of 2023.

And the mid-west is freezing, and electric car owners are discovering batteries don’t like the cold. The batteries take longer to charge, and the driving distance is reduced. Electric car owners don’t have access to charging stations to meet the demand of these kind of conditions. And it looks like Thursday night, more frigid weather and snow is going across the United States.

I wonder sometimes if Mother Nature is tired of our abusing the planet, and this is our payback for not taking climate changes seriously. If you’re not concerned read the information Deep Vakil and Scott Di Savino brought to our attention more reasons to be concerned about this winter season.

“US natural gas demand hits record high amid severe cold snap,” says, Deep Kaushik Vakil and Scott Di Savino. Their article shows what U.S. homes and businesses used Tuesday. It was a record amount of natural gas because the demand for the fuel for heating and power generation soared during rhe Arctic blast. The Artic Blast cut gas output to near a 13-month low by freezing wells.

“U.S. gas demand jumped to a preliminary 167.8 billion cubic feet per day (bcfd) on Tuesday, the financial firm LSEG said. “That would top the previous all-time high of 162.5 bcfd set in December 2022 during Winter Storm Elliott, according to federal energy data from S&P Global Commodities Insights.”

“Meanwhile, U.S. gas output dropped by 17.0 bcfd from Jan. 8-16 to 90.6 bcfd on Tuesday, its lowest since December 2022, according to LSEG, due primarily to freeze-offs, which occur when wells, pipes and other equipment freezes. One billion cubic feet of gas is enough to fuel about 5 million U.S. homes for a day.”

(Reporting by Deep Vakil in Bengaluru and Scott Di Savino in New York; Editing by Paul Simao) (2)

Freezing temperatures can do a lot of damage in businesses, and in our homes which will also drive the costs up for the necessary repairs that follow. I know from my own experience what broken water lines can cost and how long we waited until a plumber could come to make the repairs because we weren’t the only household with broken lines.

China has joined US with the odd weather. Evacuation underway for stranded tourists after avalanches trap 1,000 people in China. Rescuers evacuated tourists on Tuesday from a remote skiing area in northwestern China where dozens of avalanches triggered by heavy snow.

My deepest sympathy to the Golden State Warriors assistant coach Dejan Milojevic’s family and team. He died at the age of 46 after he fell ill during a meal at the team’s hotel in Salt Lake City, Utah. Golden State Warriors are a San Francisco based team.

My deepest sympathy also to the family of Ryan Pemberton. He was a long time crew chief in Nascar. “Ryan Pemberton was instrumental to JR Motorsports’ success during the decade he spent with us,” said Kelley Earnhardt Miller, JRM’s CEO. “He had such a passion for competition and, as a leader, knew how to motivate everyone he worked with. He will always be part of the JRM family. Our hearts go out to his wife Andrea and daughters Payton and Britton during this tremendously difficult time.”

Pemberton was joined by his siblings in motorsports.  Each brother carved careers in Nascar.  His older brother Robin was a veteran Cup Series crew chief who later served as NASCAR Vice President of Competition. Currently, he serves on an INDYCAR appeals board panel whose job is to hear all appeals. Former NASCAR official John Darby also serves as an INDYCAR board member.

Randy Pemberton, who died in 2022 at age 62, was a popular broadcaster as a pit reporter and studio host. the New York native was best known as the voice of Inside Winston Cup Racing on TNN and for his Winston Cup Hotline in the 1990s.

His younger brother Roman Pemberton has worked as a spotter in various NASCAR national circuits but does appear to have gotten into several awkward situations.

I’ve been a Nascar fan for many years, so I’ve seen the Pemberton brothers in action. Ryan will be deeply missed.

The quilt is coming together nicely, I just finished the F-16 Fighting Falcon. It’s an American single-engine supersonic fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the US Airforce. Its design gave it air superiority as a day fighter, and it evolved into a successful all-weather multi-role aircraft. The F 16 is all gray. All that remains to be done is the Doctor’s own plane. Then I can complete the attic window assembly and machine quilt it with small and large stars.

If you’re coming to Las Vegas, giving you a heads up. “Standing or stopping is now banned on pedestrian bridges on the Las Vegas Strip where visitors often pause to take photos amid the glittery casino lights or to watch street performers. Violators of the ordinance that took effect Tuesday could face up to six months in jail or a $1,000 fine.”- L.A. Times (3) I’m not sure what is to be gained here by such restrictive bans. And who is going to monitor the pedestrian bridges, it’s already a nightmare to get law enforcement for a real safety issue.

I’m going to leave you today with this quote by Emilie Autumn

“Some are born mad, some achieve madness, and some have madness thrust upon ’em.”

I’m going for madness thrust upon me. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

(1) https://www.bhg.com/more-expensive-less-expensive-groceries-2024

(2) https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/us-natural-gas-demand-hits-record-high-amid-severe-cold-snap

(3) https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/think-twice-before-snapping-a-photo-on-a-las-vegas-strip-pedestrian-bridge-or-risk-jail-time

Day 10 of 366 Craziness and Political Grand storming, so fed up with our government

/ lyncrain / Leave a comment

I’ll begin with the weather for a moment with 49 states with weather alerts for Finn. And now it looks like Gerri will be following suit in areas that haven’t recovered from the predecessor. My question is how many times does history have to repeat itself before we create methods to reduce the flooding and tornado damage. I know many low-income families reside in mobile homes but why aren’t the manufacturers required to make them safer during tornadoes. The construction trade has to change and stop cutting corners to reduce cost. If a tornado came thru Las Vegas, these houses would be destroyed because they are not built with plywood walls, they are stryofoam covered with stucco.

Stucco is a cement-type mixture made of Portland cement, lime, sand and water. It is a thin finish coat that goes on the outermost layer of residential and commercial constructions. Modern stucco has polymers and other agents for increased flexibility that improves its resilience but is it enough to withstand tornado or hurricane force winds. I’m not convinced because I’ve hit the wall on our house by accident trying to hang Christmas lights and it broke into pieces exposing the styrofoam underneath.

Let’s talk about the political grandstanding with the Biden impeachment hearings. The Republicans wanted to cite Hunter Biden for contempt because he declined to do behind closed door interrogations. Apparently, the democratic party wanted to know why the Republicans refused to do it publicly. I want to know also why these discussions have to be behind closed doors. Are the people involved afraid to let their constituents see them in action?

Every one of these congressmen and congresswomen and representatives are public employees but they seem to forget that fact. Why are we paying their salaries to behave like buffoons. Tit for tat? Seriously, they all need reality checks.

Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene seems to be leading the witch hunt on President Biden.

“Hunter Biden was and is a private citizen. Despite this, Republicans have sought to use him as a surrogate to attack his father,” Lowell said.

Lowell accused Republicans of caring “little about the truth” and trying to “hold someone in contempt who has offered to publicly answer all their proper questions.”

“I am here to testify at a public hearing, today, to answer any of the committees’ legitimate questions,” Hunter Biden said. “Republicans do not want an open process where Americans can see their tactics, expose their baseless inquiry, or hear what I have to say. What are they afraid of? I am here.” (1)

I’m so over our tax money being wasted for this tit for tat behavior. We unfortunately allowed a reality star idiot to become president and now we’re the reality show to the world. If they have grounds to indite Biden show it now as Jared Moskowitz insisted, they do so. Chairman James Comer said, “We think, we do.” Again, they volleyed back and forth wasting valuable time and resources, that comes out of the American people’s wallet.

Biden may or may not have been involved in his son’s business dealings. Nine other Presidents have also faced misconduct charges and not removed from office. “Republicans say their inquiry is ultimately focused on the president, they have taken particular interest in Hunter Biden and his overseas business dealings, questioning whether the president profited from that work. We didn’t bat an eye about Cheney’s involvement with Haliburton, did we?

Nor do we seem to want to convict the buffoon reality star, who has numerous charges pending but still is actively campaigning for presidency which he has blatantly said, he will be the dictator because the laws and the constitution do not apply to him. Lawyers for Trump made the legal argument Tuesday — in a real courtroom, before actual US judges — that a president could order the military to assassinate his political rival and not be prosecuted for it as long as Congress was cool with it. (2)

If you looked into the Bureau of Prisons, the largest stockholders in the prison system are senators. They make profits on the supplies needed to run the prisons in addition to other secret dealings. I would love to see every single financial dealing as public record before anything goes forward with this finger pointing at Biden. Especially since, it recently became public record how much Trump’s businesses profited from foreign countries while in office.

Let’s get real, we’ve lowered ourselves into being witch hunters.

Remember, “John 8:7-11 King James Version (KJV)So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. And again, he stooped down, and wrote on the ground.”

Although in our present-day situations, we don’t practice actual stone-throwing in our courts of law, the image still resonates. “Because lobbing anything in judgment of another is happening all the time. It’s a painful visual, even today, to hurl your anger at someone with an object intended to harm. And that object can be insults, lies, accusations, or any number of hard options, “says Lia Martin (3)

Today’s embroidery block for the quilt is the P 51- Mustang. It was among the best and most known Army fighters uses during WWII. The only plane I was familiar with was the Marines Vought F4U that the Flying Tigers used to score aerial victories. There used to be a series, I loved about the Flying Tigers specifically the Black Sheep Squadron led by “Pappy” Gregory Boyington. The show was based on Boyington’s autobiography Baa Baa Black Sheep. That show and his biography spiked my interest in military history which has evolved over time to also include the Civil War and WWI.

Boyington is best known for his exploits in the Vought F4U Corsair. .Boyington died of cancer on January 11th, 1988 at hospice in Fresno, California. He was laid to rest in Arlington with full military honors. (5)

There was a study done to determine which plane was more effective. U.S. Army Force pilots who flew the P51 Mustang said it was the best performing fighter of World War Two. Many might agree. Many, but not all the branches of the military agreed., Navy and Marine Corps aviators who flew the Vought F4U would argue that the Corsair, hands down, holds the title as best fighter of the Second World War.

(1) https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/hunter-biden-makes-surprise-appearance-at-contempt-of-congress-hearing/ar-AA1mKarV

(2) https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/a-law-professor-grades-the-legal-argument-trump-s-lawyer-just-made-about-presidential-immunity-

(3) https://www.crosswalk.com/faith/bible-study/what-jesus-meant-when-he-said-let-he-who-is-without-sin-cast-the-first-stone.html

(4) https://militaryhistorynow.com/2021/10/03/mustang-vs-corsair-inside-the-u-s-navys-1944-match-up-between-the-two-fighters/

(5) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pappy_Boyington#:~:text=Boyington%20is%20best%20known%20for,F4U%20Corsair%20in%20VMF%2D214.

Fullscreen button

Day 9 of 366 Oh no, not more craziness Mother Nature

/ lyncrain / Leave a comment

My heart goes out for the Japanese families facing yet another earthquake just eight days after the one on New Year’s Day. A magnitude 6.0 earthquake has rocked central Japan, the country’s Meteorological Agency announced. The earthquake struck off the Sea of Japan coast, rattling the same part of the country where a huge tremor on New Year’s Day and its aftershocks caused widespread destruction. Unfortunately, the death toll for the first earthquake is at 200 and still rising because rescuers are trying to provide sorely needed aid to almost 3,500 people still stuck in isolated communities. Many people are still unaccounted.

More than 1,200 aftershocks have blighted central Japan since the New Year’s Day quake. Thankfully, no tsunami warning has yet been issued. Let’s keep the Japanese people in our prayers.

The weather isn’t playing nice here in the states either. Panama City and Marianne Florida have significant tornado damage. The National Weather Service received 11 tornado reports since Monday night: seven in the Florida Panhandle, two in South Georgia and two in southern Alabama, where one death was confirmed. Heavy snow and blizzard conditions swept across parts of the Plains and the Midwest on Monday into Tuesday morning, closing roads and making travel difficult to impossible.

Yes, it is winter, and storms do happen but not ever have there been weather alerts for hazardous winds, snow, flooding and thunderstorms in effect for 49 of the 50 states, the lone exception being North Dakota. How crazy is that?

Finn is being followed by Gerry, the same track across the United States with snow and rain depending on where you’re located. Yup three storms in a row Ember, Finn and Gerry, the beginning of new this year.

Mt. Hood in Oregon has done the unplausible. The decision was made to shut the mountain down not for lack of snow, but precisely the opposite: because of it. Officials at Mt. Hood decided, with a “ferocious blizzard” forecasted for Oregon today that with great storms come great responsibility. We have made the decision to suspend operations tomorrow, January 9.” (1) The storm prediction is for 20 inches of snow and 50 mph sustained winds. Brrrr… Sounds like a good day to be inside with a cup of cocoa to me.

The Las Vegas area had crazy winds Sunday through this morning when it finally calmed down, but with Gerry on Thursday we will once again have high wind conditions into Friday night. It could be a lot worse; I know. Sadly, though Las Vegas has a high number of homeless people struggling to survive in these miserable conditions Like other major cities in the U.S. there isn’t enough shelters to provide for the homeless. Reality check: we’re a third world country. People exist in horrific conditions in every one of our fifty states. It’s not just the major cities.

If all the crazy weather conditions aren’t enough, a study from PNA Nexus (2) noted on January 2nd that the previous study stating the New York City Metro area is sinking 0.06 inches yearly is inaccurate. The new data says 0.08 inches is now. (3) The coastline is sinking faster than expected. It isn’t just NYC affected, “there are other hotspots from the study include Virginia Beach, where 451,000 people and 177,000 properties are at risk, and Baltimore, Maryland, where 826,000 people and 335,000 properties are at risk.” With the sea level rising 10 to 14 inches in the next three decades along the East Coast, this makes for what seems to be an inescapable situation.

My husband and I both have witnessed in Norfolk, Virginia how many streets are flooded whenever there is a rainstorm. I’m talking about a rainy day not a hurricane there’s simply no place for the water to go but on the streets which causes a lot of road damage because they are already below sea level.

Unfortunately, this study isn’t being taken serious enough, nor have previous studies. How many times have you heard climate change doesn’t exist. Ot climate change is just political grandstanding. The truth is It affects you and I and everyone. It may be gradual, but the impacts are real.

My embroidery project is coming along nicely. Today, I’m sewing the Fokker Dr. 1. Truthfully, I didn’t recognize this plane by its full name. In German, the Dreiddecker Triplane was better known as the Fokker DR. 1. It was a World War I fighter aircraft built by Fokker Flugzeugwerke. Manfred Albrecht Freiherr better known to us as The Red Baron was a fighter pilot for the German Air Force. He is considered the ace of the aces in WWI. He was officially credited 80 combat victories.

As I sewed, I listened to the Story of Snoopy versus the Red Baron song by the Royal Guardsman.

(1) https://www.msn.com/en-us/weather/topstories/oregon-s-mt-hood-meadows-temporarily-suspends-operations

(2) https://academic.oup.com/pnasnexus/article

(3) https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/the-impacts-are-real-new-satellite-images-show-east-coast-sinking-faster-than-we-though

Day 8 of 366 same old crazy and some new crazy, Can’t make this crap up

/ lyncrain / Leave a comment

United says, just loose bolts on Boeing 737 max 9 and are declining to say how many. No surprise there! “The plug, measuring 26-by-46 inches and weighing 63 pounds, was discovered intact Sunday evening in the backyard of a Portland teacher’s home, according to NTSB officials. NTSB investigators recovered the door plug that fell off Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 giving them the key piece of evidence that they are examining with a laboratory telescope. The door plug is used by some Max 9 operators, including Alaska and United, in place of an exit door that would be required if the plane were configured with a larger number of seats. The door plug according to a diagram released by the NTSB, is attached to the plane with a series of bolts, cables, hinges and stop pad.” https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/other/united-finds-loose-bolts-on-its-planes-in-wake-of-alaska-airlines-door-plug-incident/ar-AA1mEFxT Wouldn’t that have been noticeable if daily inspections were done? I would have noticed loose bolts on the frame of my school bus especially after the one incident. It was an eye-opening experience for me and one I’ve never forgotten.

Looking back on it’s funny how the story unfolded but not the potential risk that could’ve happened. We received new school buses the day before school started. I got my keys the morning of the first day. I quickly did my circle check and skipped the middle door because the bus was brand new, so I didn’t anticipate anything unusual. Until later that morning, when I did a fire drill with the elementary kids and reviewed the new exit breakdowns. If there’s a fire, we never depart front door we use the rear door and the side door. Thank goodness, we were in the school yard because when the child opened the side door it fell off the bus. The manufacturer never put the hinge pins in the side door. No one had exited the bus before the child opening the door so there were no injuries involved except for the door with nicked paint. It could’ve been a lot worse. I never trusted the manufacturer again when our buses were replaced. In fact, I looked harder for issues.

However, this isn’t the first time there’s been issues with Boeing aircraft, one would think they would be extra cautious. The repercussions for Boeing’s reputation and share price especially since this isn’t the first incident with the Max-family of jets may improve their maintenance routines. Five years ago, the entire global fleet was grounded following two fatal crashes. No investor likes the stock market triggered.

Alaska Airlines, which operates 65 of the Max 9 jets, said in a statement on its website: “The 737-9 MAX grounding has significantly impacted our operation. We have cancelled 170 Sunday flights and 60 cancellations for Monday, with more expected. Cancellations will continue through the first half of the week.” Whereas United Airlines, which operates 79 of the jets, said it had cancelled 230 flights, and issued a statement: “Following the incident on an Alaska Airlines flight on Friday, we have temporarily suspended service on select Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft to conduct an inspection.”

https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/boeing-737-max-9-groundings-trigger-stock-turbulence-for-carriers-as-regulators-order-safety-check

Political crazy continues with Trump … “Of course I was entitled, as President of the United States and Commander in Chief, to Immunity,” Trump said in a post Monday on Truth Social If that’s the case, more people should become politicians before committing a crime so they’re immune from charges. Oh wait, they already do that. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_American_federal_politicians_convicted_of_crimes

Tanya Chutkan is the federal judge overseeing the federal election interference case brought by Special Council Jack Smith.  against Trump. She appeared to be the victim of “swatting,” which happens when someone makes a false report of a crime in progress to draw police to a certain location. Doesn’t one find the timing conspicuous with all that is going on with the Trump media circus and the different courtroom hearings.

And the weather insanity continues with an arctic blast threatens to bring temperatures of -50 degrees to large swathes of the West and Midwest next week. Meteorologists have said the polar vortex could sweep across the Pacific Northwest and roll into the Central and Midwest over the next five to ten days.

“Winter storm warnings are in place for parts of 14 states as meteorologists predict a “multiple hazard storm” will bring extreme weather to many parts of the U.S., including blizzards, tornadoes and flash flooding in places beginning Monday morning and into Tuesday. Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah and Washington were cautioned about difficult travel conditions and whiteout conditions.”

https://www.msn.com/en-us/weather/topstories/winter-weather-warning-for-14-states-as-hazardous-storm-hits-us/ar-AA1mCIAD?ocid=hpmsn&cvid=

I finished another airplane on my embroidery project. This one is the Spirit of St. Louis which was custom built and flown by non-other than Charles Lindbergh. The Spirit of St. Louis did a non-stop transatlantic flight from Long Island, New York to Paris, France. The manufacturer was Ryan Airlines owned at the time by Benjamin Mahoney and was located in San Diego, California and the designer was Donald Hall who worked with Lindbergh to get it as Lindbergh needed to complete the 33-hour flight. After that flight, the Spirit of St. Louis did numerous flights for mail delivery.

The next airplane to be stitched is the Fokker Dr-1 or better known as the Red Baron. The quilt will have twelve different planes total when it is completed including a square with my doctor’s own plane. My doctor is part of an air rescue squad here in Las Vegas which gives him immense pleasure.

And I’ve blogged every day in this new year. Kudos to me!

Day 6 of 366 The Crazy isn’t over yet.

/ lyncrain / Leave a comment

FAA orders temporary grounding of the Boeing 737 Max 9 after a flight from Oregon to California had to make an emergency landing because a chunk of the wall detached midair. I drove school bus 31 years and we had to do circle checks every day on our bus before our departure. Obviously, the precheck on the plane differs but it should have been noticeable before takeoff.

“First, there was a pop. And then a big bang.

Air whooshed out of the side of the airplane, which was flying at 16,000 feet with an emergency exit-size gash. A cellphone, a giant teddy bear and a passenger’s shirt were sucked out the hole in the cabin. Oxygen masks dropped from overhead compartments. Passengers on Alaska Airlines flight 1282—which on Friday afternoon was en route to Ontario, Calif., from Portland International Airport—were fearful for their lives. The flight, however, landed back at the Portland airport less than 30 minutes after takeoff, with 171 passengers and six crew members aboard, all of them alive. “~ MSN

I can’t help wondering how often the outside structure is checked. I wonder if after this, it will be done on a regular basis.

All of Central Florida is under a tornado watch Saturday through 10 p.m.

The National Weather Service issued a tornado watch that stretches from Tampa and the Gulf Coast through Orlando to Daytona Beach and the Treasure Coast on the Atlantic. Florida has seen a lot of severe weather this week.  Hail pummeled West Melbourne and Palm Bay in Brevard County. A weak tornado touched down in Boynton Beach Friday night.

Trump says,” The Civil War could have been negotiated.” Historians are shaking their heads wondering where he comes up with these outlandish thoughts. “The declarations of secession explicitly state that the seceding states were leaving the Union to maintain that system. … This could not be ‘negotiated, says James Grossman (Director of the Historical Association)

There’s a fascinating series on Netflix I recommend watching called “You Are What You Eat, the Twin Experiment. https://www.netflix.com/title/81133260 Identical twins change their diets and lifestyles for eight weeks in a unique scientific experiment designed to explore how certain foods impact the body. It will definitely make you think twice about the American diet and our meat consumption. 

A 90-year old woman was rescued five days after the 7.6 magnitude hit Japan. She was trapped 124 hours under her house. Sadly, more than 200 people are still unaccounted-for, although the number varies.

I’ve discussed my enjoyment with embroidery and the project I’m doing for my doctor who loves airplanes. I’ve completed the Kittyhawk and the Curtiss Jenny. What I learned when I looked up what colors to use when I stitched them. The Kittyhawk built by the Wright’s in 1903. They used spruce for straight members of the airframe (such as wing spars) and ash wood for curved components (wing ribs). The wings were designed with a 1-in-20 camber. The wing fabric used was a 100% cotton muslin called “Pride of the West“, commonly used for women’s underwear. It had a warp of 107 threads per inch and a weft of 102 from a total thread count of 209. The muslin fabric was on the lower left wing panel of the Wright Flyer on December 17, 1903, when the airplane made its historic first flights at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.

Muslin squares are what I’m embroidering the planes to put in the quilt. I love the durability of muslin when used in quilts but there are disadvantages too. Pulls can be expected and occasionally there are slight color and intensity variances. What I love is it is lightweight and breathable because it is a loose plain weave. Muslin dates back to Ancient India.

The Curtiss JN “Jenny” was a series of biplanes built by the Glenn Curtiss Aeroplane Company of Hammondsport, New York, later the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company. The Jenny is made from  a combination of steel and aluminum tubing with some wooden parts and a doped aircraft fabric. Its 27.50 ft (8.4 m) span wing has a wing area of 175.0 sq ft (16.26 m2) and the cockpit width is 24 in (61 cm). Aircraft dope is a plasticized lacquer that is applied to fabric covered aircraft.  It tightens and stiffens fabric stretched over airframes, which renders them airtight and weatherproof, increasing their durability and lifespan. The technique has been commonly applied to both full-size and flying models of aircraft.

What I learned that the Kittyhawk and Curtiss Jenny both benefitted from the doping techniques. These techniques have been employed in aircraft construction since the dawn of heavier-than-air flight. Without the application of dope, the fabric coverings lacked durability and were highly flammable. Both factors rendered them far less viable.

Day 5 of 366- the lull between crazy

/ lyncrain / Leave a comment

I updated my post about the shooting at Perry High School. The shooter was 17 years old. He wounded five and killed one. A sixth grader, a child one year older than my youngest grandchild. I can’t imagine how the parents and grandparents are coping with this senseless act of violence. Why did a 17 year have access to a shotgun and a small caliber pistol? Another moment of silence NRA?

I Iowa, gun buyers are required to present permits or undergo background checks. The minimum age to purchase a pistol is 21 and the minimum age for a rifle or shotgun is 18. Legally, he should have no access. So the question that keeps arising with the different school violence situations, why does a child have access to a weapon? Why are the adults involved facing criminal charges for endangering their child and other children? I’m sure there are other charges that could be used. There has to be changes made so parents who want to own guns take the responsibility seriously instead of thinking my child won’t do that.

The Northeast is bracing for the first major storm of 2024. If the weatherman is correct with its predictions, there is a second storm following right behind the initial storm. I used to live in the Northeast and along the Northeast corridor, I don’t miss shoveling or icy road conditions at all. Nor do I miss having to bundle up whenever I go outside.

I do miss how fresh the air smells after a snowstorm. I miss the trees blanketed with snow sparkling as the sun hits their branches. Neither occur where I am now in Las Vegas. I do get to see white capped mountains around us which sates me for now.

It’s 51 degrees here with winds coming from the Northwest at 20mph. That will make it feel cooler than it is. I’ll be fine in a sweatshirt and jeans. The mountain chains we see are Mount Charleston and Lee Canyon and Spring Mountain. They have snow right now and are expecting more Saturday night into Sunday. It’s only 28 degrees there right now.

Mount Charleston and Lee Canyon are still recovering from all the damage Hurricane Hilary caused back in the summer. A lot of the road work isn’t completed yet, so the transportation department is discouraging visitors. There is limited access to Lee Canyon Ski Resort but it’s driver beware…. the roads are one lane in some areas, and some are dirt only.

Speaking of outside one of my poems that I wrote appeared in my Facebook memories today.

The Doe and I by Lyn Crain

She glanced timidly

left and right

never letting me

out of her sight

Her soft brown eyes

lowered each time

I tried to lock hers

with mine

I think she hoped

I’d move a long

but I was drawn to her

like a lyric in a song

She looked terrified

teetering in place

like the moon trying

to outshine the sun in space.

One of my crafting passions is embroidery. I’ve shared pictures of crocheting and quilting in the past but never embroidery. I learned at a very young age from my grandmother. When I learned it was trendy to decorate your jeans by embroidering flowers and peace symbols. These days it’s trendier to wear your jeans with slashes exposing your skin. I’ve recently completed several holiday wall-hangings.

My latest project is a lap quilt for my neuro-surgeon who repaired my lumbar stenosis and neck stenosis. Yup, I had narrowed on both ends of my spine where previous injuries had occurred. The narrowed areas were crushing nerves and causing me discomfort. I’m happy to say the discomfort has gone in my lumbar area completely. The neck is being a bit stubborner and I’m going to PT to help it along. My doctor is also a pilot and is still involved in air rescue so I’m making him a block quilt with 12 different airplanes that I’m embroidering and then making the attic window quilt to finish the project.

I’ll share pictures of my work once I remember how to insert pictures. The changed format is taking me a bit to get used to.

Day 3 of 366 in this year of the dragon.

/ lyncrain / Leave a comment

Are we to believe the dragon’s symbol of power, prosperity and good fortune, honor, and success will be an indication of the future for all of us. The dragon is generally agreed to be the most famous of the animals representing a year. Will that energy be enough for change? Or will 2024 remain the same economic divide as 2023, 2022 and 2021 were for the majority of us. I’m not including 2020 or 2019 because Covid19 equalized our societies. Income levels didn’t matter as much as the wealthy hoped, many people still died like previous times with the plague. Death comes for everyone at some point.

In the news today, it says Russia and Ukraine are exchanging prisoners but haven’t resolved anything. Nor has Israel and Palestine resolved their issues. I wonder how these leaders sleep at night knowing their desires have cost so many lives. Are we that accustomed to death, it no longer fazes us? Where’s the honor and good fortune for those men and women who have died? All I see is the desire for POWER regardless of life losses.

And the crazy continues:

El Nino is threatening more crazy storms to hit the west coast like the 25 foot wave swells. According to MSN, “Huge waves are expected in the Gulf of Alaska, where the second storm was predicted to cause peak seas of approximately 51 feet on Tuesday night. Following this event, another system is poised to target Hawaii, with seas peaking at 42.8 feet on Saturday night.” If the models remain, the west coast areas are in for some crazy water damage.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/weather/topstories/el-ni%C3%B1o-super-swell-hits-california-with-25ft-waves-and-forecaster-predicts-worse-to-come/ar-AA1mq5pv?ocid=hpmsn&cvid=99ebf22f8ba740508c21dfea7dfb282e&ei=37

Five state capitals were evaluated because of bomb threats. The states affected were Kentucky, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, and Connecticut. Thankfully, they were hoaxes, but rescue resources and time were wasted. For what, 15 minutes of fame?

Then we have Alabama and its controversial execution. The inmate scheduled to be executed this way in Alabama is Kenneth Eugene Smith, who was convicted in the 1998 killing of a preacher’s wife as part of a murder-for-hire plot. Smith is scheduled to be put to death later this month (January 25th) using nitrogen hypoxia because his previous scheduled execution didn’t happen because of a lethal injection shortage. This controversial method is deemed by international human rights expert to cause severe and unnecessary suffering. Did you know Alabama, Oklahoma and Mississippi are the three states that have chosen to use nitrogen hypoxia but thus far the only execution scheduled is Alabama’s. Who would consider this a reasonable solution?

The reason nitrogen hypoxia was chosen is because of a shortage of lethal injection drugs. Why are there shortages? Hey Big Pharma, did you drop another ball? Here’s what the experts say about nitrogen hypoxia, yet they still intend for it to be acceptable for executions. “The method is designed to asphyxiate the condemned inmate by forcing them to breathe pure nitrogen, or toxically high concentrations of nitrogen, through a gas mask. It is untested, and critics have noted that setting off a stream of nitrogen gas in the death chamber could even threaten the health of other people in the room.” https://www.cbsnews.com/news/first-nitrogen-gas-execution-alabama-painful-humiliating-death-experts-warn/ Interestingly enough the 8th amendment prohibits cruel and unusual punishment but doesn’t include inmates scheduled for execution. WTF? “Compassion is the basis of morality.” ― Arthur Schopenhauer

Some of you will remember my earlier posts about my brother’s lack of medical treatment in the prison system. What I hear too often, inmates got it good, three-square meals a day, tv., internet and a roof over their heads. The majority of the food served inmates you wouldn’t feed your pets. The tv and the internet are nothing like what we have at home. Inmates sleep in a twin bed with a four-inch foam mattress that you can feel the frame and they share that small space with another with a toilet right next to their sleeping space. Sounds like ideal living conditions, doesn’t it? The medical care they receive is a joke, but I’ll save that for another post.

Crazy… that we subject anyone to these conditions to exist. And those inmates that face death row are denied a humane death with a spiritual advisor.

“Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them, humanity cannot survive,” the Dalai Lama 

Unexpected hesitation @Lyn Crain

/ lyncrain / Leave a comment

Her soul begs to escape the waking hours

That invites every harshly spoken word

So many, they have become blurred

Tears shed randomly like spring showers

Glistening upon a bosom thrust skyward

Burdened until she feels discarded

Or tis maybe she should be less guarded

But what soul offers mere words

Pain depicted with every unturned page

Defying impulses of unexpressed hopes

Bewildered by unknown expectations

Does she sigh or rage

Defined by this society’s tropes

before her soul creates a foundation.

Story-a-day 18

/ lyncrain / 1 Comment
Day 18 – Rin Chupeco Talks to Llamas
“Coffee sure tastes good to me today.”

I turned my head to see who was speaking. There wasn’t anyone near me except the llama. I shook my head and took another sip of my coffee. I sighed as I savored the delectable brew.

“I put coffee in my coffee, today. So what are your plans for the day,” asked the llama chuckling at his wittiness.

“I’m going to…. ” I sprang up from the bench. There’s no way a llama could talk. “Who’s playing practical jokes?” I looked under the bench for a speaker, or a microphone. Anything to explain the voice but I discovered nothing or no one. This is bonkers. I must be losing my mind.

“You’re going where? Is it somewhere fun?”

“No, it’s not fun. I’m going to the hospital to get my Botox injections.”

“Oh, are there a lot of needles involved?”

” How are you talking? Llamas don’t talk.”

“Who says llamas don’t talk. We talk all the time. I believe you’re misinformed. “

I slugged back my coffee. ” I need to leave or I’ll be late. Have a good day.”

“Hey could you answer one question before you leave. Do you think someone will look at me the same way I look at coffee?”

I scurried away but not without turning back several times. The llama continued to sip his coffee on the bench. I couldn’t help but wonder what was in my coffee.