My Mobile Home Gourmet Blog
Sunday 2026.5.10
Happy Mother's Day
Hopefully, you did something special for your mom today. Mine passed away in 1988; so, this is a day to remember her.
An Enlightening Conversation
I had an interesting conversation with my urologist on Wednesday. I got the blood panel test he requested, but not the CT scan (which I don't like because they are high in radiation). I told him about the article I read (see Wednesday's blog post) and I said something I thought he might not understand. I told him I could see the dominoes starting to fall. He immediately knew what I meant. I hadn't realized the expression was common.
You've seen those aligned dominoes setups. You knock over the first one and it knocks over the next one, which hits the next one, etc. Aging is like that. I fell and dislocated my shoulder. That didn't heal perfectly. I had prostate surgery; now I need to pee through a straw. I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes (which I am controlling well), high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. The bump on my nose was diagnosed as basal cell carcinoma. There is another bump on my lower left eyelid. There is a lump in my left palm, which feels hard, like a cyst, and it's growing a leg into my palm. The ailments are coming faster than I can deal with them.
The doctor said he no longer requests CT scans or lab tests for his patients who are aged 75 or older. It's a good time to transition into the final stage of life.
I've said I am a young 75, but that is because I am mentally young. I have a good mind. But the body and mind are not the same. My body is in decline. On the positive side, maybe I won't develop Alzheimer's. There is no history of it in my family. There is no history of cancer either, but here I am.
In Wednesday's blog post I said I might buy myself an expensive ice cream maker for my 80th birthday. I put it on my Amazon wish list as a reminder. However, I might get it for my 75th birthday instead. I'll be 75 in July. Meanwhile, I'm researching recipes for sugar-free ice cream.
Vine
Sometimes Amazon Vine offers a doozie of an item. On Thursday there was a Sony Bravia 4K 65-inch flat screen TV. The tax would have cost me only about $260 — a great price to pay for a new TV. However, where would I put it? I already have a 65" TV. Where would I store it? Do I need a spare? Although it was tempting, I resisted.
Meanwhile, I'm two weeks ahead of schedule for meeting my quota for the current evaluation period.
Something Amusing
We played the new Walkabout Mini Golf course, Blokhaven, on Thursday. In the background is a damaged container ship. One of the cargo containers had broken open, spilling wooden toy blocks into the water. I told my friends the container ship had evidently tried to sail through the Strait of Hormuz.
The course was fun. Lots of entertaining details. I did the fox hunt on my own in advance because last time, when we did the Hollywood course fox hunt, they left me behind. I'm old. I can't solve the puzzles as quickly as I used to. Doing the fox hunt alone this time was actually quite pleasant. There was no rush to keep up with the others. I proceeded at a leisurely pace, enjoying the puzzle challenges. And, I earned the new putter.
Weight
My weight is hardly worth mentioning this week. After an encouraging meeting with my urologist on Wednesday, I chose to celebrate with some salty foods. The result was a lot of water retention caused by the salt. It might take several weeks to recover.
Wednesday 2026.5.6
First, an Observation
I have a note on my calendar for yesterday, May 5th. It reads, "End of my catheter woes 2023." I'm not shy about talking about my need to use catheters to drain my bladder. I won't go into the history; I've done that in past blog posts. A few details might be okay.
The first catheters prescribed by my urologist worked great. I used them for many months. Then, they stopped being useful. They wouldn't enter my bladder. I struggled, a lot. It was awful. I eventually talked with the doctor about it (I should have consulted him sooner) and he prescribed a different catheter, one that is more rigid. I can easily push it through the sphincter into my bladder.
I've been using the new style of catheter for three years and all is good. I'm still not happy about peeing through a hose, but it has its advantages. If something catastrophic happens to a family member on the East Coast, my excuse for not rushing to their side is that I would need to ship a carton of catheters first. I'm "stuck" at home. I don't feel stuck; I like being home.
And that leads to:
End of Life Issues
I could live to be 100. My father's mother lived to be 93. With the progress of geriatric medicine during the next 25 years, 100 is a reasonable probability. But, do I want to live that long? No.
I've been watching the CNN series, "Kara Swisher Wants to Live Forever." She explores the myths and for-profit schemes of those who promote longevity. Most of it is bunk.
In episode three she interviewed oncologist Ezekiel Emanuel. He wrote an article for The Atlantic, titled: "Why I hope to Die at 75." I found and read the essay. His argument is that the body starts to decline more rapidly at age 75. Past 75, he only wants palliative care to keep him comfortable until the end comes.
One thing he said really stuck with me. "Health care hasn't slowed the aging process so much as it slowed the dying process." I've said it many times, "As we get old, we lose friends and gain doctors."
I'll be 75 in July. I'm a young 75. I've seen people younger than myself who look a lot older. Some are a lot sicker. Some died younger. So, I don't have issues with living beyond 75. However, I already see some decline in my body and mind.
75 seems a little too young to change to an end-of-life stage. I'll evaluate my body's changes as I approach 80. I think 80 is a good time to surrender to nature. Let the natural aging process work normally. No more "Wellness" exams, blood tests, CT scans, etc.
Like Swisher, no one really wants to live forever. Death is inevitable. Just accept it gracefully and be at peace with oneself. I might help it along by eating pizza and pasta again. I will probably buy another ice cream maker — the expensive $331 model with its own compressor — as a present to myself for my 80th birthday.
Okay. Enough of the morbidity. How about some fun stuff?
Mini Golf
Tomorrow is a big day. Mighty Coconut, the makers of Walkabout Mini Golf, is releasing their latest course — Blokhaven. You can watch the teaser with this link:
Or CLICK HERE.
As I mentioned last week, the course consists of those block shapes we played with as children. My Kentucky friends and I are really looking forward to it. We play mini golf every week. We played yesterday. They each won one game. I didn't win any. That didn't bother me. I really enjoy the association.
The Tomato Chronicles
What would a Wednesday be without the latest news about my tomato plants? They're thriving, even the experiment in the little planter. The uppermost leaves of the Big Boy are now at the next rung in the tomato cage. The Better Boy is lagging behind in height, but it is producing more flowers. It might be shorter because it is growing two vines; the Big Boy is one vine.
I am really curious about the tomatoes I might get because there are two different varieties in the planter. I brush the flowers with my finger to pollinate them. Some of the flowers get pollen from the other plant. Essentially, I'm cross-pollinating my tomatoes. Maybe I'll name them Big Better Boys.
The success of the rooted cutting gives me hope I might be able to grow my own plants from cuttings next year. I tried this last year, but the cuttings didn't survive. Even if cuttings fail, I can always buy new seedlings at the Garden Center.
Sunday 2026.5.3
Amazon Vine
I hope I don't annoy people with my talking about Vine. I sometimes sense others here are put off about it, as if I'm bragging about getting free stuff that they can't get. Lately, I've stopped talking about it altogether, unless they ask. However, I'll still blog about it.
Yesterday was the day my latest evaluation period for Gold Tier status came up for renewal. As I blogged about more than once, I had fulfilled my requirements. Therefore, during the latter part of April I requested almost nothing. On April 18th I ordered a box of Korean brown rice chips that had a taxable value of $0.00. Otherwise, I stood back and simply observed how I might work the program to my benefit. My goal is to reduce my income tax liability as much as possible. I don't want to owe taxes at the end of the year; I want a refund.
I figured out the system a little late for 2026. So far this year, I have accumulated items with a total taxable value of around $850. For 2025 the total was $4,779. So, this year is much better.
I believe my observations have been fruitful. Amazon typically adds a new batch of items, called a "drop," late in the evening, often after 10:00 — sometimes earlier, sometimes later. There are usually several items with no taxable value. The most common are dietary supplements. Those are the easiest to deal with. I simply empty the pills into the trash and toss the bottle into the recycling bin. ChatGPT gives me excellent reviews to submit without having to actually use the product. (I don't need to test a product for feminine urinary tract health.)
I gave myself a goal of requesting three or four items per week, which would satisfy my quota to remain in the Gold Tier. Often, I see enough truly tax-free items in one day to meet my goal for the week. However, with the understanding of the $0.00 taxable value comes another perspective.
In the Gold Tier I can order up to eight items per day. There is no limit on the value. So, if I stick with items having no taxable value, I really don't need to restrict myself to three or four items per week. Now, the sky is the limit.
The trick is to be diligent. I keep my laptop computer in front of me while I'm watching TV in the evening. (An evening football game is best.) I check Vine for new items often. As soon as I see something I can request, I immediately order it. Sometimes I get it; sometimes someone grabs it first. That used to upset me, but with so many items available, it's easy to simply move on and request something else.
I do have a wish list of items I want. Besides coffee filters and paper towels, I look for things like cotton bed sheets (not for shirts, but for bedding). The "Recommended for you" page is sometimes a good source of items.
I read somewhere that Amazon no longer offers large bulky items. I'm thankful I got my compact clothes dryer. Most of the items now are small replacement parts, mostly for automobiles.
Overall, I'm disappointed with Amazon Vine. It's not the gold mine it once seemed to be. However, I maintain my Gold Tier status for the rare — now very rare — event when I see something really worth having.
More Downsizing
In Wednesday's blog post I admitted to having amassed 100 shirts. Shame on me. I'm not tossing any shirts in the trash. I tailored those shirts myself; so, there is a little bit of pride sewn into them. However, I like to keep a handful of "house shirts" that I wear at home. I like those shirts to have short sleeves. So, I am moving a few shirts from daily wear to house wear by shortening the sleeves.
Why I Build in Pairs
In a recent blog post I mentioned the Blu-ray disc (BD) writer in this computer failing. It lasted more than ten years; so, I got my money's worth out of it. This past week I decided to know for certain. I switched writers with the other computer, identical because I built them both at the same time (November, 2015). In the other computer, the suspect drive wouldn't read a disc. In fact, it went from bad to worse, making a grinding noise. So, the problem was in the drive, not the cables.
Now I must decide what to purchase as a replacement. I tried ordering an external BD burner from Amazon. That failed right out of the box. Thankfully, Amazon is good about offering full refunds. Internal drives, as I said in an earlier blog post, are prohibitively expensive. No one orders them anymore. So, manufacturers need to ask a higher price to cover the cost of producing fewer drives. That's why I tried an external drive. They're affordable.
I can order from Newegg, a retailer I trust, but the drive ships from Hong Kong. I can order from Amazon and pay more, but I have the advantage of an easy refund if necessary. I'm still thinking about it. I have noticed the price coming down. They were once $500; now they're around $300.
Books
I started reading again. I used to enjoy sitting outside on the deck during warm sunny days, reading a book. With the cooler, and sometimes wetter, winter weather, that practice was set aside. A few days ago I finished reading the Terry Pratchett book, Monstrous Regiment. This week I started A Hat Full of Sky, also by Pratchett. Those two books are more intended for a young female audience. So far, I have read 31 of his books. These latest ones are not as laugh-out-loud funny as the earlier books, but they're good amusement.
A Little Political
Regarding the message of seashells, 86 47, in the sand: I worked in a restaurant when I was in college. 86 meant something was sold out. If the kitchen ran out of chocolate mousse, someone would write "86 chocolate mousse" on the white board next to the entrance into the dining room so that servers would be aware of it when a diner asked for the dessert. I see the seashell message as looking forward to the time when Trump will no longer be working in the White House.
I also take the message in the sand another way. 86 means "sold out," i.e. Trump sold out America.
As for the indictment of former FBI director James Comey: Todd Blanche is the "acting" Attorney General (AG). Trump hates Comey because he wouldn't bend to the will of the president. Blanche's indictment of Comey is an act of kissing Trump's ass in the hope of being moved up to full AG.
Weight
It wasn't a great week, although it started well. There were three days when my weight was 188, which was a good improvement. Then I got into some salty foods and added water weight during the latter half of the week. The average for the week showed a loss of about half a pound.