HAD MY EYES CHECKED AND MORE

This is a shot of my house and I am refurbishing the exterior wood working. As you can see by the light color of the wood on the very right (to the right of our 16' Indian ladder) that the wood I worked on has a much richer color. This is the project that I started this past weekend. As I have to do a solar project tomorrow in Dixon, my time to get this project done is passing. Also, I have to pick up another gallon of this stuff before I can do any more.

Alright, so yesterday I went to the VA hospital in Albuquerque to have my eyes checked so I can get a new pair of glasses. Well actually Linda and I went. Now a number of you are thinking why in the world would I go to the VA with all the bad publicity they got back when that ass from Texas was pretending to be president. Well lets face it, Walter Reed was really in bad shape and Bush really didn't give a shit about our troops. But the fact is, that in the years I have been involved with the VA I have gotten good care and the staff at the local Embudo Clinic, Espanola Clinic and at the VA hospital have been great and helpful. As many of you know, I am more into wholistic healing so when I say that I have gotten really good service from the VA you know it has to be good to get my okay.

Anyway back to the eye exam. I got in only about ten minutes after my assigned 11am appointment which isn't all that bad. As for the exam, all I can say is that it was the most comprehensive exam that I have ever had and I have been wearing glasses for as long as I can remember. They had my eye so dilated that I had to wear two pairs of sun glasses on the way home. I was in the chair for over two hours and came out with a new pair of glasses and a clean bill of eye health. Although the rest of my day was shot and I am greatful for Linda driving, I left there totally amazed at the great exam I had. So if you know of a vet that is not taking advantage of what the government has available, please talk to them about getting signed up.

The only bummer about going to a VA hospital is seeing the men and women, both young and old that are skeletons of the people that they could have been had they not gone to some government contrived war. I personally believe that America has not had a legitimate reason to send its young people in harms way, since World War II. I don't mean everytime we had a mission because yes there were some legitimate incidents along the way. Korea and Viet Nam were the first is a long series of asinine wars. And look at what is going on as I write this, we still have troops in two countries that are sucking the lives out of your brave young soldiers.

These were Bush's wars and I think we should send him over there to straighten it all out. I mean after all he is the one who walked around playing fly boy in that uniform claiming to be "Comamnder in Chief", so lets see just how damn brave he really is.

Anyway, enough rambling from the desert. Hope you all had a good Halloween.

Terry R. Wolff

SNOWS COME EARLY TO THE DESERT

Today and yesterday were beautiful Indian Summer Days. With that said, it is the three days prior that were cold and damp. Yes we got snow and gray Seattle skys and the weather was the pits. I say this not because we got snow but because it was damp, miserable and so out of place. But all is forgiven and we are back to our beautiful southwest weather.

The Friday before last when I was in town picking up supplies for a sign I am working on, I also picked up a penetrating product to use on our Vigas (these are 8 inch in diameter log beams that are traditionally used throughout the southwest since the time of the early Anasazi cultures) and other outside exposed wood. So today I was finally able to start applying it. I got one that has some pigment in it which added some color to the faded wood. I also applied it to Lintels over the doors and windows and it sure made a difference. To keep the wood on our house and gates from looking too new, I had let them weather for about two years before I applied and sort of finish. Anyway, I am hoping that the weather holds up for a few days so I can get this project done. Tomorrow will be out as I have to head down to Albuquerque for an eye appointment I have at the VA hospital. Yeap, I guess I am a socialist just like all our Congressmen and Senators. Hey, I served and I will take what the government is offering me.

Those strawberries that I was keeping an eye on out in the patch got hammered by those three damp days of frigid temperatures. I mean they got down into the teens over night and never went above freezing which meant that we did not do too well with solar gain for both our heat and our electric. Fortunately we had enough wind to keep our two wind turbines producing.

I'm just taking a break from working outside and will be heading over to the wood shop to do some work on a series of knives I am in the process of making. Yeah, woodcarvings, carved signs, knives, solar, and the Solar Ranch to take care of, I am wondering how I find time to sleep, let alone work on my blogs and keep in touch with my friends and family. Damn, how did life get so complicated. Back in the early 90's I packed up the bus, trailer, and pick-up truck and headed west to Taos and the simpler life, so what the heck happened? Ah, maybe I do suffer from an adult version of ADD. Seems when I was a bit younger I could do this juggling act and enjoyed it as well but now it is starting to wear on me like a heavy, soggy old coat on a wet day.

So out to the studio I shall go and put another coat of varnish on the Twirl sign and set up my knife grinder so I can start the next step in getting those guys done. If you are interested in following my knife making adventure head over to my carving blog at carvinginfo.blogspot.com

Catch you next time with another Rambling from the Desert.

Terry R. Wolff