Posts: 16

1. This Blog Post is rated Mature.

2. Where There's Smoke . . .

   12.Feb.08, 01:59 EST
   
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   So, you've heard the saying that where there's smoke, there's fire.  Believe it.  Assuming there's fire where you see smoke just might save your life, and some valuable possessions, like your home.  Don't worry about calling a fire department when you have smoke in your home.  Just do it and let them decide how serious it is.  That's what I did.
   
   It's now a few minutes after one in the morning, and I'm wired.  The smell still in this house might be from the smoke caused by the heater that apparently caused it, or some of it might be coming off me.  We went to bed about 10:30, went sound asleep.  Thanks to my wife's sensitive nose, she woke up smelling smoke.  When she turned on the lights, she found the house full of smoke - lots of thick smoke.  We dashed around the house looking for problems.  I checked the attic.  No smoke there, and that was a relief.  We checked all the electrical appliances and found nothing, but the smoke was still coming.  That's when I told the wife to call the fire department.
   
   I live in a small town of just 6,000 people, but a small army showed up to take care of my smoke problem.  A good dozen men, two big trucks and four other smaller trucks, came to my home.  They crawled around my attic, looked in closets, checked everything electrical, and then came to the same conclusion I had reached - that it was the heater.  This house has a heat pump system, and the compressor blew up on the outside unit back in September.  We didn't have the four thousand bucks it would take to put in a new one, so I shut the system down.  At least I thought I did.  The breaker outside had been thrown, but not the one for the inside heating and blowing unit.  It's off, but it's still connnected to electricity.  Something went wrong, apparently, and it got hot . . . even without being on. 
   
   Once that was determined, the breaker was thrown to cut off power to it.  Tomorrow I'll call a heating specialist and have them make sure it's shut down to where it can't cause a fire.  Before long, we'll start tearing out all that heat pump stuff to be replaced with a traditional heating/cooling system.  My wife has gone back to bed, but I'm still up so I can check the house for smoke.  The firemen spent an hour here checking my house carefully to make sure there were no fires.  They said to get it checked tomorrow, to call them again if we needed them.
   
   Yeah, my home town is small, but it has a really good fire department.  In this country, which is heavily wooded terrain, brush fires are dangerous business.  Not only does the town of Brady have a fairly big fire department, all the small towns around here have departments as well.  Raising money for rural fire departments is a common thing in this country, and I always try to support them.   And Brady, Texas, where we live, is an old town with a lot of old houses.  My house is only about a dozen years old, but even new houses burn sometimes.  I'm glad we called them tonight.  My only mistake was waiting so long, maybe fifteen minutes while I checked for fire first.  I should have called them immediately.
   
   That's good advice for anyone.  When you have dense smoke, call right now, especially if you're an old fart like me.  At my age, I'm limited when it comes to checking out tight places.  They aren't, and they're pros.
   
   So, where there's smoke . . . there's also a good reason for making that call to your local fire department.  Beside, you'll get a chance to meet some really nice folks.
   
   PMC, 2/12/08

3. Old Farts, Be Aware of Scams

   17.Jan.08, 12:52 EST
   
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   Getting old carries with it many things that aren't good, and one of them is loss of common sense.  People who've gone through life with a good grasp of what's going on around them, which means they used their heads in a common sense way to make sound judgments, suddenly end up doing some of the most scatter-brained things imaginable.  We tend to forget more things as we get older, and maybe that's part of the problem - we even forget to use good sense sometimes.  The world is full of people who know this, and that's why lots of old folks get scammed and bilked out of tons of money each year. 
   
   We can't talk about all the scams at work out there, but we can focus on a few of them.  Charity scams are everywhere, and it's easy to be taken in by these con operators . . . if you don't do a little homework.  Telephones and computers are the most useful weapons these scam artists have . . . and it works wonderfully well for them.  But the same is true of each of us, our best weapons against scams are the same two things.  If in doubt about a request for money from you, pick up the phone and call people like the Better Business Bureau and ask about the organization in question.  You can find any number of numbers to do this available in a phone book . . . and if you can't, then call somebody local and ask them where to go for help.  Call the police, or the local Chamber of Commerce, or even a local newspaper - but ask somebody before you give in to a request for money.  Get on the computer and check them out.  You'll find a lot of websites that alert people to the scams out there
   
   First off, you should be suspicious of anyone who asks you for money.  They've all got good stories.  Remember, they are professional con operators, scam artists who're damn good at what they do.  Be especially leary of charities because they're the worst.  Ask questions.  If they get defensive, hang up and forget them.  You're not dealing with honorable people, so don't worry about your manners.  And even if they are supposedly legity, like all these support organizations for cops, be on guard.  Most of these outfits are scams, even though they are legal, because most of the money you give to them never gets to the source they supposedly raise money for.  If you press them for specifics, you'll probably find this out.
   Are you a police officer yourself? Do you work directly with the police?  How much of the money you collect really goes to injured police officers, or to drug programs? 
   
   I checked carefully on an organization here in Texas, even after giving them some money a few years ago, and found that less than ten percent of the funds raised by them actually went where they said it would go.  And if you think the government protects you from these people, think again.  They are often in partnership with the con artists themselves. 
   
   Millions of americans bought insurance policies when they turned 65 as supplementary to their medicare.  One such plan, highly advertised, was called an advantage plan.  They're ridiculously cheap, and they're very careful to never tell  you that if you opt for this plan, you're medicare will no longer pay anything - nothing, diddly/squat.  And then you get sick or injured, and find that your advantage plan won't even pay for half of it.  At this very moment, these guys are out there selling advantage plans to people who're going to get screwed big time - and government set this whole deal up. 
   
   All scam operations, especially the charities, work around emotional issues like orphaned children, saving animals, saving the environment, and the like.  Many of them are legitimate, but a big number of them aren't.  And never forget the old saying: If it seems to good to be true, it probably is.  My suggestions as to how to deal with scam operators, telemarketers, computer marketers, etc., is to block their avenues of reaching you.  You can get a phone service that screens calls, and you can get computer programs that blocks most spams, popups, etc.  Or . . . you can do like me and just never answer the phone.  If someone calls I want to talk to, I'll pick up or call them back.
   
   The thing is, use your head some.  If you are confused as to what's legit and what isn't, ask around.  Do some checking.  Better safe than sorry, right?
   
   D. Paz, 1/17/08

4. Upgrade Your Grocery Shopping

   22.Dec.07, 10:17 EST
   
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   Many of America's older folks live in small towns where grocery shopping is a problem.  Here in Texas, we have some wonderful grocery stores - like Central Market, HEB, and even Whole Foods.  We've got other stores that are good . . . but not in the smaller towns.  There, we usually find these food stores belonging to a chain that's no better than mediocre.  Sometimes they're just downright lousy, offering some foods not fit for the garbage dump.  Finding fresh vegetables and good meats in a small town can be more of a problem for elderly people because they're not able to get to the big towns often enough to shop there. 
   
   I know people my age who won't go to the city because it terrifies them.  They end up shopping at home, paying high prices for bad food.  And the food retailers who sell that lousy stuff knows that, just as they know they've got a captive market of people who'll buy there rather than brave the city.  There are ways around that, so don't be victimized by these retailers.  You just have to do a little planning . . . and you may need to ask for some help.  Here are some suggestions about how to avoid the high price of bad food, and how to get to better markets.
   
   First, don't overlook Walmart.  Most people don't live all that far from a super Walmart, and they sell groceries . . . good groceries.  Their produce section is good, and you'll find a really nice selection of meats and frozen foods.  If you don't drive or have difficulty driving, check around and find someone who can take you there.  Mention it at church, or to your neighbors, or pester your kids for a ride to town.  And don't be put off about it.  As an elderly person you're earned the right to make certain requests of people, especially the ones you raised. 
   
   Second, visit a Central Market or Whole Foods Store . . . or if you don't live in Texas, some store that is like them.  You can find natural foods in most towns of any decent size, so seek them out.  You'll be surprised to find that they are perhaps even less expensive than shopping your small town rip-off retailer grocery store.  And you'll see right off that the foods offered in these places are wonderful compared to what you've been buying.  A warning here - don't let the size and magnificence of them scare you.  They are indeed awe inspiring to a newcomer, someone who has never shopped for fine foods before.  Going to one of these places can be intimidating.  You might want to take someone along, say some smarty-pants youngster who's hip on such things.  Young folks can be helpful, you know . . . and they make wonderful drivers.
   
   Third, do a little research about what you need before upgrading your grocery shopping.  Don't just go shop for things you like, look for things that are good for you.  You can extend your life, feel better while you live longer, if you'll stop eating junk.  Old people become nibblers, munchers, and that's fine . . . as long as you nibble on something that's healthy.  Learn how to read labels, they're sometimes very informative.  Research shows you how to avoid what you shouldn't comsume.
   
   Fourth, never assume that you can trust people who sell food to do what's fair and honest.   Remember, they're business people out to make a buck, and many of them don't mind making it at your expense.  Be a smart grocery shopper . . . not just for healthy foods for for foods that aren't outrageously priced.  Here's an example.  Older people usually don't drink much milk, and so they buy small size containers.  These small containers of milk cost almost as much as the big ones.  Buy a gallon, forget the quart container because they're more often than not a rip-off in price.  Milk doesn't spoil as fast as I used to. 
   
   Anyway, you can figure out most of this by yourself, and that still might not solve your problem about finding good food.  My point is:  Don't be victimized by bad grocery stores in small towns.  Work toward finding a way to get to better shopping . . . and it's OK if you're a bother.  Everybody expects it of old folks anyway, so why disappoint them?
   
   D. Paz, 12/22/07
   
   
   
   

5. Can Fat People Be Healthy Too?

   28.Nov.07, 12:00 EST
   
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   We'll answer the question first.  Yes, fat people can be healthy.  They just can't be as healthy as people of normal or near normal weight.  But the truth of the matter is that most overweight people aren't anywhere close to being in good shape or health.  That's a fact, and there's no way around it.  And of course, there's degrees of fatness.  People who are slightly or moderately fat can be healthy, but the sure enough fat folks can't. 
   
   But . . . just because a person is of normal weight doesn't mean they are in good health.  Many of them, in fact, are in worse shape than people who are considerably overweight.  What I'm saying is that weight itself is not the fix, and there's no magic number at which you're in perfect health.  All sorts of factors come into play here that keep weight alone from being the determining factor in good health, far too many to go through.  Besides, that's not what this blog is about.  We're simply asking if fat people can be healthy, and the answer is that they can be reasonably healthy.  Take note of the word reasonably.
   
   Face it, folks, you're much better off getting close to what your weight range should be.  You can find any number of charts showing what you should weigh according to height and bone structure . . . and even age.  Yes, they all appear to be unreasonable.  According to mine, I should weigh about 175 lbs.  Well, that ain't gonna happen . . . not unless I start having body parts removed.  I'd rather be overweight than give up a leg, so there's got to be a better way.  For one thing, I've stopped worrying about weight and look more at what I eat.  I learned long ago that I can stay relatively fat on a vegetarian diet, so the problem is overeating.  Yeah, I'm an overeater, like most other old farts.
   
   I'll make another attempt this year to lose weight, but I won't change what I'm eating.  What I need is more exercise and less food intake - and that's a good program for most overweight people.  This blog is mostly for people who still eat anything that strikes their fancy . . . and it's also contains a list of things you should never eat or drink.  Here goes.
   
   1. Soda pop.  The best plan is to give it up altogether, but if you can't that, then drink diet pop.  Even then, keep it to just a few cans a day. 
   
   2. Junk food.  No fast food stops for burgers and fries, no fast food remedies for the home either.  This would include anything you can pop into a microwave oven or toaster . . . and most breakfast cereals. 
   
   3. Dairy products.  Give up whole milk, cheese, etc.  If you've got to have milk, go with 1% milkfat or less.  Also, use lowfat cheese, if you have to have it.
   
   4. White bread.  Give it up in favor of wheat bread or oat bread.  All bread will put weight on you, so cut back even on the good stuff.
   
   5. Red meat.  Give up steaks, roasts, hamburger, etc.  Replace it with chicken and fish.  If you can't completely quit (I'm on that list), then keep it down to lower fat cuts of beef, and smaller portions.  Absolutely no hotdogs.
   
   6. Sugar.  Get it out of your diet as much as possible.  Find alternatives, like
   fruit. If you can't (I'm on that list too), then go with small portions.
   
   7. Salt.  My last words might be "pass the salt."  Damn, it's hard to give up,
   but do the best you can at leaving it off.
   
   8. White veggies.  Not all vegetables are good for you, especially the ones that require "additions" like the potato.  Fried anything is suspect as a healthy food, but butter or sour cream on the potato is a no go for good diet.  Rice is better, but still not good loaded down with "additives."  I try to remember to eat dark colored veggies - beets, beans, wild rice, etc.
   
   9. Eggs.  Yeah, some health food experts have backed off bashing eggs, but
   they're still not the best thing to eat.  Eat 'em if you have to, but egg substitutes are better for you.  And if you have to eat them, go with boiled eggs.
   
   10) Be suspicious of anything canned.  Read labels.  If you live where you can buy fresh vegetables, do that.  If you have access to natural foods (without additives) use them instead of regular produce.
   
   
   D. Paz, 11/28/07
   
   
   
   
   
   

6. This Blog Post is rated Mature.

7. Halloween Ain't Just For Kids

   01.Nov.07, 10:55 EDT
   
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   I went to a block party the other night at a neighbor's house.  It was an indoor thing, everybody brought a dish, that sort of deal.  I'd rather do about anything than go to a block party, but this one was good for me.  I was about the youngest guy there, serving notice that I'm for sure living in the old fart part of town.  That makes sense, I decided, since most of the homes around here are pretty nice.  It's not at all surprising then that there's hardly any kids around here.
   
   Kids make a place look more like a neighborhood, and I miss the little rug rats.  We look forward to Halloween around here, and my wife makes a big deal out of it.  Greta and Sophie, the two dogs, love it because they get to run to the door every few minutes.  On some Halloweens, we'll have 300 kids show up wanting candy, and we've usually got lots of it to give away.  This morning, we've got lots left over because only half as many kids showed up this year.  My wife had to run an errand about eight o'clock, came home and said we were the only house on the street with front porch lights on - the universal sign that you're home and that treats are available.
   
   I can't speak for all neighborhoods and communities, but mine did itself a disservice last night.  They missed out on an opportunity to befriend some kids who look forward to Halloween.  Some of the church pastors here in town preach against Halloween, saying it is a day of the devil, that kids should not be allowed to participate.  What a bunch of  twits!  How stupid do you have to get to believe such hogwash?  And some local churches sponsor events to keep kids from going trick or treating . . . more morons in action, in my opinion. 
   
   But what about the people who refuse to buy some candy for kids?  What about the darkened porches of people who won't participate in something as harmless as Halloween?  Is it because they're just so damn old they've withdrawn from life already?  I don't know the answer, but I care.  Here's my message to people who refuse to turn lights on for kids on Halloween:  Get a life and join the party, you tightassed old farts.  If you can't afford a little candy for some kids out trying to have some fun, you need to move to the country where folks won't bother you.  Quit screwing up my street.  The kids are more important than you, especially if you're anti-Halloween because of some misdirected religious views.  If you're just too old to stay up long enough to pass out candy to wide-eyed kids, or if you're just too tight to buy it, then the spookiest thing on the street during Halloween is you.
   
   D. Paz, 11/02/07