Another busy week (This may be a long one) …………………………………………………………

As always, first the chronology:

3/13/22 – Sunday – Today I started my “PREP”.  Yea I was overdue for a colonoscopy.  Anyway, nothing solid to eat today, just various juices.  Obviously stayed in the house.  Started the real stuff about 3PM.  Still blowing it out my ass by 6 AM Monday.

3/14/22 – Monday – Up early to be at the Premier Surgery Center by 8AM.  Doctor got stuck in traffic and was about an hour and 15 minutes late.  Anyway, things went well.  The staff at this place was top notched.  I could not have asked for a better group of people to take care of me.  Everything was done by lunch time.  Stopped at McDonald’s on the way home to pick up food.  Got home and ate.  Then to bed.  Spent most of the rest of the day in bed.  No ambition to do anything.

3/15/22 – Tuesday – Up at the usual time and felt 100%.  I was amazed.  Got cleaned up and over to Shelbyville with Kathy to do some shopping and get money at the bank.  Had lunch at Arby’s then took some things we got at Tractor Supply over to Julie’s for her.  Then home.  Over to Gary’s for a little while just to see how he’s doing.  Home and started some computer work.  I’m going to try and get my directional antenna up this week for my TARPN project.  Dinner and usual evening routine.

3/16/22 – Wednesday – Up at the usual time.  Over to pick up Gary and off to get our hair cuts.  Home and did some work on the computer.  Kathy and I went back over to Shelbyville to buy some vehicle washing things at Lowes and see if my military discount worked.  Then a stop at Arby’s again for lunch and to pick up my hat I left there yesterday.  Home and got Kathy’s golf cart off the battery tender and ran it awhile.  Got the empty propane tank off the grill and over to the shop.  Cleaned up the mower deck, took the plow blade off the tractor and put the mower deck back on.  Did some other things while out there.  Inside for dinner and usual evening routine.

3/17/22 – Thursday – Up at the usual time.  Cleaned up and out to Lenses Crafters for our annual eye exam.  I had minor deterioration but not enough to warrant a new pair of glasses.  I have glasses laying all around the house.  But Kathy found out her cataracts are worse and she needs to do something about that.  It was a little bit of a shock to both of use.  We stopped at FDKY for Barbecue on the way home for lunch.  Got home and put the truck away.  I spent the rest of the day hanging around Kathy in hopes of making her feel better.  Had a good dinner at home and usual evening routine.

3/18/22 – Friday – Up at the usual time.  Out and up on the roof to install the yagi antenna for my TARPN station.  Took the entire morning.  Had lunch then started rebuilding the node and getting things working.  Had an issue with the configuration at the far end which Gary in Radcliffe took care of.  Everything is playing well now.  Had a great dinner and the usual evening routine.

3/19/22 – Saturday – Up at the usual time.  Spent the morning looking over the TARPN performance figures.  Had a snack for lunch.  Cleaned up and over to Julie’s to put a bulletin board on the wall for Chloe.  Then out to Stoney River Steakhouse and Grill for Julie and my birthday dinner.  Enjoyed being with family.  Over to Mike and Julie’s for cake then home and usual evening routine.

---

Now the specifics:

I was a year overdue for my colonoscopy. My doctor referred me to a gastroenterology group on Dutchman’s lane which is a little travel but not bad. Went there and they wanted a cardiac clearance. The cardiologist said he wouldn’t do that without seeing me. I informed them I wasn’t going to a cardiologist for a colonoscopy. That just didn’t make sense. So they said I could go down town and they would do it without the clearance. I told them to shove it and I would find someone else. I called the place I had it done before and the doctor that did it then moved on. I asked for a referral and they gave me the name of a guy that happens to have an office right beside my GP. So, long story short (I guess it’s too late for that) I got the procedure scheduled for last Monday and the facility as well as his office is on this side of town about 20 minutes from the house. I followed the directions for the “Prep” which in retrospect wasn’t too bad. I went in early Monday and was out by Noon. The people at the Premier Surgery Center where I had it done were spectacular. I could not have asked for better care. They even called the day after the procedure to see how I was doing. And with the light and easy “Prep”, I felt 100% on Tuesday morning. A funny note here. The anesthesiologist explained what she was doing and what they were giving me. I asked her if that wasn’t the same stuff they used to kill Michael Jackson. She informed me that we were not in my living room and she was not a cardiologist. I thought that was a great response. Anyway, they found nothing exciting or note worth other than the usual things for an old person. So I’m done with that for another 5 years.

I have started working on my TARPN project again.

Went to Lenses Crafters on Thursday morning for our annual eye exams. Mine changed a little but not enough to warrant new glasses. Kathy got told her cataracts were worse and new lenses wouldn’t improve her vision. It was a little bit of a shock to both of us. Anyway, I think Kathy was a little upset about it. They were nice enough at the doctor’s office. Gave her a referral and got her setup with an appointment. We stopped on the way home at FDKY barbecue for lunch (Kathy likes that place) and then home. I was going to do that antenna work then but decided it was not a good time so I just stayed with Kathy. She mentioned that she felt more comfortable with the guy she has seen before with a corneal abrasion. So I suggested she call and get an appointment there. She is scheduled to see him this coming Friday afternoon. I’ll keep you posted on that as things develop.

I need to give you some background information for this next topic. It seems that the state of Kentucky’s drivers license issuing does not conform to the federal requirements. Therefore, after May of 2023 you can not use your regular Kentucky driver’s license to get on airplanes or get into certain government buildings. As a result, the state has reorganized it’s licensing process. You can renew your existing license on the internet but to get a “Realid” license that lets you use it for getting on planes, etc., you must jump through some additional hoops. I read about how to do it and it sounded to me like the only place you could get the Realid license was to go to Frankfort (Capitol of Kentucky). So, I renewed my online since I didn’t see an immediate need to fly anywhere. Then my daughter got her Realid license at a regional office here in Louisville. So Kathy scheduled an appointment and I tagged along with the necessary documentation to get my Realid. We both accomplished that task and while there the very nice lady helping us asked me if I was a veteran. I went through my song and dance about spending 10 years in the Pennsylvania Air National Guard but did not have a DD214 that the Active Duty guys get. She asked me what kind of discharge paper I got so I told her about the NGB22 that the guard uses in place of the DD214 and she pulled out a piece of paper and showed me that they accept the NGB22. She said her son was in the guard and things are changing. So with that I came home and did some looking again. Sure enough, Lowes and Homedepot now accept the NGB22. So I applied to both of those and got my veteran’s exemption. When my Realid driver’s license comes I’ll also take the NGB22 back and get my veterans status on that.

Now of course I’m not satisfied till I’ve tested this thing out. So I went to Lowes and bought some thing I needed but went through the self checkout and there’s no way to get your veteran’s discount. Of course I had to go back the next day and went through the regular checkout and sure enough it worked. I also had to go back to Arby’s for lunch because I left my hat there the day before. Yea, sometimes I can be very stupid.

Saturday was my birthday. Thanks to everyone that called, texted or posted something on facebook. It was a good day. I spent the morning going over the performance data on my TARPN link with very satisfying results. Then over to my daughter’s house to put up a bulletin board for Chloe. Then out to Stoney River Steakhouse for a fine dinner with the entire family. A great day.

On the political front things are continuing to decline. So, since I think everyone that reads my blog is on the same page I will spare you the anguish of reading my opinions on that.

Hope this finds everyone safe and healthy. Keep it that way and I’ll blog at you again next week.