The backyard ice field is a death trap. Going down on ice seems to happen extra fast. My first fall shook me up. After that, I was super cautious. I have fallen a few more times, but since I went down from a sporting stance, there have been no injuries yet. I can’t live like this.
Morning dog and I were very comfortable, when the sun had risen high enough to interfere with my bliss. Morning dog had already been out to pee and come in to investigate the snack pit, so neither of us wanted to get off the couch.
I could endure the morning sun shining in my eyes, when it occurred to me that with my phone, I could command my robot window shades.
It breaks my heart to see the look of disappointment on Sparky’s face. None of the boots stayed on, but he had unrealistic expectations.
When it’s this cold, Sparky’s feet get cold, but he doesn’t want to look like a French whore or poodle. He asked me to come up with an innovative solution. Sparky thought I was kidding about having him wear my ankle socks.
Everything is a trade off.
Sparky likes car rides, but is having a problem with stairs. I like Sparky, but have a problem cutting his nails in the house. We usually trim his claws on the deck, but that’s covered with snow.
On Sunday, President Biden repealed the Social Security Windfall Elimination Provision. Since I will start getting a windfall, being frugal is pointless.
Tramping around in the snow with Sparky, I get wet boots. Two weeks ago, I knocked up a drying rack for my boots using shelf brackets, scrap wood and my CPAP machine. It folds up for easy storage.
Now that the SSFA is passed and frivolous spending is encouraged, I spent $45 on Amazon to get a boot dryer like regular people use.
I am eager to try it out.
My new approach to breaking up chest congestion is an old idea. Steam from a wet sauna, humidifier or pot of water is a traditional way to help with bronchitis.
I build a steam hookah, or stookah to generate steam. A CPAP hose slips right on. Boiling water generates air too hot to inhale and melts the hose. Instead, the water is heated to a comfortably warm temperature.
If I take a break, the lid has to be removed from the pot to keep the hose from melting.
The stookah works quite well. It breaks up the chest congestion while I screw around online or watch TV. A more robust hose would be good, but this works fine if I’m cautious.
I’ve been scanning and organizing old photos.
The photo on the left was from a balloon festival in Columbia, South Carolina in 1985. It’s not a scanning problem, the photo looks like that. I don’t know if it always did, or got that reddish tint with age.
My current project is to digitize all of the photos I’ve ever taken. That sounds daunting, but for the first half of my life, film had to be purchased and developed. Figure 25 cents per photo, which would be 75 cents in today’s money.
Maybe your brain works better.
When we go for walks, a recurring thought comes to mind. Sparky likes to lead. That’s good, his confidence is admirable. I can’t help thinking how much Sparky, from this angle, resembles the X-ACTO model 1744 electric pencil sharpener I bought for my classroom.
© 2026 Big Stick Physics
Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑