Hit by nature in a bad way

Dear Bloggers,

It was a hot summer evening with dark thunderclouds hanging over the fields and my wife and kids looked happy when I finally showed up after work. I had to work the late shift and my youngest was sound asleep when out of nothing a thunderstorm came around and my oldest was sitting in front of the kitchen window watching raindrops plink the puddles when she heard a rumble outside followed by a loud bang. My youngest daughter was downstairs in a millisecond. From that moment the wind speeded up to hurricane strength and wiped out everything on its way.

 Things I met on my way

During the ride I phoned home that I could see this enormous thunderstorm coming at me and she told me that it just went over them and it was bad. As I drove closer towards my home the rain pounded on my windshield and the wipers had a hard job to do. The rain caused a kind of ground mist and made it hard to find the road and some trees had fallen over the road. A few kilometers from home all the trees had fallen over on houses and cars and also the phone connection failed to work. I got pretty worried when I saw all the blue flashing lights coming towards me. I took some effort to get around the fallen trees. 

All of a sudden there was a tree in the way

They all looked very happy when I walked in the front door. My wife knew right away it was me, though she could never say how. There were always cars idling in the street at night, boyfriends of neighborhood girls giving it one last shot, suburban kids after a night out in town. The storm crushed up the TV signal too much and the wind hauled too loud and made the windows tremble, the flashes kept them up at night.

 The world turned all off a sudden pitch black

the other campsite the day after

 

When the wind had eased down after half an hour, I talked to some of the neighbors and found out that on a campsite about 750 meters away that a little child was stuck in mobile home as a tree fell on top of the wagon. The child just came that day to have a bit of a holiday with her grandparents. The fire brigade had too saw themselves away towards the campsite to get the ambulance services down there. Some of the locals went over there with chainsaws and big tractor trying to lift up the tree and to rescue this child.    

They did what they could for her, although they could not reach her. She lost life before the ambulance was there, very sad.

horror on the campsite

 

But she was too badly injured that before they could get her out she had passed away. A sad story that shook up our little village as in my neighborhood there are a lot of young families with kids. We understand very well that this 7 year old girl has been fighting for her life but did not make it. An unbearable trauma for everyone that was involved.

We live in the houses behind the trees in the distance

This tree snapped like a match

 

The next morning when we had breakfast, I scrambled some eggs and bacon done crisp the way I knew they liked it. I put everything on the table made the girls some tea and for myself plenty of strong coffee. Sometimes we’d sing together, doo wop harmonies from when they were little girls or one of a half dozen Christmas songs, a morning serenade that would carry me through the whole day. Then we would leave in a swirl of laughter and going to a fun park as we had planned, pulling away with horns honking, long after the other dads had gone to work. When we left, just the song on the radio from Pearl Jam “Just Breathe” could bring me to tears.

 “All of this happened a bit more than a week ago” During our walks in the area we realize that we have been very lucky. As another campsite a few kilometers away was hit as well and a caravan was blown over and injured a couple. It looked like a warzone, the pictures will tell the rest of the story

On the next day while I did the dishes I studied a map, tracing the storms route with a yellow highlight pen.

No Damage at all

My neighborhood

Outside the rain had stopped and the sky was turning gray again. The car in the yard looked cold. Soon it started to rain again and yesterday it was a beautiful and sunny day again. A sad day and time to check out the damage only the tent of the neighbors was smashed by the wind and some of the trees were ripped up.

Mamy trees fell over

 

Lightning flashed outside the window and a loud crack of thunder shook the dishes in the cabinet. More thunder rolled right over top of them, breaking off somewhere to the west. Still none of us did cry. But this time all of us were awfully quiet. Lightning flashed as we made their way up the hallway. When we got to the kitchen the storm was just drifting off.

The Old Sailor,

Surviving the heatwave with Diabetes

Dear Bloggers,

When temperatures start to get out of control, so can you’re blood sugar can get out of control.. Both hot and cold weather extremes can harm your testing equipment and your medications and have a negative impact on your body’s ability to produce and use insulin.

Research shows that when it’s hot out, more people with diabetes end up in the ER and are hospitalized because of heat illness. The number of deaths in diabetes patients due to heat illness also increases in summer. Low temperatures can be an issue for people with diabetes as well.

But you don’t have to let the environment have the upper hand. Taking a few smart precautions can help you outsmart Mother Nature. Here are the adjustments to make depending on where you live and the weather forecast.

 

Managing the Summer Heat

Take these steps to keep your diabetes under control when the temperature soars:

Stay hydrated. “The problem is that in the heat, people tend to get dehydrated easily. When you’re dehydrated, you have higher concentrations of blood sugar because less blood flows through your kidneys. With less blood, your kidneys don’t work as efficiently to clear out any excess glucose (blood sugar) from your urine.” When it’s hot, be sure to drink plenty of water or sugar free beverages. Don’t wait until you are thirsty to replenish fluids.

Store your medications properly. High summer temps can affect your diabetes medications, glucose meter, and diabetes test strips. “When it’s hot out, it’s easy for insulin and other drugs to become degraded,” Be sure to store your medications properly out of the extreme heat. Never leave them in your car on a sweltering summer day, for instance. “It could get up to 50 degrees inside your car."

If you’re traveling, don’t forget to take your diabetes medicines with you. You may need to carry them in a cooler with an ice pack. Just be sure they’re not sitting directly on ice or the ice pack.

Stay out of the heat of the day. Exercise is an important part of diabetes management and blood sugar control. But you don’t want to be outside exercising during the hottest part of the day. “Get in your exercise first thing in the morning or once the sun goes down,”. Another option is to work out in an air-conditioned gym.

Know the signs of low blood sugar. Some of the symptoms of heat exhaustion are similar to those of low blood sugar, or hypoglycemia. These include sweating, light-headedness, shakiness, and confusion. “You may think it’s the heat and not recognize that your blood sugar levels have fallen to dangerous lows,” Be aware of the warning signs of low blood sugar and keep some carbohydrates with you to eat if you need to raise your blood sugar. Have a plan for a medical emergency.

 

Test more often. You may need to test your blood sugar levels more frequently so that you can adjust your insulin and your diet as necessary. Talk with your diabetes educator about guidelines if you're unsure of the best schedule.

Mind your feet. People with type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes are susceptible to problems with their feet. In the summer you face the temptation to go barefoot or wear open sandals that expose your toes … to trouble. Always wear shoes that fit well, even in warmer months. And at the end of the day, check your feet for any cuts, scrapes, blisters, or bruises. Don’t ignore injuries to your feet. Get medical treatment right away.

Surviving the Winter

Freezing temps and inclement weather can make it more challenging to stay on top of your diabetes. Here’s what to watch for during the colder months:

Keep your supplies out of the cold. Just like extreme heat, extreme cold can affect your insulin and cause your glucose monitor to stop working. Don’t leave supplies in a car when temperatures outside are below freezing.

Do your best to avoid getting sick. When you’re sick, you’re stressed, and being under stress can raise your blood sugar. Also, when you don’t feel good, you’re likely to not eat properly. Wash your hands with soap and water often so that you don’t spread germs. “We recommend diabetes patients have a sick-day kit at home. Fill it with soup, sugar-free cough drops, tea things that will make you feel better and that you can access easily,”

Avoid packing on the pounds. Managing your  type 2 diabetes during the holiday season can be tricky. Many seasonal treats are loaded with carbohydrates that cause your blood sugar to rise. Plan your meals and pace your special treats so that you don’t greet spring a few pounds heavier. Even a small weight gain makes it more difficult to control your diabetes and blood sugar levels.

Keep an eye on your feet. Diabetes can cause a loss of feeling in your toes and feet. Protect them with the right winter footwear, especially in snow. Apply moisturizer to your feet to keep your skin healthy. Inspect them regularly, and if you notice an injury that doesn’t heal, seek medical attention. Don’t wait. Also important warm your hands. “If your hands are cold, you may have to warm them up to get a good blood sugar reading,” Wash them in warm water before testing.

Don’t skip your workouts. It can be hard to get motivated to exercise in winter. But exercise is an important part of diabetes blood sugar control. It helps if you dress in layers when you’re exercising outdoors in the cold. Or join a gym where you can work out indoors. Another option: Work in exercise at home by taking the stairs, lifting weights, and exercising to videos.

At this moment I have to deal with the summer heat and my type 2 diabetes

When the hottest days of summer hit, people with type 2 diabetes need to pay close attention to their condition. Here's how to savor the season without health worries.

Summer conjures up images of backyard barbecues, pools and beaches, street festivals, stargazing, and more. But summer heat can add to the problems faced by people living with type 2 diabetes. In fact, studies have shown that during a heat wave, emergency room use by people with diabetes increases. And while most people with diabetes are aware that extreme heat poses a danger, they may not always know when to take precautions..

If you have diabetes, the high heat and humidity of summer can be difficult for your body to manage. The problem with hot weather is the combination of temperature and humidity.

Elderly people are at particular risk, but people of all ages with diabetes should be aware of summertime dangers. These include dehydration, heat exhaustion, and foot problems.

Dehydration is your enemy

Everyone, regardless of their health status, should make sure they drink enough fluids during the summer. People with type 2 diabetes, however, face an additional challenge because when their blood sugar levels are too high, they may be passing more urine than usual which means they are losing fluids more quickly. Add sweating into the mix and you have a recipe for speedy fluid loss. Certain medications, such as metformin (Glucophage), also increase the risk of dehydration.

If you are out and about on a hot summer day, make sure you have enough of these beverages on hand to stay hydrated:

• Water or seltzer
• Sugar-free lemonade or other drinks

Also, avoid alcoholic drinks and caffeine. Alcohol and caffeinated drinks are usually okay in moderation but too much of either one can cause you to lose more fluids. And remember to bring along snacks in case your blood sugar drops.

Diabetes and Heat Exhaustion If you’re going to be outside, be alert to these symptoms of heat exhaustion:

• Dizziness
• Fainting or near-fainting
• Sweating to excess
• Muscle cramping
• Cold, clammy skin
• Headaches
• Rapid heartbeat

Check blood glucose levels often. Aim for checking four times each day and before you drive.

With the proper precautions, people with type 2 diabetes can get through the summer and enjoy summer activities with no worries.

The Old Sailor,

Oh no, my computer crashed again.

Dear Bloggers,

If you ever had a total computer system crash, count yourself lucky, because all the gurus say it's not "IF" your computer is going to crash, but "WHEN." Having had three crashes myself over the years, I can confirm that statement. How well you prepare for this inevitability will determine how stressful and costly the crash experience will be.

When my computer’s operating system was fried last week (and not even during the night of Friday the 13th), I braced myself for the stress that was to follow. My computer a laptop was only about three years old and was probably killed accidentally during one of Microsoft's automatic downloads in the middle of the night. The reason given on the "black screen of death" I got the next morning was that perhaps I had temporarily lost my cable Internet connection or the power had failed momentarily during installation of an update or during the reboot. (For that reason, I have now instructed Microsoft to download updates to my computer in the middle of the night, but give me the option of installing them when I choose.)

Not wanting to put any money into a three-year old computer I'd bought refurbished to begin with, I trekked over to Thrift shop the following Tuesday to see what my options were. I was VERY happy to learn that I wasn’t going to be stuck with Vista’s operating system, and that I could buy a LG computer with a free “downgrade” to Windows XP Pro; further that Microsoft would continue to supply critical updates for years to come. (In fact, I was told they are still issuing critical updates for Win 3.1.)

Coming back from a computer crash is going to be stressful, no matter how you carve it. But if you have prepared for a crash by taking steps to insure that you have everything you need to get back up and running as quickly as possible, your stress will be manageable. Then, your primary concern will be the time it's going to take you to shop for a new computer (if necessary) or reformat the drive and begin all over again to reinstall the software programs you normally use, plus all the time it will take to download the latest updates to the operating system, browsers, software, etc. If you use Outlook as your email server, you will need a current .PST backup file containing all your email messages and contacts (see below).

Backing up and Restoring Files

Getting all your documents and files back on the computer again can be easy or difficult, depending on what backup system you use and whether you back up files regularly. The thing that gave me the most comfort when my computer crashed was knowing that all my documents, website files, pictures, music, and programs I had downloaded from the Web but did not have CD-ROMs for were waiting for me on a remote site.

Outlook is the only fly in the ointment (see below). Knowing how to back up Outlook and actually doing it on a regular basis are two different things. It's easy to "forget" to back up Outlook, even when you've got the automatic backup program in place. I get busy and think I'll do it tomorrow, and before I know it, it has been a week or more since my last backup. I was lucky the last time my computer crashed in that I lost only four days' email messages and whatever changes I had made to my Contacts folder in that period. I’m now being very good at backing up Outlook every other day at least, and especially when I’ve got unanswered email messages in the Inbox at the close of day.

Tips for Getting Everything Back Up Again

Before your computer crashes, do these things:

1. MAKE A LIST of all the software programs you have on your computer, which ones you have CDs for, and which ones will have to be downloaded again. And keep all your computer program disks together in a safe place, such as a fireproof file drawer in your office, or in your safe deposit box. (I've been amazed to learn how few computer users actually do this.) If you buy a program that you download and then install from your computer, make SURE you put that .exe file either in a folder that is backed up to a remote location, or on a CD disk to be stored with your other program disks.

Free programs such as Adobe Reader, File Zilla, etc. can always be downloaded from the Web, but you may need a reminder list to remember all that you want to restore. For example, the last time my computer crashed, I had forgotten that I had to download Microsoft’s "backup tool" in order to get the backup option on the FILE button so I could make regular backups of the .PST file. Now that file is in my downloads folder, which is always backed up by Carbonite. (This Web page has the download link to Microsoft's backup tool, along with instructions on how to do regular backups.)

2. Even if you have a current .PST (personal folders file) for your Outlook email and contacts list, you will have to manually set up all your email addresses again. This will be easy to do if you go into the settings for each email address you have now, and then copy that information into a document you can print and save. (Be sure to protect your email passwords; you don’t want them in a document on your computer.) If you regularly archive sent messages, you’ll need to figure out how to save this file and restore it too, as it's not included in the .PST file.

3. Always have a print copy of all your passwords and contact information for everything related to those passwords. If you keep this information only on the computer and you lose access to your hard drive, you’ll really be up the creek without a paddle.

4. Id ther eare some document files you absolutely must have to keep your business going in the event of a major computer crash, put those files on a CD that can be used on another computer. For example, I'm an Amazon Marketplace seller, and I normally include customized cover letters with outgoing orders. When my computer crashed, I could temporarily access my Amazon orders from a computer at the library, but I couldn't include my usual package inserts because I didn't have a CD backup of those important file folders I could use on my laptop.

Know Who to Call When You Need Help

The thought of having to haul the computer to a shop, wait for maybe days to get it back, and then pay big bucks for the repair had me thinking I should just buy a new computer and be done with it, even though my HP Compaq is only three years old. Thankfully, the friend I called for help had recently met a computer guru in my area, and when I called him, he said not to worry; whatever the problem was, he could fix it, and I certainly wouldn't need to buy a new computer.

It took three hours for him to find all the bad stuff (much of which he said was just "Microsoft crap") on my computer. Using several free and very powerful shareware programs, he cleaned my Registry several times as he removed this or that file, ultimately finding 956 Registry errors. After uninstalling my CA Internet Security program and all the files it had left in the Registry (they did reverse my credit card charge without question), he installed a powerful free anti-virus program he said he had used for years with no problems. After doing virus and malware scans and a defrag, my computer was "blazing hot" and my Internet speed had doubled. My printer was also printing pages so fast and with such power that they were almost flying off the rack.

Finally, my new computer friend, installed his powerful computer tools on my computer so now I can easily and very quickly use them to do weekly virus and malware scans of my hard drive and keep the Registry clean. He also installed a defrag program (better than Windows') that runs in the background all the time. He turned on my Windows' firewall program, but agreed that I should download Zone Alarm's more powerful (and free) firewall program for maximum security.

I urge you to look in your own community for the kind of help Al is now giving me and have him "on call" so you'll know where to get fast help when you need it. If you happen to live in the Naperville, Illinois area, visit Al's website. For me, finding him was like getting manna from heaven. I highly recommend his services.

In Summary

If you’ve never had a computer crash before, don’t assume that it can’t happen to you. If my experience is any indication, a computer crash is going to come when you least expect it, and preparing yourself for that inevitability will make all the difference in how stressful and costly the experience will be.

The Old Sailor, 

A "new" car

Dear Bloggers,

It happened two weeks ago that my wife called me and told me that she had an accident with our Volvo V40 which we drove for nearly 13 years and had more than half a million kilometres on the clock. At the traffic lights in Groningen another car reversed full power into the front of our car. 

 Our Volvo V40 has gone to carheaven

 It was declared by the insurrance company as a total loss. Bummer now we needed all of a sudden another car and we are not that rich at the moment. So we are using our holiday payment and tax money to find something else. And yes we succeeded. We bought a Volvo V70 from the year 2002. The insurance money is peanuts so that doesn’t help much. I have been on the net for many hours to find us something suitable.

On the net

If we all had our way, every car we ever buy would be brand new; shiny, unmarked, and full of the new car smell. However, the reality is that we're often restricted financially, or circumstances may present us with a second hand car as our most convenient option. There are pros to both options, so it's worth considering your choices before you make that big purchase.

The Dream for us the Volvo XC70

Obviously there are some clear upsides to buying a brand new car. A vehicle which has never been driven will offer better, fresher performance, and likely it will be more reliable too. Having a car fresh from the dealer means you know it's had the full gamut of checks and inspections, and you can rest assured you are now driving a smooth-running car. You should also be given a warranty to give you for the first few years and with a new car you will pay less in running costs.

There are a lot of cars for sale

This isn't to say that a second-hand car is not as good as a new one. In many cases a well-cared-for vehicle offers much the same quality, ability and style as it did when it was first driven out of the dealership. And second hand cars don’t mean you can’t get a warranty.  Many approved-used deals will offer a 3 month warranty even if the car is a few years old. 

The Volvo V70 model 2014

So why buy new? There certainly are things to consider when opting for an unused car. A brand new vehicle is more expensive of course. And, despite paying out for a fresh new model, it will depreciate greatly in the first 12 months, and as much as 35% in the first three years, which means you can lose more than a third of what you paid for it.

Yeah. Right,.......

Of course, some financial benefits, such as interest-free finance, only come with a straight-out-of-the-dealership option. This might be a more preferable and beneficial arrangement for you, in which case buying new is the way to go. And after all, with a used car you never really know its history so there are always thorough checks which need to be made before you can confidently drive it away.

Our new Volvo, a real family car

At the end of the day, it is worth asking yourself what you need, and want, in a car. If you really do want to buy one which is brand new, consider the reasons for this. Obviously there's nothing quite like choosing your ideal vehicle and being the first person to own it, but it can be a smart move to look at some second-hand options as well.

the half million was just reached a few months ago

Even if you do decide that a shiny new vehicle is the best choice for you, at least you'll be able to relish the peace of mind that you did some prior research. At the end of the day, a car is a major purchase, and it never hurts to check out all the options.

LPG installation

Now we have to save some money to buy a LPG installation and get it build in. That will save us many euros and we can drive many happy kilometres. We still keep hoping that we will win something in the lottery so we can live a bit easier.

Make many save kilometres with your “new” Volvo and drive towards the horizon.

The Old Sailor,