OK Lute, What's going on!?

Sold my not quite a 2 year old Microsoft Nokia 635 Windows Phone.  Got a 640 for FREE from my Son-In-Law Andy as he has moved up to a Google Pixel android phone.  We are very happy tho as these 640's are a better phone than the 635 was IMHO.

Gout has gotten better over the last few days.  Dr. called after I emailed Kaiser about it and told me to double up on the Allopropol.  Good solution. Worked.

Found an un-named neighbor lolling about my OPEN WiFi connection yesterday so after all these many years of being OPEN (No password) I have slammed the door in their face (with some reluctance).  So I'm romping around dropping the old connection and reconnecting using the new password.

Bought one of the new 2nd generation Echo Dots from Amazon.  Bloody brilliant it is. "Alexa" What's the weather in Des Moines, Iowa? "Snowing and 21 degrees" she says.  Play some Edith Piaf.  Soon Edith is blowing out the speakers in her lovely French!  So cool!

Outside, PG&E (our power company) has dug a fair sized trench in the street in front of our rental next door.  They are changing the pipe that delivers gas to the house...a 6 inch line is the main feed and it's going into a 3/4 inch line that has been in place since hell knows when.  All the lines are covered with a tar-like substance that a worker bee is chipping off with a mallet making loud hollow banging sounds with each swing.  I was informed by PG&E about 2 weeks ago that this project was underway...and it certainly is.  Three trucks are parked adjacent to the opening blocking access to the street completely. Photos coming.

It's Damned Near Over!

2016 was a STINKER!  So many innocents murdered in cold blood, so many tallented people died.  A genuine TERRIBLE YEAR!  I'm, however, fine...sort of...gout flare!

Yesterday I finally got a working yard light up on the front corner of the house.  Finally!  I had an old automatic light assembly and it seemed to work as it should when motion is sensed but once mounted on the house it refused to operate as it should so I shit-canned the damned thing and ran off to ACE Hardware and bought a brand new one.  It even comes on automatically at dusk as a dim 1/2 power lamp and switches to high when it senses motion.  Turns off completely at Dawn.  Nice thing and it worked fine last night.  Replace the old 100 watt bulbs on the deck light for new 14 watt LED ones that are brighter and so much cheaper to operate.  Cost is about the same as the old ones were when they were new.

I am in the tail end (hopefully) of a gout attack.  Both feet and my hips!  Awful!   I'm not taking Colchicine any longer, my Dr. A at Kaiser switched me to Allopurinol instead.  Why? I have no idea.
I do, however, KNOW what I have been eating as of late and that's the beginning of my gout session!  First, beer, I LOVE beer, especially ales and ipa's, porters etc.  Then there was shellfish, clams and mussels, shrimp too.  Days between but gout is a sneaky bastard, a little purine today can make a BIG GOUT day tomorrow!  Then there is dehydration, not drinking enough plain ol' water can do it.  Here's a list from the Mayo Clinic site that seems quite concise and to the point.  

"During symptom-free periods, these dietary guidelines may help protect against future gout attacks:

• Keep your fluid intake high. Stay well-hydrated, including plenty of water. Limit how many sweetened beverages you drink, especially those sweetened with high fructose corn syrup.
• Limit or avoid alcohol. Talk with your doctor about whether any amount or type of alcohol is safe for you. Recent evidence suggests that beer may be particularly likely to increase the risk of gout symptoms, especially in men.
• Get your protein from low-fat dairy products. Low-fat dairy products may actually have a protective effect against gout, so these are your best-bet protein sources.
• Limit your intake of meat, fish and poultry. A small amount may be tolerable, but pay close attention to what types — and how much — seem to cause problems for you.
• Maintain a desirable body weight. Choose portions that allow you to maintain a healthy weight. Losing weight may decrease uric acid levels in your body. But avoid fasting or rapid weight loss, since doing so may temporarily raise uric acid levels."  credit to The Mayo Clinic, here's their site:
• http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/gout/basics/definition/con-20019400