Get off my LAWN! "Grumpy Old Farts"

[LBS-bass]

What I found to relieve pain that did work was a leaf powder akin to the coffee plant called Kratom. It's been used for generations in the east where it is prolific. That did relieve pain and had positive mood enhancement without making you nuts and, it is available at your favorite head shop, gas station, etc...probably soon to be put on the no-no list in many states.
But unfortunately, like any pain reliever, it loses it efficacy as your body adapts. By that time it becomes a habit like cigarettes if you let it.

I tried kratom once and ended up in the ER with pancreatitis. I know many people use it, but for someone with my sensitive pancreas I guess there are issues. I also know someone who got habituated to it, as you say, and had to come off it like it was heroin. Probably can be useful for most folks when used with caution, but sadly, not for me.

 

[Black Out Jazz]

The IS-F is nice car. If I were to buy another vehicle, I’d seriously consider an electric. A neighbour has Teslas, nice cars. If I was in the country, I’d want gas or diesel.

I am a long time Toyota/Lexus guy. My truck is an 05 Tundra, wife in Lexus GX470-her 2nd Lexus. My son turned 16, so I chose to buy him something great on gas, highly reliable, would last him thru college. I found a 2012 Lexus IS250 with 138K miles. That is like new for a Lex. Dad fell in love with it. Tried to talk son into trading for the truck. He literally laughed in my face. Can't blame him. So the big brothers to the IS250 are the IS350 and IS-F. Well, I'm a V8 guy and the 350 is a V6. Settles that!

 

[Black Out Jazz]

We have dozens here right now, both migrants and year rounders. Two six oz. feeders depleted ~ every two days. I haven't gotten around to my yearly baby picture ritual, but here's one from a few years back:

View attachment 4389437

I have had 5 in battle at once, and that is what I happened to see. I can't tell em apart, could be more. I love to watch their antics.

 

[LBS-bass]

Speaking of cars, our retirement folly (one of several) is a new Mazda Miata (MX-5) that's sitting in our driveway. Fun little car to drive. Unfortunately it brings us up to three vehicles to insure because hubby and I sometimes gig separately on the same day, so we both need our own hauling capacity on those days. My stuff fits in the back of a Honda Civic hatchback and he's got a Honda CRV, so when we play together we take that. The Miata is fun.

 

[Passinwind]

I have had 5 in battle at once, and that is what I happened to see. I can't tell em apart, could be more. I love to watch their antics.

However many you see, the actual number is likely to be several times higher. I've seen a formula for calculating via feeder consumption but I assume that's just a guesstimate at best.

One of my feeders is right outside my computer station and the other one is just outside my shop window, so I can see and/or hear them most of the day. The one in that pic used to follow me around when I was doing gardening chores and hang out a few feet away. Most of the year rounders (Anna's hummers) are prety tame, they sometimes come right up to the window to look at what's on the computer screen or to ask me to turn off the shop fan. There are all sorts of baby birds everywhere right now, I love this time of the year.

 

[Black Out Jazz]

Speaking of cars, our retirement folly (one of several) is a new Mazda Miata (MX-5) that's sitting in our driveway. Fun little car to drive. Unfortunately it brings us up to three vehicles to insure because hubby and I sometimes gig separately on the same day, so we both need our own hauling capacity on those days. My stuff fits in the back of a Honda Civic hatchback and he's got a Honda CRV, so when we play together we take that. The Miata is fun.

*pocket rocket*

 

[beans-on-toast]

For what I do/where I go, I'd consider a hybrid minivan. But since I just bought my gigmobile in late 2019, not any time soon.
View attachment 4389448

I’m pretty confident that I’ve bought my last vehicle. It too is a 2019.

Pre covid I drove 30K miles a year, now I’m under 1000. I don’t drive in the winter, getting winter tires on and off and washing it every time I go out is more trouble than it’s worth. Factor in indoor parking fees which are now over $200/month. It would be cheaper to rent a car or get a taxi (a limo for gigs , it isn’t that much more) when I needed it.

 

[LBS-bass]

However many you see, the actual number is likely to be several times higher. I've seen a formula for calculating via feeder consumption but I assume that's just a guesstimate at best.

One of my feeders is right outside my computer station and the other one is just outside my shop window, so I can see and/or hear them most of the day. The one in that pic used to follow me around when I was doing gardening chores and hang out a few feet away. Most of the year rounders (Anna's hummers) are prety tame, they sometimes come right up to the window to look at what's on the computer screen or to ask me to turn off the shop fan. There are all sorts of baby birds everywhere right now, I love this time of the year.

Hummingbirds used to fascinate me when I lived back east because they were a pretty rare sight there. Only one species, the Ruby Throated, lives east of the Rockies so when we saw one, that's what it was.

Here in California, they are everywhere, in several varieties. They're extremely territorial and I love to watch them defending their territory. In our neighborhood, back when I was still working, there were several intersections as I was headed for work that were fiercely defended by these little guys. You'd approach and a hummer would be staring you down defiantly in the middle of the street. Cars would ultimately win the standoff but they'd be right back at it as soon as you cleared the way

 

[notJaco]

........ I also know someone who got habituated to it, as you say, and had to come off it like it was heroin. Probably can be useful for most folks when used with caution, but sadly, not for me.

That is the risk of liking anything too much. As soon as it stops working at a reasonable dose I back off.
It seems to be common for the remedies to get addicts off heroin to also be harder to get off than heroin itself. Methadone are Suboxone are a couple. I tried Suboxone to back off Tramadol when it started to get ugly.
After a while I asked the doctor for Tramadol again to kick Suboxone. The stuff was terrible. Pain is a b1tch to manage.

 

[Black Out Jazz]

I tried kratom once and ended up in the ER with pancreatitis. I know many people use it, but for someone with my sensitive pancreas I guess there are issues. I also know someone who got habituated to it, as you say, and had to come off it like it was heroin. Probably can be useful for most folks when used with caution, but sadly, not for me.

Ermagerd!

 

[LBS-bass]

That is the risk of liking anything too much. As soon as it stops working at a reasonable dose I back off.
It seems to be common for the remedies to get addicts off heroin to also be harder to get off than heroin itself. Methadone are Suboxone are a couple. I tried Suboxone to back off Tramadol when it started to get ugly.
After a while I asked the doctor for Tramadol again to kick Suboxone. The stuff was terrible. Pain is a b1tch to manage.

It truly is. My friend who used it had terrible back pain and it helped him with that, but he wasn't able to keep it in check. I try to stay away from opiates (I realize kratom is not an opiate but is opiate-like) except for emergency use. I've got a nearly full bottle of Norco here that I was given by the ER docs last time I went there for pancreatitis. They probably do me more good in the medicine cabinet than in my bloodstream

 

[GwenOnBass]

Lower back pain is difficult to both diagnose and treat. It frequently shows up in disability hearings. Alternative therapies like acupuncture are not always available. I paid out-of-pocket for two acupuncture sessions to successfully treat sciatica without painkillers.

 

[Black Out Jazz]

Tropical storm Ida showed up. Tough Guy doesn't like getting rained on so he changed his sentry post from the patio furniture to the guarded feeder, which hangs under the eave.

 

[Deleted member 268085]

Finally! TheMaartian has landed in France, now to be known as LeMaartien! Ha ha ha.

 

[GwenOnBass]

Finally! TheMaartian has landed in France, now to be known as LeMaartien! Ha ha ha.

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Well done!

 

[Black Out Jazz]

Finally! TheMaartian has landed in France, now to be known as LeMaartien! Ha ha ha.

View attachment 4389681

And the pooches?

 

[Black Out Jazz]

Finally! TheMaartian has landed in France, now to be known as LeMaartien! Ha ha ha.

View attachment 4389681

So that's what you look like...

 

[Deleted member 268085]

Well done!

Merci! What a journey. I started on this quest back on 9 November. Took me almost 10 months to make it happen, all thanks to someone who ate a McCovid sandwich and shared it.

 

[beans-on-toast]

….now to be known as LeMaartien! Ha ha ha.

You can change that on TB.

 

[Deleted member 268085]

And the pooches?

They're here with me, thank you for asking! I sedated the heck out of them for the check-in/flight/immigration/customs. Got super lucky on arrival. I truly hate Charles de Gaulle airport. I've flown in and out of CDG many times and never had even one good experience there. This time, we arrived on a Sunday, the end of the French August holiday season. I deplaned last and saw the all of the passengers queued up at immigration...usually a nightmare. They cleared all of the passengers in less than 15 minutes. Freaking unbelievable. My one checked bag was already on the reclaim belt and customs agents were nowhere to be seen. 15 minutes total! It took longer to walk to the Sheraton CDG for a night's recovery.