Someone was telling me great things about CBD, a component of marihuana readily available now. The effects of the stuff sounded great, had me interested. As I am on some prescription drugs, I did some homework. The following is from a website that sells CBD in oil form:

Taking Eliquis and CBD together could result in higher than normal blood serum levels of this medication. This could be dangerous, very dangerous. An overdose of this medication could cause you to develop uncontrolled bleeding, including bleeding in the brain, spine, eye, joints, abdomen or inside the pericardium, the sac that surrounds the heart. There is no antidote for this medications' effects so once a problem starts there is no available treatment beyond hospitalization and blood transfusions.

You can't be too careful

Few weeks back a Youtube video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KdN1-_oW00k) started me wondering about the early Scots-Irish migration to (what were then) the southern British colonies (what became our southern states after the Revolution), their evolution of "backwoods" culture and their role in the US Revolutionary war. I am now buried in a book on the topic (The Revolutionary War in the Southern Backcountry).

I am pretty sure we never covered this back in high school history, as this is a very surprising view of what was going on here in "the colonies" up through the Revolution. But then again, I don't think that in high school I would have cared enough to take any of this to heart. Today, however, it is fascinating.

The full story of that period is a complicated mix of actions by British / French / loyalists / various Indian tribes / patriots and the whole mess changed very dynamically year after year as the forces pushed and pulled over who was going to win ownership of the new land.

Some key points that stick in my mind:

• The persecuted Scots-Irish were rugged "people of the land" who left Ireland (in the 1700's) with very bad feelings about the English. They distrusted rulers and hated authoritarian government. Which is why they settled so well in the backcountry of the southern colonies.
• Originally they had no intentions of creating a new country. They were content being British citizens far away from England, even though the technically lived under English rule over here also. They often fought alongside the English army against the natives here.
• As they settled deeper into the woodlands, they were in conflict with the natives, and had the same objectives as the English regarding the natives - get rid of them.
• Just prior to the Revolution, not everyone wanted independence from England. And the English seriously misunderstood who would fight with them against the "patriots" and who would fight on the "patriots" side.
• The Revolutionary War was deadlocked up north. G. Washington made a name for himself in battle, but in reality, the war up north was going nowhere. Washington didn't have enough of an army to attack the British and the Brits were happy to leave it at a stalemate until the "rebels" up north just went back to their homes. So the Brits decided to take the war south, win those colonies and the north would just give up the fight for independence.
• But .... the Brits counted on fighting support from most of the Scots-Irsh "loyalists" in the woods down south. Bad assumption. The woodsmen turned out to be "patriots" and fought the British who then decided to go home.
• The pivotal battles of the Revolution were really won in the south, and they were won because (to the great surprise of the Brits) the Scots-Irish woodsmen and farmers fought against the Brits . . . . . and thus began America !

Jees !!! that turned into a long lecture I guess !! When I get typing, there's no stopping me !

Had my first appoinment with an aural pathologist yesterday. She is (she says) going to help me pick out words better in noisy environments and multiple people yaking at the same time. (I am skeptical, but hopeful.)

Then I put a 1970's Takumar lens on my camera and headed to the wildlife sanctuary. Came home with a tick on my pants (didn't bite me) and this "moody / atmospheric" picture for a photo forum.

(They tell you to stay on the cleared paths in the sanctaury for a reason (ticks in the high grass), but I was bad and cut through a patch of forest.)

Trip to Boston: Beautiful Day along the Charles River / Then ......

"Art"

More "Art"

Then some guy from New Jersey backs into me; cannot drive my car (his is fine). Wait 90 minutes for tow truck for the 45 mile tow home.

Cambridge police were very professional and courteous. Actually an off-duty cop helped a great deal with traffic and calling the accident in.

Tow truck guy was "a character" alright. Funny, weird, took our minds off the problem. Got home actually in a good mood.

The car is now in the body shop. The insurance company sent me a check for their $$$ estimate, hoping I would take it, sell the wrecked car, buy a new one and leave them alone. I told them it's in the shop to be repaired and they agreed to pay the shop what the actual cost is.

If you think about it .... the insurance company would save a bunch of money if I did what they hoped. I could see it tempting someone into taking their low payment, selling the junker for added cash and buying a new car. I believe they only try this scheme for older cars, kind of second guessing what the owner might do.

Anyway, the shop said they are 4 weeks behind, so be patient.

Congrats to Erynn - graduating today.
Marine Biology (I hope I got that right.)

It was a hard 4 years. Nevertheless, she persisted.

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Weather is great. I am puttering about a garden patch out back today. I smell like ripe cow manure. Plants are still in the plastic pots. That's for tomorrow.

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Cousin Pete (a sci-fi / monster afficianado) sent these pics of oil paintings that an artist buddy of his did. Great stuff!

Homework: "Listen to Jazz, Report Back in 2 Weeks"

The aural pathologist assigned this today: "Lock yourself in the basement, play some jazz CD's up loud and repeat this every day until it starts to feel like the real thing again". I say "no way this will work", she says "do what I say to do", I say "you sound like Dr. Seymour". She glares at me. I say ".... well ..... okay."

This is my biggest complaint about needing implants to hear - music sounds awful. She says "it will take a long time, but your brain can adjust, but you have to work on it". I said "I'm 74". She said "Then you better get on with it".

You can just barely make out the log bench and the dozen baby fruit trees way out there.

The dying willow tree is ages old.

Time Out

I am diligently working on my "music appreciation" homework assigned by the aural pathologist. I selected Dave Brubeck's "Time out" album as my point of reference, and fired it up downstairs and immediately decided I need real speakers, if I am serious about this. So ..... possibly I will divert some of my Paypal photography $$$ to get a better set of speakers . . . . keeping in mind the irony of a deaf person buying music gear. (Maybe I should just rent them for a month?)

And if you were wondering what the 3rd bar of (DVD) Blue Rondo al a Turk looks like on a dynamic spectrum plot:

At the moment. music sounds excessively digital, cold, electronic, emotionless - the other side of the universe from listing to music on vinyl. Yes .... I am sad about this.

Aww .... the elusive, reclusive Blue .....

Nashoba Valley Winery

This was a flash meeting at the winery, with Rick, Karen Joanne and Ferruccio. Perfect weather, place was packed but there is lots of room and places to sit. Wine .... wine ..... wine. We were definitely the "older generation". Very nice visit.

Then, after many hours of parking lot discussions about where to eat, we just drove down the road to a local "roadsie" place called Slaters - food was excellent, ambience was .... um .... "local".