The Joys of Owning a Sailboat!

The joys of boat ownership struck once again this week. I discovered the need to overhaul the aft Head plumbing system and replace the bladder holding tank. Thank goodness it was no where the mess the forward head provided!

I finally got up the courage after staring at the new parts for a few days and used a couple of rainy days to get stuck in to the work. For some reason, Frady the Ship's Cat and dedicated Sniffer of All Things whose secondary duty is keeping a nose in whatever I am doing on the boat did a quick sniff at ten paces and bolted for the beach. I wish I could have gone with him.

The fun bit is done....old bladder removed...hoses cleaned out....new anti-siphon loop installed and lots of smell good and Pine Sol doused in the bladder compartment. After a final scrubbing and wipe down with Acetone....a couple of coats of pretty white gloss paint and it will be time to hook up the new bladder...do a leak check and cover things up.

The gas grill continues to baffle me. That is easy to do it seems. I visited my favorite marine supply store (not....) and bought a new control valve for the grill and a new burner tube. I immediately found the valve had the wrong nozzle on it and would not fit the grill.....and the bolt securing the burner tube is welded tight and cannot be removed. I gave up on the grill and will look for the Incredible Hulk's Big Brother and see if he can twist that one screw off for me as it isn't going to be done by a mere mortal man.

Heard from lots of friends this week. One told me of his pending job change....seems he finally had enough of dealing with a troublesome personality at his work place. I know he will be missed by his customers.

Sailing season approaches.....looks like the cold weather has gone and the trees are blooming now. I expect to start seeing the alligators swimming around the marina here....and hope the Cat is smarter and quicker than they are or he will be gator chow.

Survived St. Paddy's Day........ Barely!

St. Paddy's Day was great fun. Lots of people out celebrating...lots of Guinness....like lots and lots and lots of Guinness. I lived up to my promise....remembered my way home and remembered getting home. The day after I saw someone had enjoyed a curry meal while I was in bed....the least they could have done is clean the galley after they finished. The 18th was spent doing first echelon maintenance upon my eyelids checking for light leaks. I am happy to report all is well with my eyelids...they work fine after a very exhaustive checking.

This morning the Cat fell into the cabin screaming in pain....and was thrashing around in a panic of sorts. I rolled out of bed and found he had some rough grass stalks lodged in his throat. After we got that out of him he was instantly better. The poor little guy had been choking on it and made his way to the boat seeking help. I think I can safely call him a Shipmate now.

I see where Obama withdrew his plans for the VA to bill Disabled Veterans for their Service Connected Wounds treatment. That lasted a total of 48 hours before he saw the light.

Now I guess it is the Special Olympics folks that have a bone to pick with the man and rightfully so. Our President is supposed to set the example for the rest of us and making light of the "Special Olympics" just isn't cool no matter how innocent he meant the comment to be. He has to realize he will be held to a higher standard than he was in Illinois and the Senate. But then....with recent activities what standards are there in the Senate.

The Wearing of the Green!

Today is St. Patrick's Day...a grand excuse for a run ashore and a few pints of Irish Mother's Milk (that's Guinness Stout for those of you not blessed with an appreciation for things Irish) and perhaps a bit of Irish Music.

I promise to be a good boy....and not only remember how to get home but remember doing it.

Windy day....mixed sunshine and cloud and a bit cool yet for any outside chores on the boat.

The started off as being one in anticipation for some laughs and things Irish but early on the only thing that appeared was my Irish like temper.

While reading the news on the internet this morning I read an article...then two...then three that reported our recently elected President plans to force Private Health Care companies to pay for Disabled Veteran's treatment at the VA hospitals and clinics. At first I thought I needed a second cup of coffee as that just sounded way...way..way crazy.

I had the second cup and it made things worse as I read the articles again and they also reported he meant that to include treatment for wounds, injuries, and illness received while in combat and resulted in the Veteran becoming a Disabled Veteran.

A while back I wrote about seeing a young Marine in a wheel chair having his lunch at Cubbie's on College Street here in Wilmington. Back then I was moved by seeing him there and knowing what a terrible price he paid for serving his country.....us...you and I...all of us.

Now, I read our newly elected President wants to make him pay for his own medical care if he has health insurance from a private provider. Somehow that just seems so....so....uncomprehendingly, morally, utterly wrong in every aspect.

How can Obama think it right to place that burden anywhere but squarely upon the Nation that asked that young man to go off and fight a war on our behalf. Why would he do that to World War Two, Korean War, Vietnam War, Gulf War, and now Iraq and Afghanistan War veterans?

As the articles I read explained.....when National Commanders of Veteran's groups like the VFW, DAV, and American Legion tried to discuss the moral obligation the Nation has to take care of its Veterans wounded in combat....Obama refused to discuss that and moved to other issues. These men, representing millions of Veterans were refused a full and fair discussion by Obama despite meeting them in person.

What are the American people supposed to draw from these disclosures about the Obama plans?

What are future generations of Americans supposed to think when confronted with sending their Sons and Daughters off to fight wars?

The questions I ask of people now are simple....what if this was your Son, Brother, Father in that wheel chair at Cubbie's?

Why should his private insurance provider have to fund his health care for wounds received in combat?

Will employers refuse to hire Disabled Veterans due to their additional health insurance costs?

Will the Disabled Veteran and his family suffer financial hardship after having to pay the Deductible on their health insurance plan just for treatment of those life time wounds.

Will the Disabled Veteran run out of life time coverage and wind up with no health care coverage for him and his family?

What will this change do to the premiums the Disabled Veteran has to pay?

Oh....one small thing....despite more than 50% of Disabled Veterans being eligible for Medicare Part A and B, the government does not allow Medicare to pay the VA but will require Private Insurance Companies to do so.

Is this the kind of "Change' Obama Voters wanted?

Idle Thoughts!

Pouring rain today....hard to keep my mind on getting something accomplished....what with the pitter-patter of the rain drops on the deck! The Sleep Monster is perched upon my shoulder and whispering softly to me...."Sleep...Sleep....you are getting sleepy!" Don't I wish it was Siren's calling me to the reef! At least they are easy to look at where as this Sleep Monster tires your eyes.

The good news is I got one of my water leaks sorted out and now I can hope to find the bed dry instead of soaking wet. It seems a Dorade vent installed by a previous owner had a stuck float in it that allowed water to build up and run into the locker above the head of the aft bunk. I think I have the sister leak to that one located and will get after it when the weather dries.

Frady has been gone all day despite the rain....silly Cat! He'll show up like last night soaking wet and looking to be toweled off before he cuddles up with Mr. Hotty the oil filled radiator. They have become the closest of friends this Winter. He just came bouncing in the hatch and as I figured is soaking wet with muddy feet. He got his toweling off, some pets, reminded me that breakfast was overdue (He took off early this morning and politely left me snoozing.) Chow was followed by his bath and sauna next to the radiator. Next he will be in fuzzy ball snoring away.

Every hear a Cat snore? He snorts like a Bear Sow digging turnips!

Stock market was up for the fifth day in a row but fell back about break even. That is fine until someone in the guvmint runs their fool mouth and says the sky is falling and it will tank yet again. Funny how the economy is now fundamentally "well" and things are turning around. Did not take the media and Obama to wave their wand over that situation. Now I guess they will turn to other messes Dubya left for O-Man to clean up.

I wonder how all this Porkulus and Ear Markulus will be paid for when the government runs out of taxpayers money to spend? It does seem no matter how much we send up to Washington or Raleigh....they always can spend more than we send. At some point it will be much simpler for us to all sit on the porch and drink our Boone's Farm out of brown paper bags and wait for da check to come.

After trying to explain my worries about Obama and the Liberal's running both Congress and the White House and being tartly rebuffed; I now am getting some satisfaction in forwarding news articles in growing numbers that bear out what I had to say. It ain't exactly like you have to be a rocket scientist to know both places under one party is a very bad idea.....ala Bush and the Republicans for six years.

We were told to embrace change. A very slight majority of us did. A great number of us did not and have not. Among them are the ones that were going to provide that "Change".

We heard how the economy was running off a cliff and a really, really, really huge Stimulus Bill was needed to kick start the economy. The economy seems to be turning around already.....and not one red cent has been spent on stimulus yet....and will not for another year probably.

We were told Ear Marks were history.....and we just got a Omnibus Spending Bill with almost 9,000 Earmarks valued at over Three Billion Dollars. Chuckie Schumer said the American People did not care. Obama said that Bill and the Three Billion Dollars was "old" business. He also said money was supposed to "Trickle down from government to the people". Warren Buffet who voted for Obama and now is the second richest man in the country due to his business interests tanking....is saying he thinks Oman's "thinking is muddled". How's that for a case of buyer's remorse?

Odd that.....isn't the people's money that gets sent up to Washington in the first place? Why don't we cut out the middle man and just keep our money to begin with?

I swear I heard Liberal Democrats say "Trickle Down Economics does not work!"!

We heard about how bad deficits were and then we got the largest ever deficit spending Bill in the history of the nation. The deficit will grow more in the next couple of years than it has in the entire time this country has been in existence. The same week as Obama signed that Bill he then held a White House Summit complete with Working Groups to find ways to spend money wisely and promised to balance the budget before he leaves office in eight years. Anyone want to tell me what a politician's promise is worth when comes to reducing debt, cutting spending, lowering taxes, and looking out for the people?

To make things even crazier, we learn the White House is sponsoring and guiding an organized attack on some citizens who are opposed to Obama's social spending and intrusion into the private enterprise system. Last time we had something similar it was Richard Nixon and his "Enemies List" which the Democrats loved telling us all about. Funny how these same folks are now bally hooing this new "Enemies Thing"!

Perhaps the Liberals might consider what they are doing as it seems to be falling short of garnering wide support across the country, in fact there are actually Middle Aged White Folks out there protesting.....now hang on....by God that is some real change!

I have been reading of these Tea Party things going on. It would appear the Silent Majority is beginning to get a bit vociferous. Five thousand gathered in Cinncinati and Fifteen Thousand in Fremont, California over the weekend I guess with news now of 115 more Cities planning their own events. The LA Times did not mention the Tea Party as they were short of space due to their news room advertising an anti-war and anti-globalization rally that is being planned for some time in the future. When was the last time the Middle Class of this country started marching in the streets over an issue besides St. Patrick's Day?

Perhaps these events should have been scheduled for Paddy's Day as after all it is about the "Green"!

The best sign in a photo was the little girl holding a sign that said "Where's My Free Pony?"

Time To Get Caught Up!

The Winter Doldrums have taken their toll as evidenced by the lack of postings lately. The weather keeps teasing us....gets warm for a couple of days then turns windy, cold, rainy or just bleak and gloomy.

I attended another Cape Fear Singles Happy Hour last night at the "Circa 22" and enjoyed meeting several people. The Guinness was good and the company was most pleasant and hopefully a few will turn up for some sailing once the weather does finally turn good.

Good and bad news on the helicopter front....The PHI S-76 that crashed in Louisana is now thought to have been caused by a bird strike although no good answer on why the pilots lost control is forth coming. One survivor out of nine persons aboard on that one. A Bond Helicopters Super Puma flew into the water while making a night approach to an oil rig but fortunately all survived with minor injuries. Very tragic news in Newfoundland....a Cougar S-92 crashed after declaring an emergency and only one survivor from that one with seventeen dead or missing.

I watched a couple of Documentaries this week. One told the account of Sophie Scholl and the White Rose Movement she was a part in during World War Two. She, her brother, and some other students at the University in Munich got caught distributing Anti-Nazi/Anti-Hitler pamphlets and were arrested, tried, and excuted by guillotine. It was as moving a film as I have ever seen. The other film dealt with the atrocities committed by the Japanese Army in China and in other places they conquered during the war.

Ship's Cat Frady has a new game. There is a nice tree near the Marina Office that he enjoys climbing. It has lots of forks and branches that are easy for him to move around on. He crouches down by the wooden piling that marks off the parking lot and when I scratch the tree bark above my head he pounces....jumps to the top of the piling then into the tree and swats at my hand. Two or three repetitions of this and he is happy to go sight seeing on up into the top of the tree. I then head on into the shower and find him perched on the deck railing waiting for me when I come out.

Jessie, the wiener dog on the trawler across from my boat still has Frady's attention. Jessie barks at Frady and the Cat will perch on the bow of Luna and coldly stare at Jessie. Max, the Boxer at the shore end of the dock has treed Frady a time or two. I keep hoping ol' Frady will stand his ground one day as he is twice as big as Jessie and Max is just a big ol' goof who only wants to play.

Al Becker, Dockmaster at Matthews Point, spent a couple of days visiting. His Lady Sarah gave him a kitchen pass for the his weekend and he travelled down in his RV. We did the walking tour of Fort Fisher, visited the Museum, and had a few foaming ales at Jack Mackarals in Kure Beach. Later I took him to the Confederate Memorial at the OakDale Cemetery and explained to him why there were no memorials to Yankees in this part of the world.