Christian Powers Burton ii

Made a special trip down to Arkansas on Thursday (10-20-11), for the birth of my 3rd grandson. The little guy couldn't wait any longer so he was born about 9:15 AM, before we even left Seymour. It was a long trip down, always is, but we arrived in time to visit a little while that evening and managed to fit the rest of the kids in the car so they could see the baby also.

After a night's rest we went back to the hospital the next day where I managed to get some video in the room and this still was taken from that video. The hospital was about an hours drive (one way) from where we were staying in Blytheville, which took up a lot of our time while we were there.

Had a good visit with my son and daughter-in-law as well, not to mention getting to spend some time with the rest of the kids also. Long distant family relationships are difficult at best and you tend to miss out on a lot of the important moments in your grandkids' lives.

My 2nd grandson (Bryce), is 2 now and I've really missed a lot of the stuff which is often taken for granted at the early part of his life. He is walking and talking and is a joy to watch, so at least I was able to get some good video of him doing what boys do best, being boys

Here is a capture from just one of the many videos I shot while at the hospital. He has been playing a game of catch with Randy in this one using a pair of fuzzy dice. He is growing up so fast and I miss being around him and the girls. So here is hoping that now that the new baby has arrived, they can make plans soon for returning to Indiana.

One of the things that amazed me while we were there was that the hotel where I stayed was using the same password for the wifi that they were using the last time I stayed there. I know that was at least 3 years ago, so I'm guessing they have a lot of the local folks who use that area as a wifi hotspot.

Also had another first while we were there. I had not experienced the meal in a bowl from KFC before and was really pleased with that. The kids don't understand how I could eat something like that with everything touching, but that is just the type of meal I enjoy. It was so good that I had another one just yesterday at the local KFC here in Seymour. Definitely finger lickin' good!

Just started a new GoogleGroup

Yep, I'm at it again, this time trying to get some talk going on alternate operating systems. For those non-geeks, I'm talking about running your computer with something other than Windows!

For years now there has been a silent underground of computer users who have grown tired of the Microsoft way. Maybe they don't like Bill Gates, maybe they just got bored using Windows, whatever the reason, there are a lot of other (free) ways to get the same things accomplished on your computer.

I would have to say that Linux is the most prominent alternative OS as there are millions of users of this OS. For one thing, there are so many different versions (distros), that you can almost always find one that fits your personal needs/taste.

As an avid Hackintosher, I've known for a long time there are better ways than Windows to get things done, by running Mac OS X on my PC's. It's a lot cheaper than buying a Mac and almost all of today's PC's can be easily made to run the Mac OS.

The reasons are many, but if you are curious to know more, be sure to join the Alt-OS group and learn all about this new and free way to get your computer work done.

All done at wound care!

Just got back from my last visit and everything looks good. Well, as good as it can look on my tired ol' body. I have some skin repair cream to put on it twice a day, but that's not so bad. Perhaps now I can get some stuff done here at home.

Still a lot to do, I have my bookcase about half full and the middle bedroom needs to be done, but the living room is looking pretty good as well as my bedroom. The kitchen still has boxes sitting everywhere and I need to get on some of this stuff as I am getting a little tired of looking at it.

I have not been able to find my video camera so I have not done any videos lately. I need to do one of my place to show what it looks like for those who won't be able to see it in person. It's not much, but I call it home now.

I will post a link if I ever get that done, but don't hold your breath. Those who know me well know all too well that I like to put things off until later...

Getting there

I'm on my third full week here at my new residence and I have to say I am thoroughly pleased so far. The place has been very warm and cozy, just the way I like it! Even on the cool days I haven't had to run the furnace, which is good.

Went to wound care this morning after taking a shower. the procedure now is that I remove the covering over my side and arm and take a nice warm shower before going in for another session. Plus my daughter (Autumn), picked up a mat which keeps me from slipping in the shower as well as a new nozzle which is just what I wanted.

The nurse who attended to my wounds this morning thought I would be winding down my visits there soon which is very good news to me. It's not that I don't enjoy visiting them, but not having to wear this stuff which covers my side and arm would be great!

Got a check in the mail over the weekend from my thrift savings which will be used to get me through until the annuity from the USPS kicks in. Once that happens we will put whatever is left into some sort of money making account. My main goal there is just to have enough to live on until my SS kicks in at age 62.

Overall I like being retired, but I definitely need to find some stuff to work on to keep my mind occupied. If I don't, I find myself watching TV, which leads to munching on food, which leads to me being one fat SOB!

My first full week

Yep, this is where I live now. Been here a whole week and I like it a lot. So far, not a lot in the way of excitement, but there were 3 police cars out in front of the place today. My granddaughter (Jordan) and her boyfriend (Christian) came in as it was happening and said it appeared that someone from the next duplex was arrested. I had heard some shouting, but just figured it was a bunch of kids.

Sessions at wound care are still at 3 times a week, but my caregiver said today that I would probably be able to take a shower sometime next week, for the first time since this ordeal began some 6 weeks ago. That was very good news to me and the people around me I'm sure. :)

I still need to trade my old gas guzzler car for one more fuel efficient, but then I haven't been driving much lately anyway. I do hope to take my old wagon down to my brother-in-law (Jim) for him to scrap out for me soon so I can get some much needed money. He already did the same for my old pickup truck and that money will come in handy as well. Jim has been very helpful in this matter and I really do appreciate that.

Progress on clearing out the garage in preparation for getting my old Buick here is slow, but I can always just bring in boxes and go through them inside rather than doing them one at a time out in the garage. I still haven't found my can opener, so I have not gotten to enjoy any of the chili I bought last week. That is now a priority as cooler weather has shown it's ugly face.

If all goes well I should be completely done with wound care sometime in the next 2 weeks. That will be a good thing, but not so much because I don't like the people there, but rather it's just a PITA having to get up and go 3 times a week.  Plus not being able to take a shower is a real bummer!

Changes

It's funny how little time it takes to change a person's life around. My last post I was happy to report that I had a new radiator in the old Buick and life was good. Then, in what now seems like a year ago, I made a mistake. I told everyone how stupid it was after it happened, but now that I've had a lot of time to think about it, I really think it should not have happened.

As I mentioned in my last post, I had the new radiator in place, but needed to clean the cooling system by running some clear water with a cooling system cleaner and then drain, refill, etc. So the next day (July 31), I filled it with water and added the cleaner, then ran the car for about twenty minutes, mostly just idling.

I shut off the car and opened the hood. It seemed to be quite warm, but I figured no longer than it had ran, it would be fine to open and proceed with the next step. So I unloosened the cap to bleed off any hot water and/or pressure which had built up. A little hot water came out, but then nothing more. I figured it was safe to open the cap the rest of the way.  WRONG!!!

As soon as the cap was in the open position, it blew up and hit the hood with a thud and I was instantly drenched with steaming hot water and cooling system cleaner! The shock caused me to jump back and then I hit the ground. I quickly got back up and removed my shirt which was covered with the extremely hot liquid and ran into the house.

I first went into the bathroom to put some cool water on the affected areas (my arm and side), which did relieve the pain a bit, but not much. I was hurting and I needed some relief fast. I called my daughter first, but didn't get an answer, then I tried my sister and again, no answer. It was Sunday and they were both at church.

I called my daughter's number again and left a message, next I called my neighbor, Kevin and asked if he could get me some help. I didn't really want to call 911, but I guess Kevin figured it was the best course of action as when I went back outside I heard the siren headed my way.

They arrived a short time later and soon we were on our way to the hospital. I won't bore you with all the details, but suffice to say I suffered 3rd degree burns on my arm and side which resulted in a mandatory 4-6 weeks off work. My daughter arrived at the hospital shortly after I got there and it was decided that I would stay with her and her family during this time which is exactly what happened.

Prior to this event I had been thinking a lot about early retirement and ways I could accomplish this goal. Of course after this happened, it made more sense than ever, so with the help of my daughter and her fiance (Randy), this goal has been mostly realized.

I still have to go to wound care 3 times a week and they say that will probably be required for a couple more weeks, but I have a new place here in Seymour, Indiana and I have received my retirement packet from the USPS, which I will be sending in shortly. All in all I am very happy with the way things turned out.

Of course none of this would have been possible without the help of my family, mostly Autumn and Randy and the kids (who have put up with me for the last 5 weeks), but also to everyone else who helped along the way, I just want to sent a big THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart. You have helped make an old man very happy.

The Buick rides again!

Finished up installing the new radiator, thermostat, hoses, etc., just before dark. Had to wait for the heat to calm down to the low 90's from the raging inferno it was earlier. Filled it with water and cooling system cleaner and went to start it to let it circulate. No start. Thought maybe the battery was down from sitting there since I brought it home but jumping it with my Monte Carlo didn't help either.

After calling my brother-in-law, Jim to tell him what I had done, I remembered that I didn't even bother to check to make sure the car was in Park. Went back out and it was, but I moved the lever to neutral and it fired right up. Guess the neutral switch is out of alignment.

Now dark, I checked all of the lights.  Amazingly everything is working!  Head/tail lights, dash lights, turn signals, brake lights, even my license plate and dome lights work.  That is unreal for as long as this car has been sitting.

Drove it around the block and then went up town for just a bit. Figured everyone I wanted to show was probably in for the evening so I just brought it back home and parked it. Tomorrow I will drain the cooling system once again, refill with clear water and run it for another 20 minutes or so before draining and refilling with antifreeze.

I did notice a small leak on one of the transmission lines where it connects to the radiator, I will have to check that out tomorrow as well. Really felt cool riding around town, I think I am gonna love having a classic car to drive around!