A PICNIC

WE SPENT THE MEMORIAL DAY WEEK-END PRETTY MUCH AT HOME AVOIDING THE CROWDS FROM THE VALLEY OF THE SUN, PHOENIX. THEY HAD TRIPLE DIGIT TEMPERATURES IN THE FORCAST, SO EVERYBODY AND THEIR BROTHER HEADED UP TO THE WHITE MOUNTAINS TO GO CAMPING.

WE BEGAN OUR NEXT PROJECT WHICH IS TO REFURBISH OUR OUTDOOR PARK BENCH.

COME TUESDAY, WE PACKED A PICNIC LUNCH, HAM & CHEESE SANDWICHES, COLD BEVERAGES, AND CHIPS.

FUNNY LOOKING PICNIC BASKET, YOU ASK?

THIS PICTURE WILL EXPLAIN IT….

 

WE HAVE THE “THE GRAND CANYON SCOOTER RIDE” PLANNED FOR SEPTEMBER. 899 MILES IN FIVE DAYS, SO WE NEED TO GET INTO SHAPE FOR THE BIG TRIP.

TODAYS CONDITIONING TRIP WAS 126 MILES TO SPRINGERVILLE, AZ AND BACK. GOING OUT WE TOOK HWY 60 WHICH IS ROLLING HILLS AND RANCH LAND. COMING BACK IS THE NATIONAL FOREST AND THE TWISTIES.

THE SPRINGERVILLE, AZ POST OFFICE, NOTICE THE BLUE SKIES AND FLUFFY WHITE CLOUDS…..

THE OTHER DIRECTION, THE SKIES ARE NOT QUITE AS PRETTY.

10 MILES DOWN THE ROAD, WE HAD SPRINKLES AND THE DARK RAIN CLOUD RACED US TO GREER, WHERE WE TOOK REFUGE ON THE PORCH AT MOLLY BUTLERS LODGE. THE BAR WAS CLOSED BUT WE HAD OUR PICNIC LUNCH WITH US.

WHILE EATING LUNCH WE WATCHED IT LIGHTENING, THUNDER, AND RAIN IN SHEETS ACROSS THE SMALL VALLEY OF GREER, AZ. GREER IS HIGH IN THE WHITE MOUNTAINS AND WE EVEN HAD A LITTLE SLEET MIXED IN WITH THE RAIN.

CUTTING BACK TO SHOW LOW THROUGH THE APACHE-SITGREAVES NATIONAL FOREST THE TEMPERATURE DROPPED FROM 72 DEGREES AT SPRINGERVILLE 20 DEGREES TO 52, BUT AT LEAST IT WASN’T RAINING.

IT WAS A GOOD CONDITIONING RUN AND WE LEARNED TO TAKE OUR LONG SLEEVED SHIRTS WHEN SCOOTERING IN THE MOUNTAINS, AND MARY WILL BE SURE HER GLOVES ARE BACK INTO HER SCOOTER COAT.

HAM RADIO

A FEW YEARS AGO, WHEN ALAN TOOK A HAM RADIO CLASS WITH THE SCOUTS, I DUG OUT MY HAND HELD HAM RADIOS, AND BOUGHT NEW BATTERIES FOR THEM.

DOWN IN MOHAVE VALLEY IN THE WINTER I WAS ABLE TO HEAR A FEW LOCAL MOUNTAIN TOP REPEATERS, BUT WAS UNABLE TO TALK ON THEM WITH THE 5 WATT HAND HELD RADIO, ESPECIALLY SITTING ON THE PORCH WITH AN ALL METAL ROOF.

WHEN WE STARTED SPENDING SUMMERS IN THE WHITE MOUNTAINS I FOUND HAM RADIO TO BE MUCH MORE ACTIVE. I JOINED THE LOCAL KACHINA HAM RADIO CLUB AND ORDERED ONE OF THE CHEAP CHINESE BOFANG HAND HELD RADIOS, AND A LADDER ANTENNA. YOU TIED A CORD ON THE ANTENNA AND THEN TIED A ROCK TO THE CORD, AND THREW THE ROCK UP OVER A TREE BRANCH, AND PULLED THE ANTENNA UP INTO THE TREE. THE RADIO AND ANTENNA WORKED GREAT WHEN WE LIVED AT PINE SHADOWS. I ESPECIALLY ENJOYED CHECKING INTO THE 6:30 PM KACHINA SOCIAL NET DAILY.

WHEN WE MOVED OVER TO TALL PINES I WAS NO LONGER ABLE TO SIT ON THE PORCH AND TALK ON THE RADIO, SO THIS SUMMER I ORDERED A NEW 65 WATT YAESU RADIO AND INSTALLED AN ANTENNA ON TOP OF THE ROOF.

NOW I DON’T HAVE ANY TROUBLE HITTING THE MOUNTAIN TOP REPEATERS AND TALKING ON THE RADIO, WHILE SITTING ON THE PORCH.

I DECIDED WE NEEDED TO BUILD A WOODEN BOX TO PUT THE NEW RADIO IN, AND SO IT BECAME THE PROJECT FOR THIS WEEK.

 

IT DIDN’T TURN OUT TOO BAD……

  “SUNNY & 80” (FINALLY!)

Flowers

One of the best benefits of being on the mountain in the summertime is that I can have real live plants.  On the desert all of my flowers are metal…..cuz I can’t grow anything there.  When my daughter, Heather, was here last week we got busy planting.   As you can see some of the plants need some serious sunshine and time to grow but at least they are now planted.

It’s so nice being able to look out at the yard and see some COLOR…..love it!

High Cost Of Medical Care 101

By Uncle Hans

Virtually all of America's hospitals are not-for-profit.  This is a tax loop-hole that allows them to not pay income tax.  Well, you say, if they don't make a profit, who cares if they don't pay income taxes?  Most of them DO make a profit, some of them make large profits.

     So how does that work?

     Well, there are several ways to "hide" that profit from the IRS, who overlooks these not-for-profits.  One is to pay your management very,very well.  That is why you find large hospital's CEO's making millions.  CFO's and COO's as well, right on down to department managers if the pie is big enough.  Our dinky little hospital has a management company.  They are smart.  The hospital does well.  They have a bonus clause in the contract, and they get a big bonus if the hospital does well.

      
     We pay them over a million dollars a year to manage a 25 bed hospital....

    The next way to hide the profit is to do as many Americans do, lie on their tax returns.

    The next way to hide their profit is the subject of this blog.  The IRS allows these hospitals to put money "away" each year for a new building or a fancy machine.  It is called funded depreciation and does not go on the books as profit.  Our hospital puts about $100,000 per year away for this.  But there is a catch.  After about 20 years, the IRS demands that you spend the money, and on the designated purpose.  Our management company is smart.  They take good care of our building, which is only 40 years old and remodeled a couple of times.  Really, it's a very nice facility, centrally located in town.

    But these are my new operating rooms, aren't they beautiful?  This week we abandon our hospital, and move into a new hospital on the edge of town. 

     They sold the old building to a nursing home company for $1. ............ The nursing home company  really has no use for it.............

    Your tax dollars at work. Ever wonder why health care is so expensive?

Uncle Hans

Lilac Bushes

By Uncle Hans

20 years ago, I spent $650 to buy about 50 baby lilac bushes.  I planted them along the fence between our place and the resort next door, thinking they would make a great barrier from the resort and look pretty to boot.  Little did I know that lilacs are on the list of top ten delicacies for deer.    Especially the new buds and flower buds.  I moved the surviving plants to my "tree farm" out by the road, hoping they would be harder to find mixed in amongst the trees.  The trees were a great success, but did not protect the little lilacs.  Amazingly, a few persisted, but never grew higher than 18 inches and never flowered.  A few years ago, I noticed that my apple trees were dying of old age and decided to replace them.  I know the babies would need a fence enclosure to protect them from the deer, and I started to move survivor lilacs inside the fence.  Last year I had flower buds on the tallest plant for the first time.  But the damned deer simply reached over the fence and ate the buds off!!  This year the same 5 foot bush had buds again and I strung some extra twine to discourage the deer.......

So here is the product of lots of money and 20 years of hard work planting, replanting, fencing.  Oh, and did I mention that the 4 baby apple trees planted over 3 years have all died? 

     So much for my green thumb..........

Uncle Hans

LEAK NUMBER THREE

SOMEHOW I GOT WATER RUNNING OUT OF MY ELECTRICAL CONDUIT? FROM THE LEAK IN THE WALL THE WATER WAS RUNNING INTO WHAT WE CALL THE BASEMENT. GOOD GRIEF……

IN A LONG AND FRUSTRATING SEARCH WE FOUND THE PROBLEM.

 

ODDLY ENOUGH THIS SEPERATION IN THE ELECTRICAL CONDUIT WAS JUST 6 MORE INCHES IN THE VERY SAME HOLE THAT WE DUG OUT WITH THE FIRST TWO LEAKS.

IT LOOKS LIKE AN EASY FIX, BUT TURNED INTO A REAL CAN OF WORMS, WHICH EVEN LEFT US WITHOUT ELECTRICITY ONE NIGHT. NOW THAT IT’S ALL REPAIRED THE NEXT STEP IS TO REPAIR THE WALL IN THE SHOP.

HOPEFULLY WE’RE ALL DONE WITH WATER LEAKS. THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT NONE OF THE LEAKS WERE RELATED TO ME WINTERIZING THE CABIN MYSELF.

SPI

By Uncle Hans

If there were a contest about who could be lazier about posting blogs between Rex and Uncle Hans, I would win. (But Rex would come in second)  so I am going to try to catch up.....
     We took our usual late March trip to Padre, meeting Renee's brother Matt, girlfriend Hilda, and daughter Emily for a few days in the Sun. We caught the last few days of spring break and I found some volleyball to play.  Renee tried to walk up the beach to Clayton's to watch the games, but ran into so many people that wanted to take a picture with Charley that she almost didn't make it.

     We caught a break on the weather and it was warm enough to be on the beach.

By Uncle Hans

HEATHER

LOOK WHO WE FOUND “STANDING ON THE CORNER IN WINSLOW, ARIZONA” …….

IT’S MARY’S DAUGHTER FROM LA CROSSE, WISCONSIN.

ACTUALLY IT’S ONE OF THOSE WILD HAIR IDEAS YOU GET WHEN YOUR DRINKING. MARY FORGOT SOME PAPERS SHE NEEDS IN THE SAFETY DEPOSIT BOX AT THE BANK. AS LONG AS WE HAVE TO DRIVE TO LAUGHLIN ANYWAY, AND IT’S TOO HOT TO MAKE IT A SCOOTER ADVENTURE, LET’S CALL HEATHER AND SEE IF SHE CAN CATCH A DON LAUGHLIN CASINO JUNKET FROM MINNEAPOLIS AND WE’LL PICK HER UP AND BRING HER TO THE WHITE MOUNTAINS FOR THE WEEK-END. BY GOD IT WORKED, HEATHER HAD THE WEEK-END OFF AND WE’RE ENJOYING HER VISIT.

MARY WILL POST SOME PICTURES AND A REPORT NEXT WEEK.

BEEN BUSY

BETWEEN URBAN HIKES, SCOOTER RIDES, AND WALKING TO SUPER WALMART WE’VE BEEN BUSY. MARY LOVES HER SUMMERS “OFF” AND HAS A LIST OF PROJECTS.

HERE SHE’S PAINTED A COAT OF SEALANT ON HER NEW MOUNTAIN BEAR.

DECORATIONS FOR THE CABIN…..

THE FAMOUS “RECHSTEINER” CLOCK IS 35 YEARS OLD, AND AFTER HANGING PERMANTLY IN THE SUPPER CLUB, AND ON THE FIRE PLACE IN SPOONER, HAS ONCE AGAIN FOUND A SPOT TO LIVE, IN THE MOUNTAIN CABIN.

LOOK AT MY NEW NEIGHBORS OFF THE BACK DECK…

AND IRIS BLOOMING AT THE POND…..

WHILE MARY ENJOYS HER PROJECTS, REX HAS BEEN AGGRIVATED BY A 3RD WATER LEAK.

THIS LEAKING PIPE BEHIND THE WALL IS ACTUALLY THE ELECTRICAL SERVICE CONDUIT TO THE BREAKER BOX. THE JOYS OF CABIN OWNERSHIP.