What should Dahhlink do?

[gailkate]

I said I'd start a thread with friendly suggestions for dahhlink to while away the hours of recuperation. Could be BB has a list of things he can get done with a broken knee but we could still offer ideas.

I started with building ships in bottles (which he could sell while pitifully ensconced on the dock?) or learning a new musical instument. Maybe a dulcimer.

So...what could he do that's one or more of the following:
a. fun
b. character-building
c. potentially remunerative
d. something else?

[liriodendron]

Scarily, I have a dulcimer under my bed. I bought it over 20 years ago at a folk festival and all I ever learned to play was a very basic version of "Go Tell Aunt Rhody". I think taking up the dulcimer would be a very fine thing. And after he's mastered it, perhaps Dahhlink could give me some lessons.

I'll keep thinking about some other activities.

[BoatBabe]

That's Too Funny Lirio!

I'm going for it:

Dulcimer playing! (Is that hammered or strummed?)

Building ships in bottles sounds highly entertaining, and potentially remunerative, which is always a good thingy.

;D

I'm also voting for:

*Collecting email jokes for laughs when I get home

*Shopping Craig's List for that desperately needed table and chairs for the aft deck

*Growing corn on the aft deck because these frozen corn bags for ice packs aren't going to last forever

*Calling me with News Breaks

*I'm sure there are more things WAY More important


Please Help . . .

[jspnrvr]

Maybe he could just practice being a senior flatulent. I remember the bench out in front of the barbershop at home. I bet there's someplace like that around the marina, or wherever his other contractor buddies hang out. Whittle, spit and tell lies.

[gailkate]

Typical man - whittle, spit and tell lies. Honestly, Jay, you could at least pretend to think of something constructive.
OTOH, if he could whittle something marketable, that would be okey-doke. Dulcimers, for example. Driftwood lamps. Seattle seahawks and huskies.

Frozen corn for ice packs sounds ingenious. No reason you can't re-freeze them indefinitely, as long as you don't forget which ones are no longer edible. (Eewww, wouldn't that be a bummer.)

Memorizing songs with lots of verses to sing you when you get home - hymns, Leonard Cohen, In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida. Or he could include a song when he calls with the news bulletins.

[joew]

He could record talking books in a dulcet baritone voice.

[BoatBabe]

May 18, 2010 21:41:21 GMT -5 jspnrvr said:

Maybe he could just practice being a senior flatulent. I remember the bench out in front of the barbershop at home. I bet there's someplace like that around the marina, or wherever his other contractor buddies hang out. Whittle, spit and tell lies.

This is a great idea, Jay! I think I'll get him a button that reads "Senior Flatulent." That will finish his look, pinned to his yellow plaid jacket!

[BoatBabe]

May 18, 2010 23:32:40 GMT -5 gailkate said:

Typical man - whittle, spit and tell lies. Honestly, Jay, you could at least pretend to think of something constructive.
OTOH, if he could whittle something marketable, that would be okey-doke. Dulcimers, for example. Driftwood lamps. Seattle seahawks and huskies.

Frozen corn for ice packs sounds ingenious. No reason you can't re-freeze them indefinitely, as long as you don't forget which ones are no longer edible. (Eewww, wouldn't that be a bummer.)

Memorizing songs with lots of verses to sing you when you get home - hymns, Leonard Cohen, In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida. Or he could include a song when he calls with the news bulletins.

Back to Dulcimers: I'm really voting for fretted dulcimers, as the hammered ones are So Darned Big, although I love to hear them. (I just don't want to store them!)

Yeah, Gail, the frozen corn packages in our freezer are Only for ice bags for that exact reason. They work great, although if I were the maker of frozen corn, I would use better plastic bags.

Honestly, you nailed one of Dahhlink's many talents: He knows all the words to the most obscure songs, and frequently sings them. This past weekend it was, "I like bread and butter . . . I like toast and jam . . . " in that high falsetto!

[BoatBabe]

May 19, 2010 1:57:07 GMT -5 joew said:

He could record talking books in a dulcet baritone voice.

Now there is a good idea, Joe! I'll search the Pretty Good Goods catalog for a dulcet baritone voice . . . ;D


Dahhlink actually got off the boat yesterday for a while. He wears his knee brace over his CarHarts for comfort, and then carries his crutches half of the time. Three different people said, "Hey, Man, I don't think you are supposed to do that . . ."

[jspnrvr]

May 18, 2010 23:32:40 GMT -5 gailkate said:

Typical man - whittle, spit and tell lies. Honestly, Jay, you could at least pretend to think of something constructive.
OTOH, if he could whittle something marketable, that would be okey-doke. Dulcimers, for example. Driftwood lamps. Seattle seahawks and huskies.

Frozen corn for ice packs sounds ingenious. No reason you can't re-freeze them indefinitely, as long as you don't forget which ones are no longer edible. (Eewww, wouldn't that be a bummer.)

Memorizing songs with lots of verses to sing you when you get home - hymns, Leonard Cohen, In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida. Or he could include a song when he calls with the news bulletins.

Gail, you haven't thought this out; just because whittling is combined with male expectoration is no reason to dismiss it. All Dahlink has to do is have a chunk of pine or cedar to whittle on. Those woods are naturally aromatic, so he saves his pile of shavings for Babe and when she comes home in the evening she can stitch up a bunch of little cloth balls and stuff them with the aromatic shavings. Bingo, instant sachets! You know, the kind you ladies use to keep your drawers, uh, dresser drawers, smelling fresh? Sell them at the little craft fairs and such? Why wouldn't it work?

[jspnrvr]

And the frozen vegetable ice pack is a trick we use a lot in the homes; I always tell people to get a couple bags of vegetables they don't like, since they'll have to throw them away. The veggies work real well since they can mold around the extremity being iced as opposed to some kind of frozen block or ice pack that will just rock back and forth.

[liriodendron]

Mine is a mountain dulcimer, made by Folkcraft, and it looks something like this.

[BoatBabe]

Now, that's a reasonably sized fretted dulcimer, Lirio, and the sound is great. (Pick another song )

I love the sound of a well-played hammered dulcimer. This could be a picture of Dahhlink at his next gig:







I hear the money is great!



Actually, Dahhlink went to Good Will yesterday and bought a backpack to carry grocery items down to the boat, while using his crutches, not carrying them.

[BoatBabe]

Course then on the other hand, I am terribly partial to 60s tie dye . . . as long as I don't have to wear it . . .

[BoatBabe]

Here's a picture of the majority of Dahhlink's day:




;D



You can tell that it is his left knee that is broken. It isn't as sharp as the right one.

[gailkate]

Love your illustrated storybook, BB!

I have to say that dahhlink shows grit and excellent intentions in purchasing that backpack so he can carry groceries. And it strikes me that he could spend a lot of his computer time looking up new recipes that he could surprise you with when you come home from the goldmines. We know he's a good cook, so this could be a time to hone his skills. Maybe he could get a license to sell lunches on the dock. Kelp wraps or something.

[Jane]

improveverywhere.com/missions/spotaneous-musicals/

They have done LOTS of fun missions! Many whiling-away hours on the computer available through this site!

[booklady]

Yesterday he could have played Pacman on Google. They had a free version of the game in honor of Packy's 30th birthday. I did take a few spins around the google board.

Perhaps in honor of Gus, Dahlink could read (aloud, and record) "Lonesome Dove." Remember the line, "what do you need legs for anyway? All you do is sit on the porch and drink."

[BoatBabe]

How fortuitous of you, Gail! Last night's dinner was curried chicken and rice, a recipe discovered on the internet.

"Google is your friend," he says.

And it was really good.


Jane, those impromptu public musicals are just great! I love them. _{Please don't forget that, although Dahhlink knows ALL the words to ALL the songs, he is truly and honestly tone-deaf. Just another lovable feature for me. Not so much for critics . . .}


Booky, that PacMan thingy is still on Google today! Just saw it while baking Jay's birthday cake.

[doctork]

Say, how about a visit to the day-old bread store for a large supply. Then Dahlink can sit outside and feed the birds, snap photos when they flock close by, while Mary Poppins sings "Feed the Birds," tuppence a bag...

[BoatBabe]

That's a Novel idea, doc . . .









I'll see how much the beekeeper's outfit costs.

;D

[gailkate]

You've come a long way, Babe.
I remember when you struggled to post a picture and now you're a master! That pic is priceless.

So what we're developing here is a bird-feeding, singing and strumming/hammering shortorder cook who closes shop on the dock in time to prepare culinary masterpieces to welcome the official breadwinner home from her labors. (There should be a great pic for that, but I don't know where to begin.)

_{I'd like the curried rice recipe. Of course, I could google myself, but this one comes with a personal recommendation.}

[BoatBabe]

Too funny, Gail! I just couldn't get all that stuff in one picture, so I went for Dahhlink's culinary skills:












He did save that recipe in his recipe file, so I'll nab it from him. Nothing like an already proven recipe, eh?



Here we go, Jane . . . Dahhlink has an MRI scheduled tomorrow, and they plan to schedule surgery then: a torn meniscus, or however the heck you spell it.

[doctork]

Spelling looks right to me, BB. And I had surgery to repair/remove a torn meniscus and it was really easy (_{compared to brain surgery, anyway}).

I went in early morning, argued with the registration and the Out-Patient Surgery about which knee was being done - my orthopedist knew the correct knee, never fear. Then home in the afternoon in time for dinner. And I'd have been home for lunch if I hadn't insisted on spinal anesthesia instead of general, which took longer to thaw out. But I was awake for the surgery and watched the whole thing on video - it was cool!

Best of luck to Dahlink! And Jane, any update for you?

[jspnrvr]

Best of luck to Dahlink, poor guy's getting a crash course in modern medicine. And to you, too, Babe for playing nurse and seamstress at the same time!

Yes, Jane. What's the latest?

[BoatBabe]

ALrighty then, I'll just keep working on things here, and I'm sure everything will work out. I keep telling everyone that's an autoclave. It saves questions . . .












So what's happening with you, Jane?

[BoatBabe]

Surgery on Tuesday.

[jspnrvr]

Ah, yes. The healing steel. What's the plan? Same day surgery or admission? Keep us posted.

[BoatBabe]

I'm guessing same day, but we won't know until tomorrow.

He thinks he can drive himself there and home.



(Really, it's just a Guy Thing. He doesn't really think that, but he will ride that horse until I tell him it is dead.)



;D

[BoatBabe]

May 27, 2010 20:38:26 GMT -5 jspnrvr said:

Ah, yes. The healing steel. What's the plan? Same day surgery or admission? Keep us posted.

Tuesday 1:15 p.m. show up time before surgery; of course, NPO from 10:00 p.m. the night before, just as though he were having surgery at 6:00 a.m. YOU know the Medical Boxes. Surgery tomorrow? Nothing by mouth after ten.

Same day arthroscopy. Requires a $700.00 cash down payment (half of our Not Covered By Insurance cash fee) before scheduling. Of course, that includes the $450.00 Facilities Fee (for building a surgical suite NOT in a hospital, NOT covered by any insurance.)

And for the privilege of having this surgery, and my requirement to Be There, I get to take half a work day off, that will not be paid, because my paid leave credits cover only my injury/illness, or my dependent child's injury/illness.

And I have Good Insurance, and Good Benefits.