Heat Wave continues

The Heat Index is at an all time high here and will continue !! it was 113 today and humidity was high !!!!!
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We are still heavy watering the garden as it is dry !!

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We are enjoying fresh lettuce, parsley and soon tomatoes from the garden !

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With this heat all the gardens are growing great !!!

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Don't forget our Veterans !

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HOT DAYS

The thermometer says 111 degrees, the heat index is at 104 and humidity is 84%.  We are unusually hat for July 4th weekend, These days remind me of summer as a youth and on the farm,  I remember working in the Hay Fields putting in Hay with Horses, their names were Jude and Joan, big old draft horses, they were driven by voice, " GIT-UP", GEE-GEE,  HAW-HAW- for left or right and WHOA" !.
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My Cousin Wayne on left and Brother Donnie on Right, both deceased now at too young an age on Gramp's Horses, Jude and Joan !!!  Notice he size of their feet.

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Above picture is my Grandfather sitting on the right side on a block of ice, on the wagon is my Dad, John Wood and driving the horses is Lynne Jones taking Ice to the Ice House on the farm out of Jones Pond which was owned by Lynne Jones.

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We also used Gramp's car which I believe was a 1900 something Buick, 4 door, 5 speed, with spark advance and wooden spoke wheels and a wooden steering wheel.

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Above is Gramp Silas Wood, Grandma Margaret Jones Wood and cousin Clyde Masterson.

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My Dad and my Grandpa Wood.

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My Grand Father on mothers side, Bower Whitford and Benjamin Brayton .

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Bower "Hump" Whitford!  My Grandfather !

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Well, it's time for a Nap so will quit for now !

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Don't forget, Remember out Vets !

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Return of Fall

It is COLD out, Temps are in 60 with a 

wind and some light rain, cold enough for a 

Flannel Shirt and long pants,  worked on the 

Camper today, charged the battery and Monday 

headed for Adirondack Mountains and Cranberry Lake,

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Might be Summer but you better have 

Flannel Shirts or Sweat Shirts camping !!!

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A Nice hot wood fire is good, to warm up with 

and to cook with !!    We do a lot of 

aluminum foil meals when camping !

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These are being used instead of

 the old stone and concrete fire 

places and fire pits !  I would 

rather have the fire place !

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This is our view at sunset camping at Cranberry !

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Don't forget to remember our Vets !

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HIGH NOON LUNCH

The first Wednesday of the month we have a group of Retired Policemen that meet at the Crystal Restaurant in downtown Watertown for Lunch, we usually gather for about an Hour.  Discussions cover everything except POLITICS !!!    There are anywhere from 2 to 15 that gather for lunch !!
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Above is a luncheon from 2001 when we had quite a few retirees,   4 of these Officers passed away shortly after this picture was taken.

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The above picture is my Classmates,  Ray, Barry, Nick, Steve, John, Me, Dale and Jim.  Missing George. and Reid.   We were all hired at the same time and all went thru Basic and Street Survival and all graduated as the largest class ever held, we maintain that record of the biggest class, sadly we have lost Reid, Nick, Steve. 

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These 4 were Wednesdays HIGH NOON LUNCH crowd,  Me, Art, Leo and  Charlie,  good time !!!

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We do not get any retirees who we didn't work with, we invited them but they really do not want much to do with us, they are a different Breed and not very close to each other the way we were !

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The Department in 1960 before I joined !

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In Front row is Sgt Alfred Wood, a relative 

of mine in this 1900 photo !

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Don't forget, Honor our Vets !

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We went Camping, I have had some medicine's changed to help with regulating my heart beat and Anna Mae is going to a specialist for her left foot for maybe more surgery.
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We have been back playing again,  We played in Watertown at Summit Village Nursing Home, a very luxury looking nursing home, we played in a large area with a nice hardwood stage and lighting, I played and sang to my sister who is a resident there.
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My Sister Janice is 85 and has Dementia,  She still knows me by sight,  she does not say my name,  she does sing along with some of the songs we play.  it is so sad!!!!
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My sister is sitting in front on the right side beside Anna Mae and Patsy !

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We visit her as much as we can, I have a Brother and Sister who are very Hateful and vengeful that Janice is in the Nursing Home, they think she should not be there, 

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Me, Janice and My Honey !

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  Janice pick's up her wallet and tries to answer it when her cell phone rings,  She thinks her Daughter Gina is her Mother !  She does not remember where she is.  It is sad !! 

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Have to clean, restring the Guitar, Dobro and Mandolin as I have stretched the strings playing so much !

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Anna Mae and I at another Funeral Service up in St. Lawrence County !!!!!

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Well, have to grab a bite to eat and head for a Nursing home, I have played a lot this month!!!!   Not a complaint,   God sends us where he needs up !!!!!

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Don't forget, remember our Vets !

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.Well, We packed up and got away for a few days,

 we went CAMPING !!!!

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Anna Mae standing in front of our New Sign

 a friend of ours made us for camping

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I am sweeping up area, we sprayed with 

"Yard Guard", I got bit by a Tic 2 weeks ago and

 was lucky we found it right away, I took antibiotics

 for the bite and have blood tests to make sure 

I do not get Lyme Disease!

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Breakfast was BACON, eggs and fresh baked bread

 over the fire made into toast and was delicious!

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Anna Mae is guarding the BACON !

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I brought the Dobro and Mandolin with us,

 I got it out and tuned it up and pretty soon

 we had people wandering over to listen to 

me play and sing.  

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Evening, relaxing by the Fire and enjoying 

each others company !

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Campsite all cleaned up after a great nights sleep, 

off on a walk and exploring the woods !

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We walked the Trails at Whetstone Gulf State Park !!!!

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We had a Great Time relaxing, talking, walking, 

singing and enjoying Mother Nature 

and her wonders !

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I cooked supper, we had Sweet Corn cooked 

in the husk wrapped in Aluminum Foil with Garlic

 and Butter,  also 2 nice fresh ground Serloin Burgers.

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Anna Mae cooked some Sweet Vadalia Onions

 in butterfor the burgers, supper was delicious !

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We enjoyed the Evening Fires, calm and quiet !

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Memorial Day has come and gone and with it

 many family and Friends who hve passed on, 

I was reading "The SHIPSLOG" and can relate to 

Jack talking about the loss of loved ones, near and far.

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I am doing a Funeral for my Cousin Wayne Whitford 

from North Carolina who passed away, I did his Eulogy 

and several Hymns, His Family is all gone and I am his 1st cousin. He had the American Legion for Honors 

and Flag Presentation, our closest Military Base 

if Fort Drum, they had no one available to send to do Honors.

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The above is another Funeral I did for a Vietnam Veteran

 who was Homeless and needed services so I did his Funeral and assisted with Military Honors with a Legion Post

 near where he was buried, this Cemetary was way out in the middle of nowhere in the woods.

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Well, Time to call it a night,  Don't forget, Remember the Vets !

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Well, my last Post was in March and we are heading into almost June.    Life is good,  Cold bitter Old Man Winter has left, We looked out at bare trees, and rain and suddenly there are leaves on the trees, grass is green and ready to be mowed, 

summer is coming.

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It has been rather sad here, I had to go Sunday and Play and sing at the Funeral for my 90 year old 1st Cousin Lois, then On Wednesday I had to do the Funeral Service for my 1st Cousin Wayne Whitford, Wayne was a Korean War Veteran, I did the Eulogy and Prayers and sand and played 2 songs and then we did the Military Service for him with help from the Gouverneur VFW ! .
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We went and got the Camper and brought it home, we drained the Antifreeze out of the water lines, charged the battery and filled the Propane Tanks and Water Tanks !

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Anna Mae hooking up the Camper to tow it 

back to the Complex..

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For excitement I took my savings and I purchased a LOAR Mv-600 Mandolin,  I now have Fender and Taylor 6 string Guitar, a Morgan Stanley Dobro, and Loar Mandolin.  Now if I could only Sing !!!!

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Mark Thomas and I playing at the 

Nursing Home to about 15 residents 

who really enjoy our bi-weekly visits!

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Well, hoping I stay Healthy, Gotta finish and go read "The SHIPSLOG"  and see 

what Jack is doing !!

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Don't Forget, Remember the Vet !

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Nor' Easter

Well, we have had 2 Nor' Easters storms, lots of snow,  We have another storm coming in called "Skylar",  Storm Watch from 8PM tonight till 10AM Monday ! Who knows, 

maybe another 10 inches of SNOW ?? 

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If the snow keeps up we will have a tunnel going outside !  This is our sheltered side door !

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I went outside before the storm and grilled some Pork Steaks out back on the grill !

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Above is me outside just before the first storms hit our area, was nice out and this was in February !

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This is the Grill now as it looks, not going to cook on it yet !!!

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Road's and trees are covered and more Snow is expected, lucky we have not lost Power yet and hope we don't.

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Look closely and there is a car parked UNDER all this snow !  

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Well, our apartment is warm, we have lots of food, and I have a great companion to share it with so we will wait for spring !

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Don't forget, Remember our Vet's !!!!

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Road Bump

Sometimes when we are going right along we hit a Bump in the rad that slows us down,  Well, I did just that,  Going along with the flow of things on Wednesday, I went to bed at 10pm, I was having pounding heart and chest pain again, Following Dr. Ashrafs prior orders for such occasions,  I took my Metotoporol 25mg and shortly I took a Nitro Tab under the tongue.  pulse and blood pressure things quieted down, Thursday Morning I woke up called the Cardiologist like I am supposed to do and he had me come in to office.

I had an EKG and was sent to the Emergency room next door, Calls were made to Syracuse at St. Joes Hospital and I was accepted as they had an open bed on Cardiac Floor,  ambulance was called and I was rushed down to St. Josephs Hospital in Syracuse.  I say rushed but this trip by Ambulance is about a 1 hour trip!!!!

At the hospital I was put on more blood thinners, given an IV of Antibiotics, and put to bed,  My Honey was there and also settled in for the night on the couch in the room.

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Friday morning I was taken into the Heart Catheraziation Room, Dr. Caputo and his 5 member staff of Nurses and Techs then went into the Heart with a camera thru my Arm Vein and looked for the problem.  All the heart stents were checked and other areas also.

The problem is I now have a Myocardial "Branch",   heart muscle has grown around the Lower Anterior Decending Artery, I was brought back to the room I was given a new medication to relax this area of the Heart Muscle and 8 hours later I was home relaxing.

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Now I have to let the new medication work and take it easy. 

Sitting here in the Chair I looked out the window and standing outside watching me were 4 deer.

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We have fresh 6 inches of new snow,  this is great as it is now Maple Sugar season!!!.

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Well, time for dinner, bowl of Rice Crispies and slice of toast and Herbal Chaga Tea.

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Don't forget, remember our Vets !