My Desultory Blog

Posted By RichC on August 13, 2015

This year’s September 5th and 6th Red Stewart Airshow and our  EAA284 TalilDragger FlyIn not until Labor Day weekend in September, but with my full plate I want to get my part done early. I’ve been up most every morning this week with Brenda (pain issues), and so while the PT/OT persona was at the house went to fill out and pick up the Health Permit from Warren County (county to my east). Thankfully I’ve got the procedure down to a science and have saved the drawings and paperwork from previous years in order to expedite the process. The fee for our one-day Pancake breakfast has inched back up again … now $18.00 to hold the breakfast. While they were typing up the new permit, I decide to see the ups and downs …

Previous years:

2014 – $15.00
2013 – $13.00
2012 – $10.00
2011 – $15.00
2010 – $15.00
2009 – $12.50
2008 – $ 7.50
2007 – $ 9.50

Category: Aviation, Local | No Comments »
Tags: airshow, breakfast, eaa, eaa284, flyin, pancakes, red stewart

Posted By RichC on August 12, 2015

Those having endured recovering and rehab know the challenges ahead for Brenda and those following my limited blog posts probably know what I’ve been pre-occupied with after my wife’s fall and my dad’s stroke … but we’re moving forward.

Today (August 12th) is my wife’s birthday … hardly a “yippee” event this year … but yesterday we met with the surgeon for some “post-op” good news.  All was looking good on the new X-Rays (above/below) and  Brenda’s surgical staple could come out. It also meant that she could keep the incision uncovered and get it wet! Showers, bathing, the hot tub and maybe the pool for a little light movement (no weight for 6 weeks on the left hip or shoulder). Still we are thankful for the progress and medical science … and the many friends and family offering prayers and support. She still has a long … and unfortunately painful … rehabilitation ahead.

 

My Dad:
He is a comfortable as possible and between Ron, Claire, me and many caretakers is being kept as comfortable as possible while the human body goes through the shutdown process. His breathing is slowing (and shallower now) and he is medicated for pain and to keep his temperature from spiking too high – a challenge. It probably won’t be long, but one never knows. He will soon be home.

Category: Health, Personal, Photos | No Comments »
Tags: bionic, brenda, dadc, family, hospice, medical, rehab, surgery, xray

Posted By RichC on August 9, 2015

Even for life-long Christians it is challenging facing the reality of our earthly life ending and accepting “by faith” the promise of eternal life. Part could be facing the pain of death or leaving those we love behind … but we humans also question.

This weekend my dad experience a major stroke, although we knew something medically and mentally had changed in the past few weeks. The hemorrhaging in the brain left few options for recovery, so we will honor his Living Will wishes (reminder: all should have one). After a brief hospital stay this time (less than a day), we were able to get dad enrolled for hospice care and back to his own room at Lane Park. All involved in this “flow” have been wonderful — thank you.

My brother Ron and his family have been great in spending time with dad … and Ron has been very good at making decisions with me concerning dad. We seem to work well as a team and I do appreciate my family more and more as the years go by. It all has me wondering what life is like for those without family? This week, we are all shuffling schedules in order to be at my dad’s bedside as much as possible … just as we did for my mother. My only regret is that this week has also been taxing in that Brenda has just returned home from the hospital and is incapacitated. Hmm … the apathetic reply Brenda’s sister and I have been sending to each other for the last month comes to mind … “it is, what it is.”

The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

— Psalms 23 NIV

Category: Faith, Photos | No Comments »
Tags: dadc, family, hospice, hospital, lane park, sidney, stroke

Posted By RichC on August 7, 2015

If you are a Firefox browser user, be sure to select the “About” menu and apply the latest update.

Yesterday morning, August 5, a Firefox user informed us that an advertisement on a news site in Russia was serving a Firefox exploit that searched for sensitive files and uploaded them to a server that appears to be in Ukraine. This morning Mozilla released security updates that fix the vulnerability. All Firefox users are urged to update to Firefox 39.0.3. The fix has also been shipped in Firefox ESR 38.1.1.

The vulnerability comes from the interaction of the mechanism that enforces JavaScript context separation (the “same origin policy”) and Firefox’s PDF Viewer. Mozilla products that don’t contain the PDF Viewer, such as Firefox for Android, are not vulnerable. The vulnerability does not enable the execution of arbitrary code but the exploit was able to inject a JavaScript payload into the local file context. This allowed it to search for and upload potentially sensitive local files.

The files it was looking for were surprisingly developer focused for an exploit launched on a general audience news site, though of course we don’t know where else the malicious ad might have been deployed. On Windows the exploit looked for subversion, s3browser, and Filezilla configurations files, .purple and Psi+ account information, and site configuration files from eight different popular FTP clients. On Linux the exploit goes after the usual global configuration files like /etc/passwd, and then in all the user directories it can access it looks for .bash_history, .mysql_history, .pgsql_history, .ssh configuration files and keys, configuration files for remina, Filezilla, and Psi+, text files with “pass” and “access” in the names, and any shell scripts. Mac users are not targeted by this particular exploit but would not be immune should someone create a different payload.

The exploit leaves no trace it has been run on the local machine. If you use Firefox on Windows or Linux it would be prudent to change any passwords and keys found in the above-mentioned files if you use the associated programs. People who use ad-blocking software may have been protected from this exploit depending on the software and specific filters being used.
LINK

Category: Computer, Software, Technology | No Comments »
Tags: browser, firefox, internet, security, tech friday, techfriday

Posted By RichC on August 7, 2015

We may not make it through the debate on Thursday night or if I do, may not feel like posting anything tomorrow. We still have “over a year” to think about politics for 2016 … so no sense getting too focused on which candidate the GOP will run just yet. Good to have a talented field. I hope they all stay focused on core principles  that are need to govern all people in America. 1) National security, 2) a strong economy with innovative business doing what they can do best and 3) smaller less intrusive government – keep individual freedom and liberty alive.

Category: Politics | 1 Comment »
Tags: Politics, Republicans

Posted By RichC on August 6, 2015

I’ve been watching some tech stocks climb as their valuations seem exorbitant while others languish; it makes little sense to me. Stocks like Apple ($AAPL) look oversold considering their  while IPOs in other startups continue to attract money. Then there is the companies heavily used and relied on by media and celebrities alight, Twitter ($TWTR) which is beaten to death.

Twitter Inc. fell to a fresh all-time low on Wednesday, as enthusiasm on the Street for the social-media company continues to fade.

Twitter shares traded as low $28.59. That is well below its all-time high of $73.31, set on Dec. 26, 2013, shortly after the IPO. With the latest leg down, the stock is approaching its IPO price of $26, and is well below the first-day closing price of $44.90.

Even back during the heady days following its IPO, it was impossible not to notice that Twitter was being richly valued, especially for a company that wasn’t turning a profit. But the story that was being sold was "untapped potential" — the hundreds of millions, even billions, of possible customers out there.

The concerns didn’t disappear –the stock’s performance shows that–but the company was consistently able to rebuff the doubters with the promise of that potential. Think of it this way, Twitter sits in the the middle of two Venn diagram circles that makes it especially attractive to investors: it’s a hot, new-tech company, but it’s got a product that most people can understand. Taking a flyer on it allowed investors to be both alpha traders and Warren Buffett .

The only problem is, the company isn’t making money, isn’t projected to make money for several more years, and has had trouble articulating a path toward profitability. Actually, that’s only the most obvious problem, and not even the one that rankles investors the most. There’s been a perceived lack of vision and inability to capitalize on the platform. There’s been a significant amount of executive turnover, most visibly earlier this year when CEO Dick Costolo stepped down, and was replaced by on of the company’s founders, Jack Dorsey (who showed up with a fairly shocking Grizzly Adams-style beard).

The biggest issue, though, and the one that’s triggered the latest selloff, is the stagnation in the service’s user base. In its latest quarterly report, the company said it had 304 million core users, virtually unchanged from the 302 million it reported in the first quarter. Even Mr. Dorsey called the numbers "unacceptable," and his displeasure sparked a selloff.

"On the IPO Twitter looked like a world beater," Albert Fried analyst Richard Tullo wrote on Monday, "today people are reconciling the their 20-year models because guess what no one, not even a grumpy man like me, modeled Twitter users as flat."

Category: Financial | No Comments »
Tags: $TWTR, aapl, investing, stocks, trading

Posted By RichC on August 5, 2015

If you are in Ohio and are looking for an interesting weekend drive now that gasoline prices are down (diesel too), take a drive to the Village Bakery and Café in Athens, Ohio. (of course that seems as counterproductive as Al Gore flying in a private plane if you are really thinking “green”?) They are making a effort to run their business “off the grid” and utilize geothermal and solar to reduce their energy needs. It is interesting to see what “can” be done if a person puts and effort (and a few dollars) into it. Politically I’m not and advocate for government forcing the “green agenda” … but I’m all for the move when it is individually by choice.

See an article posted in the Inquistr.com … snippet below:

This quaint bakery is known as the Village Bakery and Cafe. Located in Athens, Ohio, they are leading the charge for resilient food and energy economy for the state. In order to do this, they commit to bringing the freshest and most delicious sustainably-grown ingredients for their foods, and their menu reflects what is in season. Along with their bakery, they have a grocery, a wood-fired bake house called Della Zona that bakes pizzas, and a coffee house known as Catalyst Cafe.

However, what is accumulating a lot of chatter among the green communities is the fact the Village Bakery and Cafe is doing all they can to completely run on renewable energy. They want to be 100 percent off the grid. This includes a geothermal unit to help keep energy costs down, solar panels, and using Energy Star utilities, as reported by The Athens Messenger.

Christine Hughes and Bob O’Neil, owners of the Village Bakery and Cafe, made a statement supporting such an endeavor.

“Bit by bit, we’re cutting back our fossil fuel dependence and our goal is to be 100 percent run on renewable energy.”

The Solar Cookie is the featured product for the month of August in the Village Bakery and Cafe.

Presently, the Village Bakery and Cafe is halfway to their goal. They expect to reach it by 2017. But for now, they are just doing their best, taking one step at a time. And to help celebrate, they are featuring a product for the month of August called the Solar Cookie. It should also be noted the cookie is actually sponsored by local partnerships with The Messenger and Appalachian Center for Economics Network. But the sponsor that truly sums up the Village Bakery and Cafe’s mission is Third Sun Solar.

The Village Bakery and Cafe is located at 268 E. State St. Athens, Ohio. It is just tucked away under a broad overhang to help keep it cool when the days become hot.

Category: Business, Environment, Local | No Comments »
Tags: athens, bakery, geothermal, green, ohio, solar

Posted By RichC on August 4, 2015

It has been a whirlwind week as we hope all medical checks on Tuesday morning are a “go” for returning home. Brenda and I weighed the options and since she can’t do any weight bearing physical therapy on her left leg or left arm, there isn’t much sense to going to an in-patient rehab facility. The six week mark will be the earliest she can start weight oriented rehabilitation so she might as well be comfortable in a wheel chair at home.

Thanks to all who have offered prayers and sent well wishes for a speedy recovery.

Category: Health, Personal, Photos | No Comments »
Tags: brenda, family, hospital, ramp, rehab, surgery, wheel chair

Posted By RichC on August 3, 2015

It was the weekend for visiting … both my dad who returned to Lane Park Assisted Living in Sidney, Ohio and my wife Brenda who is recovering from her fall from a ladder (previous posts: One, Two and Three with more below). Thanks to my brother Ron, decisions for my dad was something I didn’t really have to worry about this past week. Fortunately Ron and his wife Claire were able to tag-team visits to the hospital and coordinate talking with the doctors about getting dad stabilized “once again” before their trip to Wisconsin. It is not fun getting old … for my dad or his family.

After Brenda’s surgery on Friday afternoon and some recovery on Saturday, I headed up to Sidney on Sunday to visit with my dad and see how he is doing. Not too bad since his meds have been “rebalanced” and IF it can be monitored closely. The new activities director had a “Guy’s Night Out” which if my dad remembers it correctly, was fun. Unfortunately the dementia has him drifting to and fro and words will trigger a jump that includes something that happens way in the past and he’ll include that as if it happened yesterday. Memory, dementia and Alzheimer’s are frightening components of getting older. I only hope medical science can make some advancement before the huge population of baby boomers has to deal with it en masse. 

On to Brenda – (medical incision photo below, so click ‘more’ at your own peril):

After the surgery on Friday and some recovery on Saturday, Brenda was anxious to see just how much pain she could tolerate and is already working to get on her feet (or foot … since she is only permitted to put wait on her right leg). She has been amazing so far “knowing” the kind of pain that awaits her. But, the only way to rehab is to learn to fight through the pain and slowly move off the injectable “break-through” pain meds. So far she is ahead of schedule and can usually get from the bed to a bedside commode. She requests a few favorites … so her sister Chris brought her Diet Pepsi and I’ve been keeping her supplied with animal crackers, garlic breadsticks, UDF Milkshakes, Donatos sub and even tried Chipole’s chicken and rice bowl (she sent that home with me – and it did not go to waste).

As you can see, the surgeon came in and changed the bandage on her arm … quite the battle incision! The swelling so far is being managed, but last night we did notice some additional swelling in her arm and hand. Hopefully the resident team will look at that today and venture an opinion. Maybe the new bandage which now wraps is too tight … but I’m sure they’ll look at the veins or possibility of clotting too. After surgery this is always a concern.

For my part, I’m holding down the house and starting to think about what it is going to take to have her here at home. I know she will be in a wheel chair for about six weeks and most likely needing a long stretch of rehabilitation and therapy for her arm after that. Believe it or not, Brenda is anxious to begin that part thinking it might include water therapy and swimming. She’ll use any excuse to get in the pool!

While I was in Sidney, I also took apart the ramp my brother and I put in for mom when she was in her wheel chair. It needed to be done before we can clean up and sell dad’s house and thought this was a perfect excuse to take it apart and use the pieces to put one in our garage. When we designed our Georgian Colonial home, we loved that we raised it a couple steps above the grade … now I rethinking that decision. Hmm … might be nice to be less of an incline??? Currently we are contemplating a week or so of in-patient rehab before moving her home … but IF she continues to progress, I will need to have the house ready so I’m shuffling around and measuring things out.

Thanks to all who are praying and sending well wishes … very appreciated.

Category: Archive, Health, Personal, Photos | No Comments »
Tags: brenda, dadc, family, hospital, incision, rehab, sidney, surgery

Posted By RichC on August 1, 2015

As my daughter Katelyn told me prior to Brenda’s surgery to reconstruct her damaged shoulder and upper arm … "take a deep breath." I did, but didn’t know I would be holding it for 4 hours (a few details below – also previous posts 1 and 2).

When the surgery was over, Dr. Wyrick at the UC Medical Center Orthopaedics and Sport Medicine group filled me in as his team watched her blood levels before moving her to recovery. Brenda handled the long surgery just fine, but he could not repair the bones in the Humerus commenting that “too much damage was done and that the bone would not get enough blood flow.” The surgeon replaced the ball portion of the upper arm bone with a “hemi” – half artificial joint — and sutured the bones in the rotator cuff that will hold the new “head” so that it will heal. Now she will really be a Bionic woman and we are thankful it is her left arm, the one she also previously had surgery on – repaired a bone in her wrist with a titanium plate. He said really there were no repair options as the damage was too severe as part of the bone rammed through the head into the socket.

When I asked about full range of motion, he cringed. He said we’ll see what she can do as the rehab progresses. Recovery will be at least 6 weeks and he recommends a couple weeks in a physical therapy facility due to pelvis damage along with the shoulder rehab. 

Continue to pray for her as we are just in the first inning.

While on the subject of “praying for medical healing,” my good friend Pastor Keith Thomas is in the hospital and scheduled for open heart surgery (see a site I maintain for him in sidebar: GroupBibleStudy.com).

Wednesday Teaching Cancelled. Keith in Hospital

I am writing from a hospital bed in the Cardiac unit at Mercy hospital. I had been experiencing chest pain for several weeks. I went in for a stress test, thinking that I would have a stent, possibly.  As soon as they fitted me up with the sensors, they told me I couldn’t have the stress test, as it could be dangerous for me. They set me up for Angiogram on Thursday (yesterday) and discovered several blockages (four). They also found damage caused by an earlier heart attack (I think this may have happened a few weeks ago).  Due to the location of the blocked arteries, stents are not recommended in this case. Open heart surgery is really the only option for me. I am in hospital being monitored until they can schedule a surgeon. Surgery is likely to be Monday or Tuesday.  When I know the exact date and more details of what they will be doing, I will send everyone an update. As you can imagine, this has been quite a shock to our family. I do not enjoy being detained in a hospital bed, and of course I have had to cancel all my meetings for now. Prayers appreciated. We are asking people to call if they would like to visit, I am supposed to be quiet and behave myself. Thank you for everyone who has expressed concern and offered help.

Thankful for our family and friends,
Keith and Sandy

PS. You could always send a cake with a hacksaw blade inside. (Tunneling will commence tonight Ha!). My wife may veto this plan.
Till then, it looks like am a captive. But then I have been told this is the best place for me now. I will be glad when this is behind me. And I will be glad when I am wearing something on my behind. This hospital attire does not suit me.

Category: Faith, Health, Personal | No Comments »
Tags: brenda, family, friends, hospital, keith thomas, prayers, surgery