Umm, About that Car in Your Driveway

[journey11]

I hear ya, Marshall... We've been looking for a transmission for our truck for over 3 months now. A couple of SUV's have been an option for the same transmission, but still no luck. I would have thought an old F-150 was a very common truck. I need my manure-hauling-machine back in working order before spring! My husband is about fit to be tied trying to get his firewood from the farm to here. Hate to beg and borrow.

My father has Parkinsons (diagnosed at age 45 and he's 57 now). He's always been an "I'll do it myself" kinda guy. Still loves to work with his tractor. His health has been mostly good and the progression of the disease has been slow for him, but I worry about those days coming... Dementia is part of the disease, end stage. I don't think I could keep him from doing something he wanted to do, by no amount of force or persuasion. :/ He gets to working out on the farm until the wee hours of the morning (gotta get 'er done) and my brother calls just as I'm heading to bed, asking if I've seen him. We all get worried to death. He tries to do way more physical labor than he can do anymore and often ends up hurting himself. I can't tell you how many times I've been sent to drive out there and verify that he's ok (I live closest).

 

[so lucky]

Journey, when you dad is working is probably when he feels most alive and "ok." Anything a person with a debilitating illness can do to make them feel still useful is strong medicine. I hope he still has many years of being able to putter around. Hugs to you and your family.

 

[digitS']

Never know how these threads are gonna go . . . here you are talking about my dementia .

Journey, your dad is really young for problems like that. I sympathize with what he must be going thru. I'm not as old as either of the parties in the news story. The only way I can personalize their experience is to relate how I was supposed to join my mom for lunch one day. Meeting at her place of work was the plan and we would go together to the restaurant. I wondered why Mom had parked outside of her parking lot and in front of a church. The door was unlocked so I got in on the passenger side. Then, I realized I was not in her car!!!

I was in my 20's when that happened. These days, I have just begun taking thyroid . . ! Three years I have tested sub-normal and the MD told me that I should begin. I thought of this as an old-lady's disease! Yeah well, 20% of women past 65 have hypothyroidism. I don't know about the guys but . . . here I am.

What has convinced me to give this stuff a try is reading a study of those treated with thyroid supplements while not having hypothyroid symptoms. They had been treated unsuccessfully for depression. It seems that 25% of those folks improved. Wow!

I may have gotten a lot of that wrong and don't mean to be suggesting that people with clinical depression should be taking thyroid. Still, it probably indicates that those who actually do have blood tests that show hypothyroidism had best go ahead and take the supplement or risk winding down to a standstill.

Pain from injury and arthritis means that I don't get much sleep. See, anti-inflammatories and steroids have messed up my stomach so much that they are no longer an option. I get tired . . . doing nothing . . . If a hormonal imbalance is contributing to the fatigue, it is time to try to deal with that. Soon, it will be time to act on plans that are castles in the air, just out there waiting for me to put foundations under them!

If brain fog and absent-mindedness was a problem in my 20's . . . . .

ol' Steve

 

[897tgigvib]

All this talk about hypOthyroid. Mine is hypERthyroid. The 3, the 4, and the hsg or whatever initials they call it, all take turns spiking, and I can tell when 2 of them spike together. The skin on the palms of my hands peels, and I feel like I need to be President. Lol! It's true. The doctors at the VA don't seem to want to do anything about it yet.

I found the website of one of the Wanigan Associates, Russ Crow. I did not know any of them was still living! Those were the Bean Collector guys. I'm using a new browser and still figuring how to save favorites, but I'll find it again using google search. Holy jumpin Jehosophat, he has a lot of Beans! A whole Hill of Beans!

Jehosophat was the guy who knew how to write 4,000 years ago when not very many folks could cypher or write. So after him, other folks who could write sometimes got named Jehosophat.

 

[digitS']

Well Marshall, getting back to those car parts . . .

I spent 12 unsuccessful months trying to find a tailgate! Dodge makes its pickup models in 3 year groups so I've even had some trips to garages for the wrong tailgate. Buying a new tailgate was gonna cost me $400 and didn't come with hardware! I don't have a tailgate so I don't have the hardware. Cheese Louise!

Louise was the sister of Lucille, BB King's guitar. Lucille apparently has gone thru musical reincarnations but Louise just went into cheese. Cheese and beans are good together, wrapped in a tortilla.

Steve

 

[ninnymary]

Steve, I'm glad I'm not the only one that gets into wrong cars! BTW, I didn't understand your smilely pm?

Mary

 

[897tgigvib]

See? There really only needs to be 2 models of tailgate, quarter ton, and half/3 quarter ton. Ok, I understand in different colors, but they can come in neutral grey or pre primered, or maybe black or white. All the bolt on stuff, hinges and straps should be identical!

 

[digitS']

Just a little "shy" smiley, Mary. I thought you might want it for an avatar . . .

Really, I thought that it might provoke you to use one of your own photo's for an avatar . You could do a little cropping of a picture to get it down to avatar size.

Marshall, color at this point would make no difference. What seemed odd was that a couple guys had them in their garages but didn't know what model they came off of. Discouraging that those 2 were the only ones I found to go look at. Skeered to advertise in "wanted" since that would probably mean I'd be dealing with a thief.

Steve

 

[thistlebloom]

Steve have you tried Spaldings wrecking yard? ( In Spokane ) Not sure if that's the right name... seems as though they have everything there. Dh was on a mission a few years ago for something for his Jeep and he found it there.

Going on a rabbit trail now, but I have often wondered why somebody doesn't start a Henry Ford type car line. You know sort of "you can get it in any color you like as long as it's black" idea. Only not pertaining to color. Maybe I'm the only one who prefers just the basics, manual transmission, manual windows, manual seats....I don't need my vehicle to talk to me or sense the indoor temperature or have heated seats that rise and recline and massage. Just start up and be reliable. A heater and a radio are kinda nice.

DH used to do all the wrenching on our vehicles. Not a hobby in the slightest, but an economic necessity. Can't really do that so much anymore with the computer assisted vehicles, and ours our pretty simple comparatively. I think he may be secretly relieved that now if it's something he doesn't have the tools for they go to Clyde, our local mechanic.

 

[digitS']

Went to Spalding and asked, they could get one in that cost $20 less than the Dodge dealership would install it for me. (If I had the hardware.)

I went to Pull & Save (beside Spalding), got in line & waited, then hurried in to pay my $2 so that I was an official employee, or whatever it is, and not be of concern for their insurance. Then, wandered out with my tools into the yard. Twenty minutes later I was finished looking. It would have been nice if they'd been able to tell me what was left on that model Dodge in their yard - no tailgate, anyway.

I've decided to replace the replacement canopy with one that has a full-size door. That was what it had when I bought it but it was a monstrous steel thing. (I actually made a fair amount of $ when I sold it.) The replacement canopy was handy but old. The pickup may never have had a tailgate.

Steve