Still Alive

I've missed blogging, but there's been many other demands on my time and energy. Such is life. Right now I happen to have a few moments to myself so I thought I'd write a new post. Since my last post I've been out straight with another creative project. That project has the potential to make a few dollars. The last year and a half has been rather expensive for me; it's time to take care of business.

The weather has been bitterly cold. Now a major snowstorm is on its way. Interesting times. One week I'm running around in sandals and no jacket, the next week we have a wind chill of -29. It was all I could to do keep plumbing from freezing.

I have to be honest and say I'm not too impressed with Trump. His administration looks like the “not ready for prime time players.” It's not all bad. There are a few decent cabinet choices and I was happy to see the Pacific Trade deal get shut down. That deal was negotiated in secret and that made me very wary of it. The best I can figure is that it wasn't so much about trade as it was about political alliances.

Too many people relaxed their prepping when Trump was elected, as if having a Republican at the top was going to change all the basic facts of modern life. Hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, and tornadoes don't care who's president.

I've made it clear in the past that I wasn't a fan of either Hillery or Trump. There's a reason I'm a registered Independent voter. Trump did upset the apple cart, so there is opportunity in chaos. In the short term, however, I know a lot of people who've personally suffered due to his policies. One example, here in NH we are a big tourist state. International travel is way down. I've friends and family who've lost money and work because of it. One thing about change, you can never do just one thing. Everything has consequences. Enough of politics though. Everyone is still emotional and it's going to to take time for peoples' logic to kick in.

Currently I'm convalescing after bruising the heck out of my leg. Dropped a bundle of firewood on it. Can't really afford to see the doctor, so I'm doing what I can to avoid that. Obama care was too expensive and the deductible too large so I let it go. As luck would have it, Trump care doesn't look any better for someone my age and with my income. One can only hope that the promise of cheaper/better care is fulfilled, but I'm not holding my breath. On the other hand, it certainly looks good for the top 10% or so.

In happier news, the motorcycle project is moving along. Just had three deliveries of parts come in. I've cleaned up some corrosion, (still more to do) and sorted out electrical problems. It might cost me more for riding safety gear than bike parts. Looking forward to getting the old bike out on the road. I'm an adrenaline junkie at heart.

This has been the first winter in many years that my lovely wife and I have stayed in the frozen north. I'd forgotten how pasty white I was under my tan. For years I've been getting enough sun to have some color. This winter I resorted to taking vitamin D3 pills. Next winter we plan on traveling to warmer climes.

We are trying to figure out what to do. There's a chance we'll buy another sailboat to replace the one we lost one dark and stormy night. If that doesn't come together, we still have the Oday 19. We could do a mix of van camping and sailing. There's the possibility that we'll concentrate on camping and just bring the kayak. It's nice to have options.
So I'm still around, just busier than a one armed paper hanger.

-Sixbears