Nothing is as easy as it looks

That would be Murphy's Law #14.  It isn't.  Nothing is as easy as it looks.   Take that neighbor of yours.  You think they've got it made.  Everything on the outside is picture perfect.  Money.  Good looks. Expensive home and cars. Well paying jobs.  Model marriage.  Storybook kids.  Their shit doesn't stink.    It all looks good and easy.

Once you get to know people like that it's an easy statement to make when it's said, "It ain't no bed of roses."  Everyone is human and with that comes the human condition.  Nothing is easy.  If anything can go wrong it will.  Shit happens to all of us.  No exception to that rule.  But you knew all this, didn't you.

What you didn't know is what's in the pictures posted here.  Take the first one:  It's the lake and the ramp from the parking lot down into the marina where Sparkle Plenty is moored.  The ramp during the summer months was straight across onto the docks.  Straight.  No incline.  That's how much water has been dumped from the lake since the first of October.  There are a ton of small islands popping up around the lake that makes navigation a serious deal for Bob.  You see Sparkle Plenty has a wing, leaded keel.  Couple thousand pounds of lead.  The draft on her is about 5 feet from waterline to the bottom of the keel.  Hit a partially submerged island and you've got a problem removing the boat from whence she was wedged.  Nothing is as easy as it looks.  So I sail carefully.

There remains about 40 feet of water under the boat in its berth.  I like that.

Slightly out of focus here (posted the wrong photo leaving the in focus one on the desktop by error) is Grace decorating our tree this past Saturday.   Next time I'll post the better of the two.   You thought posting pictures on Blogger was easy but oh, no!  Nothing is as easy as it looks.  I like things just right - perfect.  This post is not exactly right and it bothers me.  Nonetheless here it is.

Yesterday's appointment with the family physician went well.

First words:

Dr:   "Judging by your forehead I see you've been seeing Doc Kraffert."

I had to laugh.  Apparently more than a few people have fallen victim to Kraffert's skin treatment approach.

We talk for a while and go over what's happened over the past week.  Wifey sits attentively listening and contributing when asked.

Dr:  "Well, if we were backpacking in the high Sierra and you began to exhibit these symptoms I'd tell you to take a couple of aspirins and cowboy up.  But since we're not and in the interest of being certain that what you're experiencing is not just a matter of banging your head while sailing (which I did royally last week) let's go through with the tests at the hospital and see what the results are.  I doubt that there will be anything other than a picture of fine health.

There is an outside chance that you are having mini-strokes or that you have shingles or possibly Bell's Palsy.  Time and the tests will tell.  You do need to get your blood pressure under control (I always have high blood pressure during any visit to any physician).  Buy a monitoring device and keep track of your b.p. daily."


So, it seems all good.  But one can never be sure.  One of Murphy's Laws states, "If anything can go wrong it can and it will." 

Ultra sound test on the carotid arteries today.   MRI sometime this week.  Hopefully shit doesn't happen.