Moving Mom

06:05 Tuesday, 3 May 2022
Current Wx: Temp: 70.03°F Pressure: 1012hPa Humidity: 94% Wind: 8.57mph
Words: 1348

Got back from New York yesterday. I'd spent the weekend moving my mom into a new apartment. She'll be 89 in September, has Parkinson's, and the COVID regime had left her more deconditioned and isolated than she had been before. She wasn't depressed or anything, she's a very stoic woman, a trait I did not inherit. My brother who lives five minutes away visits twice a week for dinner, and spends those evenings with her. Two of my sisters visit often, and my brother Eric and I FaceTime with her regularly.

But she was on the second floor, and her mobility is impaired to a degree now where she was likely going to be unable to evacuate the building if there was a fire. We learned that first-hand last July when I was staying with her for several days and the fire alarm went off unexpectedly in the building. Not knowing what was going on, I called my brother and he came over and helped me get Mom, and her walker, down two flights of stairs.

She's in a much more suitable place now. It's far more expensive, and there's some question whether her savings will last long enough. But we're fortunate that we can help supplement that now and make it last long enough. She's in a much smaller apartment on the first floor, less than 100 feet from the exit, and the construction of the building is much more robust. It's also a senior living community, and they take their business seriously. They have a buddy system, and the woman across the hall, Harriet, is Mom's buddy.

I think she's going to be much happier there.

But getting her out of the old place and settled into the new one was a challenge. It took five of us, out of seven siblings, and a crew of movers, to get her out of the old place and cleaned up in time for the turnover. Mark let us know yesterday that the management was pleased with the condition of the old apartment and she'd be getting her damage deposit in a couple of weeks.

But, so much stuff! Mom has a sewing machine. She hasn't sewed in years because of Parkinson's. I asked her if we could give it away?

"No."

We were able to dispose of a number of things, and getting her unpacked and settled in the new place gave us an opportunity to go through a lot of things that could be more easily parted with, like her iron, which she hadn't used in seven years. But there were other things too. Like the contents of a lock box.

I've become something of the family historian. I'm not a very good one, hardly worthy of the title, but I'm trying. I maintain an Ancestry.com family tree, and scan a lot of old documents to try to preserve them. Even that can be a little daunting. Well, there was a trove of things I'd never seen or even heard of before. Like, Dad had written to his mom during his WW II enlistment. She kept all of his letters and later he got them. I'd never known this, had never seen them before. I have them now. They're very fragile, being nearly 80 years old, written on flimsies that were intended for service members to use to be flown back to the states Air Mail, and so the paper was very light. I'm going to have to set up my flatbed scanner on the dining room table with the MacBook Pro and create some sort of workflow to archive them all. Some of the text has faded for one reason or another, and is hard to read. But I think it'll be easy to recover with some image adjustments.

And there was more. Documents from my mom's side of the family. My grandfather, Henry, served in WW I in France. There were papers from his service, including documentation of a supplemental payment he received in the '30s. I was aware of some issue with WW I vets protesting not receiving some benefits they were promised. That was the encampment in DC that was shamefully and violently broken up by MacArthur and Patton. So now I have a little more impetus to become more familiar with that episode in history.

Anyway, there's a lot of stuff I want to go through and get scanned and placed in the cloud somewhere for other family members to access.

There were a lot of physical artifacts too. There was a tooth, an adult molar, in the lock box. I asked Mom, "What the hell is this?!"

"It's the only tooth your grandfather ever lost. He saved it."

I threw it a way. Big cavity, for the record. I also didn't inherit his dental resilience, most of my mouth inhabited by crowns.

There were coins, a pair of cuff links, and seemingly every dog license tag they ever had, from like 1931 to 1955. The tags are gone now. Fascinating in a way, but I couldn't see the value in keeping them.

I did pocket a 1918 French franc.

I talked about this with Mitzi when she drove me back from the airport yesterday. She questions the value or utility of having some kind of family history. I wasn't able to make a compelling case to her. For me, it's only been in recent years that I've really become interested. I did do kind of an oral interview with my Uncle Bud in the 90s when he was visiting us in Florida. He was around 80 then, and I wanted to know what life was like for Dad's family in Detroit, where their people came from. I was familiar with Mom's to some extent. We'd spend a couple of weeks each summer on the farm, so I thought I had some idea of what life was like.

I taped that interview, but the tape lost in the chaos of separation and divorce. I recall some of it, the main thing being my father's father was an itinerant saw mill blade sharpener. And in the winter, when the mills were closed, he'd work odd jobs in Detroit. He died when Dad was 10, and Dad always said his father was "a jack of all trades, master of none." He also said he played guitar and sang in bars, which I thought was cool. Dad didn't play guitar, he took lessons when we were kids, but no. He didn't play guitar. I took lessons too. I did inherit his musical talent.

He did like to sing though.

But since I retired in 2013, and Dad's death in 2014, I've been more interested in my family history, and history as a whole, given the seemingly relentless march to catastrophe we're undertaking today.

I've been studying the history of electricity, and asking Mom what it was like before they got power to the farm in 1944, when she was 11. It may be the case that my grandchildren will be living some part of their lives without the benefit of electricity one day.

Anyway, one thing I do know is that we come from humble origins. Farmers and tradespeople, laborers and office workers. No professionals. No politicians. No career military of high rank. I guess we've moved up a bit now. Not a lot, but some. My kids' mom is a lawyer. I was a career naval officer. My kids are tradespeople, office workers, managers. My daughter-in-law is a an APRN with a PhD, working in the intensive care unit at Mayo Clinic. That's quite an achievement, and she's a remarkable young woman. We're all very proud of her.

I don't know that it's important to know where you come from. Certainly it wasn't an aching question demanding an answer during the rush of career and family in the early and middle part of my adulthood. But now, as the hour grows late and I have both more time and less time, it's a question that seems to want an answer.

✍️ Reply by email

On The Road

06:11 Friday, 3 May 2024

Current Wx: Temp: 67.01°F Pressure: 1011hPa Humidity: 94% Wind: 0mph
Words: 458

We're in Montgomery, Alabama this morning. Shot is from yesterday on Florida I-10. Basically, drive west until the time zone changes, then turn right. Our ultimate destination is somewhere north of here for my nephew's wedding. It's a chance to see my youngest brother and do a little sight-seeing.

Staying in a Marriott Springhill Suites near the heart of Montgomery. I should write "stayed," because we check out today. But while we're here we're going to visit some of the civil rights history locations.

Made an entry in Captain's Log to put together a travel bag of cables. I have what is likely not a comprehensive set in my backpack that I use when flying, but since we're driving on this trip, I used my little, much battered, roller-bag. So I put together another bag of cables the night before last. Did pretty well, but forgot one, USB-C to USB-C (alternatively, a USB-A to USB-C), so now I can't charge the iPad mini. It's at 50%, and it's non-essential with the MBP I'm writing this on, but it's annoying. (Why bring it at all? It's nice in the car when I'm not driving.)

Today's modern life, unless I choose to forego all my "devices," requires USB-A to Lightning, USB-C to Lightning, USB-A to Apple Watch, USB-A to micro-USB (thanks OM Digital Systems) and the absent USB-C to USB-C. I expect to get either an iPhone 16 this fall, or perhaps a 15 if that seems preferable, which should eliminate the need for a Lightning cable if I don't bring one of the 10" iPads. Well, check that, just recalled the AirPods. I have the USB-C to MagSafe connector, but I could use USB-C to USB-C and omit the MagSafe cable. The Watch remains an outlier.

One other handy travel device is an Anker Power Bank. This one is new to me, though it may be discontinued by Anker. I didn't see it at the "Anker Store" at Amazon. I also have a preceding model with roughly the same capacity, but one less USB-C port and less output on the PD port. The extra USB-C port is main attraction on the new one. In many of the places we've stayed, power outlets are problematic for one reason or another, as they are in this converted warehouse. The Power Bank solves that problem and I can charge everything wherever it's convenient, often next to the bed. Then recharging the power bank wherever it's convenient when we're out during the day.

All of this complexity suggests something to me that I don't wish to think about too much.

This modern life.

✍️ Reply by email

The Future

07:16 Friday, 3 May 2024
Current Wx: Temp: 66.58°F Pressure: 1012hPa Humidity: 94% Wind: 0mph
Words: 105

I'm not sure what I think about this, very cogent, assessment from Charlie Stross.

On the one hand, I'm inclined to believe that the whole circus that is this present civilization will be circling the drain before we get to that point on anything approaching a routine basis.

On the other hand, it seems like it sure would be cool.

Say what you will about Musk and I probably won't argue with you, but SpaceX is a bright spot in this present moment. One element of my past future that has been realized in a way that hasn't turned into another circle of hell.

Yet.

✍️ Reply by email

Unsurprised

08:35 Friday, 3 May 2024
Current Wx: Temp: 71.44°F Pressure: 1014hPa Humidity: 94% Wind: 4.61mph
Words: 171

The title is a bit of a misnomer, because I initially was surprised.

As we were checking in yesterday, I noticed that the guy in front of me had a little "tactical" backpack with MOLLE strips and a patch with an AR-15 against a rainbow background and the words "Defend Equality."

I had to look that up.

Apparently, and I should not have been surprised so shame on me for my unexamined biases, but there is a segment of the LGBTQ community who are also 2A enthusiasts.

Apart from being gay, there's little to distinguish them from the other 2A enthusiasts who believe their firearms and the implicit threat of violence (not to say "desire for") is the only thing that keeps them "free."

I can't help but feel as though we are heading toward a more violent future. Perhaps it's part of the overall cascading effects of the present crisis, but there are people who seem to want it, who would will it into existence if they could.

Depressing.

✍️ Reply by email

Climate Is What We Expect

08:23 Saturday, 3 May 2025
Current Wx: Temp: 71.71°F Pressure: 1015hPa Humidity: 87% Wind: 5.75mph
Words: 516

Weather is what we get.

Except, our historical climate expectations are now mostly worthless. The climate that we boomers grew up in no longer exists. Our present climate has never existed before on this planet.

That's a pretty remarkable statement, but I seldom hear anyone talking about it. I am seeing references to the "old climate," but I haven't seen much discussion about the fact that this climate has never existed before on Earth.

Yes, there have been periods where carbon dioxide levels have been this high, but not with polar ice caps. Not with the landscape altered by human activity.

And as a complex, non-linear dynamic system, it's impossible to make accurate predictions of what trajectory it'll take going forward. Especially as we keep altering atmospheric chemistry through the emission of greenhouse gases, and, soon I expect, the deliberate emission of reflective aerosols in an effort to geo-engineer a solar shade.

Science is inherently conservative. It lags the data. Its predictions are conservative. They lag the phenomena. That should suggest to you that things may get much worse, much faster. How much? If I knew, I could get rich.

Just know that it is happening now, and it is only going to accelerate.

That should be one of the predominant conditions that informs your thinking as you consider your future.

Also know that, while the process is already underway, the likely outcome, a series of accelerating stepwise shocks that ultimately lead to the collapse of this civilization, hasn't permeated the larger consciousness yet.

But it will. And when it does, the available options become fewer, as competition for them increases and only those with the most resources will be able to secure them.

That argues for considering a "first mover" advantage. It does incur a somewhat higher initial cost, in terms of capital and personal disruption and inconvenience. If you're in your prime earning years, with a home, school age children, a good job, it's highly disruptive and costly to relocate. But it gives you the advantage of more choices with regard to where you might wish to go, and how expensive that will be.

You may want to think in the long term here. A place where you can settle. You don't want to have to do this twice. (You probably won't be able to.)

While you may consider housing that is smaller and more sustainable, you may wish to consider having enough space to house relatives, themselves perhaps fleeing a climate catastrophe of some kind, either temporarily or permanently.

If you're a senior, you may wish to consider whether you wish to create a legacy asset. A safer place to pass on to your kids. This gets complicated with blended senior families with several adult children and grandchildren. But it is an asset, and you'll be past caring when it comes time for them to sort it all out. Presumably you can alleviate some of that with wise estate planning.

The point is, the best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago.

The second best time is right now.

✍️ Reply by email

Blue Jay of Happiness?

14:22 Sunday, 3 May 2026

Current Wx: Temp: 52.11°F Pressure: 1011hPa Humidity: 45% Wind: 14.88mph
Words: 30

I've been busy with house stuff and neglecting the marmot.

Lots to say, but little time to focus enough to say it.

Post a pic instead.

The beat goes on...

✍️ Reply by email

Meadow Vole

15:53 Sunday, 3 May 2026

Current Wx: Temp: 52.93°F Pressure: 1011hPa Humidity: 46% Wind: 15.59mph
Words: 173

I went through and corrected all the date/time issues in the May archives of the marmot, so On This Day in the marmot should be canonically correct, chronologically speaking.

This bird feeder I put up has been very entertaining, though there hasn't been very much activity today. We've had chipping sparrows (very small), red winged blackbirds, American goldfinches, song sparrows (slightly larger than the chipping sparrows), and doves. Seeds knocked from the feeder land on the ground, and to my delight I learned we have a couple of meadow voles living in the grass behind the house.

That's not all good news, as they can host the bacteria that causes Lyme disease.

But they're adorable.

I love watching the goldfinches as they fuss with each other at the feeder. The red winged blackbirds come in and chase them off. The chipping sparrows hop around on the ground in front of the sliding glass door. It's a little distracting when I'm trying to learn something about house construction, but I love seeing them.

✍️ Reply by email