...be a shame if something happened to it.

"Nice business (home, race-horse, city), it would be a shame if something happened to it."

The latest Tic-Tok star from Minneapolis was a (former) DIE, oppressed-group trainer. She claimed that she was "in the tech industry" but she was really one of the collectors of the Danegeld.

Trump's administration eviscerated WOKE, DIE-centric funding. Lacking ANY ORGANIC DEMAND for their services, thousands of trainers found themselves unemployed. From 100k/year to unemployed and unemployable.

They proved amenable to interfering with ICE enforcing the law. Minneapolis politicians, Law Enforcement and Judges proved amenable to letting them do that. They saw an opportunity and they took it.

What hangs in the balance is the question of how the larger part of America interprets events. Are our immigration laws arbitrary, capricious and unconstitutional? If so, why did Congress pass them?

Are ICE agents performing their sworn duties in ways that can be described as "drunk and disorderly"? Are they being criminally reckless as they discharge their sworn duties?

Are the protesters and "observers" motivated by something other than pure, altruistic concern for the illegal immigrants who ICE are collecting to be processed as Federal laws require? 

When those protestors demand "...an opportunity for dialog..." do they really mean "Submit. The only voice that is valid are ours." If you are a student whose grades are at the mercy of a teacher, surely it is more the second than the first.

Historically, the thugs in the protection racket were treated very harshly by their former victims but the pain and humiliation the thugs endured paled beside the punishments that were heaped upon the traitors and quislings who sold-out their fellow countrymen.

That would be the governors and mayors and cops and judges and news media who looked the other way, perhaps for a piece of the action or some other advantage.

Karma comes with compound interest. 

Influenza A

Quicksilver drank 150ml (about six ounces) of Gatorade, the kind with real sugar, at 7:15 a.m.

She was pretty perky until about 8:00 a.m. Then she started to wilt. Her temp was 102.1 F.

She turned up her nose at the Gatorade. SB keeps her on a short leash for sweets, so she readily guzzles sweet drinks. I was concerned about dehydration. She had not urinated for more than 12 hours.

She told me that her throat hurt. I gave her 160mg of acetaminophen (5ml or one teaspoon of suspension) at approximately 8:30 a.m. By weight, I could have given her 250 mg (8ml of suspension).

At 9:30 her temp was up to 103.3 and she refused to drink the Gatorade. Having her temperature rise that quickly was spooky. I called her family doctor and they had a time slot for 10:15. 

I informed Mrs ERJ and she magically found a popsicle.

I felt foolish as Quicksilver rallied on the way to the doctor. The popsicle was like magic.

She wilted again in the waiting room.

They used an IR contact-free thermometer in the exam room and she had a fever of 100. Again, I felt foolish. I guess it took the acetaminophen more than an hour to work its magic.

They took swabs. Fifteen minutes later the doctor came into the room. She was wearing a mask and rubber gloves. "Influenza, type A. The swab turned color instantly. No uncertainty. Oh, by the way, both of you already have it but don't have symptoms, yet."

The instructions include:

-Alternate ibuprofen and acetaminophen with dosing every three hours at the 7.5ml dose for each.

-Dehydration is a major concern. Pedialyte makes a popsicle that has electrolytes. Get some. Especially since popsicles seem to be the only fluid that QS is eagerly accepting.

-If O2 saturation drops below 92% for a pediatrics case, haul anatomy for the emergency room. If it drops into the 80s, call 9-1-1 (for peds cases). Those numbers are significantly higher than for adults.

--If breathing becomes labored (and the doctor lifted QS's nightshirt and showed us where her abdomen would go concave when she was laboring), head for the ER.

-Pay attention to her behaviors. In kids, behavior changes happen before objective symptoms like temps and O2 levels change. That aligns with what Reltney McFee writes on his blog,"Treat the patient, not numbers".

-Nebulizing with saline is OK. It moistens nasal passages and helps mucus flow. NO ALBUTEROL unless viral pneumonia is diagnosed or there is whistling suggesting closing air passages. Albuterol will increase heart-rate which is not helpful.

-She will eat when she feels like it. The important things are to keep her hydrated and comfortable and to take care of ourselves. Being over 50 (!!!) means that we are in a high-risk category and we already had a non-trivial exposure.

The good news is that Quicksilver needed to use the restroom while we were there. At 12-noon, she produced copious amounts of evidence that she was adequately hydrated, at least for the moment.

_____silver has a fever

Southern Belle reported that Quicksilver isn't so quick this morning. _____silver has a fever.

She has been a remarkably healthy and cheerful child. My limited experience with that kind of kid is that they are not happy campers when sick.

We will see how it goes. The best outcome will be to have her fall back asleep. We have a plan and a backup plan.

Presented without comment

 

"Granny" in the Ukraine (again)

Start of video

3:05 mark, the older woman uses a tool to lift the chugunok (pot) off the fire. 

In an earlier post, Old NFO wondered why that form of kettle didn't gain acceptance on the American frontier. I think there were two reasons. Simple frying pans nested and two or three sizes could be carried in a compact package. 

There was also the issue of complexity. The mold for a simple frying pan has an upper and a lower part and an unmachined frying pan can be used for the pattern in a pinch. The mold for the chugunok requires three pieces due to the tumble-home of the shape, a left, a right and an insert (sometimes called a "core"). The insert must be nested firmly and precisely to avoid any shifting that will result in thin spots that will break. It simple a much more difficult shape to cast.

5:41 mark, sauerkraut 

 8:33 mark, burning raspberry canes

They are managing their primo-cane raspberries exclusively for the fall crop. Cutting the canes close to the ground and burning them can break disease and insect pressure. This does NOT work for raspberry varieties that only have a summer crop.

Granny is putting the boys to work.

I bit later they roast pieces of pig-fat (like bacon with no lean) by spearing it on willow sticks and cooking it over the fire.

 

This sequence runs to about the 16:30 mark

17:52 mark:  Based on the lighting, it looks like there are two families living at the farm. The house with the blue window sills and house with the red gable and large front porch.

20:30 mark: Scalding and plucking a duck.

22:24 mark: Scorching the pin-feathers 

25:15 mark: Preparing garlic for planting and then planting it. Garlic is typically planted in the fall.

Since each clove will grow to form one bulb, and since each bulb will be composed of 10-to-30 cloves, the grower must re-plant roughly one-fifteenth of his harvest every year. 

26:33 mark: The actual planting

The rows run left-to-right. That is, they are very short.

 

The utility of short rows is that you can do most of the cultivating and not walk near the plants so the soil does not get compacted.

The soil looks sandy which would account for the beautiful carrots and the scab-free potatoes.

 

She is using a wooden rake at the 27:27 mark

 

30:00 mark: Stuffing the duck with apple slices

32:00 mark: Rubbing the duck with soy sauce, paprika and horseradish sauce 

35:03 mark: Beehive maintenance

 

These look like top-bar hives. They are removing feeders.

 

What is notable is that they use scrap quilts, "shoddy" and furs to insulate the top of the hive. A major cause of hive death in the winter is condensate dripping off the top of the hive and wetting the bees. A thick layer of insulation goes a long way toward preventing that. It looks like they have a 6" to 8" dead-air space above the bars that they use for the insulation.

THis sequence ends at the 36:30 mark. If you keep bees, this ninety seconds is well worth your time.

42:28 mark: Granny is quite the singer. She ends her day mending clothing and singing softly to herself. 

Timeshares

A fellow walker at the gym shared a tale of woe.

She is in her seventies and her husband died last year. She started getting dunned by a timeshare that they had purchased more than ten years ago. She had assumed that the contract had a sunsetted because her husband handled the bills. She assumed that it was no longer "in the family".

Nope. Bad assumption. She was late on the maintenance fees and they added a $600 late-fee.

The property managers insist that there is no limit to the duration of the original contract and that it continued on into perpetuity.

She contacted a firm to un-stick her from the contract and they pressured her to "sign now!!!!" without telling her what it would cost...a practice which had gotten her into this situation. Pressure and non-disclosure of costs, that is. For all she knows, the firm that un-sticks contracts is a sister company of the time-share firm. They have the same look-and-feel.

Hell has a very hot corner for people who prey on widows and senior citizens.

A funny timeshare story

I had a boss named Ron who was a pretty sharp cookie and he liked to play golf. 

He and his wife went down to Florida and signed up for one of the endless timeshare promotionals. They were given a fabulous room, endless breakfast, played golf on an elite course, all you can eat shrimp for lunch...and then they were run through the lavatories and into an auditorium for the hard-sell.

Ron introduced himself to the people sitting around him and noted their names.

As the first speaker cued-up, Ron and his wife reached into their totes and pulled out Sony Walkmen players and headphones. One of the ushers came over and demanded that they take them off. Ron said "There is nothing in your brochures that limit what I can bring into this auditorium. If you or anybody else touches me or my wife we will file assault charges. I already have the names and phone numbers of these witnesses."

The ushers backed off.

Ron and his wife closed their eyes and listened to music for three hours.

It is good to have a plan. 

No news is good news

There is not a lot to report from Eaton Rapids today.

No Quicksilver today. 

We have some weather blowing in and are looking forward to a five day period next week when the wind-chills will be around zero F. It is called "Winter in Michigan".

 I have a pot of meatball soup on the stove. I may serve it over spaghetti.

Long article HERE on precedents for presidents activating Military for domestic issues. 

Three articles on why Amish people are significantly more healthy than the overall population, especially during our later years. If you only have time to read one, the essay in the middle is very compact and to-the-point.

Lessons from the Amish: Superior Health and Fertility in a Modern World

Why the Amish Enjoy Better Health: Key Lifestyle Factors Backed by Science  

Amish Perspectives on Their Health and Lifestyle 

Yes, I used Mrs ERJ's nail polish

I am not a nail polish kind of guy. For that matter, Mrs ERJ is not a fingernail polish kind of girl. She has three bottles, red, white and clear.

I want to go on record: I used it with Mrs ERJ's permission.

Results below the fold