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This stuff is not a hoax, not left/right, not Trump/Biden. It’s not political, and it damn sure isn’t the flu.
For a couple of weeks, I had a head cold. Teledoc (whom I will never use again) gave me Prednizone… 10 days later, prednisone and doxycycline. Totally dropped the ball on that one.

By the 20th, I thought I had bronchitis, deadheading from Toledo to home was rough.

Went home, tried to sleep, got nowhere…..off to the ER. COVID positive and viral pneumonia. I stayed Saturday and got antibiotics, antiviral, COVID infusion, steroids.

Monday, my O2 level was good, so I can quarantine at home. Zithromax and albuterol inhaler every six hours. For three days I improved.

the nurse from the insurance company called, checking diagnosis, etc. and she asked if we had an O2 monitor for your fingertip…no but we should get one. Good old Amazon Prime, next day shipping.

By Friday I wasn’t doing any better, Saturday morning it was obvious that I was getting worse.
When the box showed up….took it out, batteries, turn it on, put it on my finger…..64%

“I’m calling the hospital”

Now I love my wife to no end, she is the strongest and independent woman I have ever known. But we were driving (fast) and this thing on my finger beeps…52% and I’m not moving. She thought she was taking my body to the ER. I scared the hell out of her, and I owe her diamonds. I don’t remember much after that.

x-ray…oh crap……..ct scan..oh shit. I’m breathing in a teacup. Transfer to Regional.

ICU doctors are called “Intensivists” now, in record time I’ve got two IVs, tube, mask, rebreather. Stripped, strapped and six monitors doing something.

“We have you on 90 liters of 90% O2 and hour blowing into your nose, it still isn’t working well enough. We are going to put you on your stomach, I want you to concentrate on breathing. If this doesn’t get your O2 up we will have to intubate you. You focus and ride this storm out till we get some space to work with”

Great, my doc is an REO Speedwagon fan.

Saturday through Monday is nothing I ever want to do again. A week in ICU and to get off the blower. From the 27th to the 6th of March I didn’t move. I’ve lost 26 pounds (I don’t recommend the diet plan) and my muscles have atrophied badly, my mouth is full of blisters from the heavy O2. They tell me I was hours from a complete respiratory collapse and cardiac arrest.

Today, I’m up with a cane and an O2 tube following me around. By the end of the week, they may be able to release me.

This is not a joke, it’s not a meme. Not a conspiracy by “them” to control you. The survival rate may be 98% but you can go through a lot of hell and survive.

TAKE THE DAMN VACCINE.

love all you guys, thanks for the texts and concern. I really do appreciate it.

I’ll keep working and get back soon

Ric

I’ve heard about Elmax Steel, but never handled it. I found a small knife in Elmax from Bradford USA and thought I would try it. This is basically handle assembly and sharpening to see how it works.

I went back to the left over pen turning block, aluminum tube, sanded and shaped, finished with Boiled Linseed Oil.

I like this steel, it holds an edge extremely well and it’s fairly light. I just ordered a 12×2 inch flat stock to make my own.

we will see how easy it is to work with.

I’ve had friends tell me that they wish they could do the knives like I do.
I tell them it isn’t anything special, just patience. I grind flat stock into shape and file,grind, drill. And send them out for heat treatment. However, I’m not above buying a blade blank that I like and assemble the scales and finishing it. The rest is just putting it together.

None of the things be shown here require power tools. But it will take more time by hand.

I got a great deal on two Camillus Titanium blade blanks. A small one called a Hex and a larger called a Mask.

I like them both. The Titanium is very light, and they sharpen really well.

no stitches with these.

I just finished this one. I was going to acid etch the spine back to the Damascus pattern but when I ground the spine and saw the brass liner and steel, I had to leave it.

This one needs a kydex sheath, after sharpening its getting shipped out.

The Buffalo Horn Hunter is finished. All polished up and the sheath wet molded.

Nice Damascus Hunter with some brass bolster and Buffalo Horn handles. File work and black epoxy. Matches the brother who is a little shorter with brown epoxy and a steel bolster

Love or hate RBG, she loved the Court. She had great respect and admiration for the other Jurists.
Justices and Associate Justices are human beings and have different viewpoints. But they are not to be “presidents judges”

A liberal Executive will nominate a liberal Justice, that’s nothing new. But a Justice shouldn’t be a “my appointing president says to vote xxxx” and she wasn’t.
She was a progressive/liberal Justice and I agreed with very little of what she wrote. But she was who she was.

By many reports, the left wanted her to retire during the Obama administration so that “The Great and Powerful” could get another Justice. By many reports, she was not happy with Kagan and Sotamayor. She considered them political appointments and would be “Presidents Judges” that she disagreed with on principle.

She wanted Hillary to name her replacement. Bill appointed her and she wanted Hillary to nominate her successor. For whatever reason, she was not an Obama fan and Hillary was a shoe in.
We know how that worked out, the left has done everything to include donate internal organs to keep her alive until a Democrap can nominate her replacement.

Now she’s has passed and the Ginsburg Games begin.

Politics is hypocritical, always has been and always will be. When this side is in control “this” when that side is in control “that” only the D and R change. The arguments are literally the same. The left will demand that a liberal/progressive seat must stay that way. A female seat must stay that way, etc, etc

the Senate is in control of the process. The controlling party is going to have their own agenda which may or may not line up with the President’s agenda.

Let’s say you are a Republican Senator. You want another conservative Justice on the court for the remainder if your legislative career. You have a Republican President and you want to do this right now in case he loses the election. Securing the seat for the conservative side.

This is a Court/Party focus, let’s act now and get another seat secured.

Let’s say you’re a Democrook Senator, you want a liberal/progressive on the court to “balance the court” you want to delay and block any vote in hopes of winning the election. You argue about what “they” did last time, hypocrisy, whataboutism, etc

This is Party/Politics focused

Now, say you’re the President. You’re behind and struggling for poll numbers outside of your base. Many republicans have left you and you’re trying to appeal to them again. (The reasons are huge) If you get a nominee through and seated on the Court…you can’t campaign on the “Desperate Need” to vote for you so “they” don’t get a judge. (Leaving for the moment that the Senate is still in Republican control)

This is Trump/Election focused

so….the Senate wants to get a judge RIGHT NOW for the future of themselves and the Party. The arguments over hypocrisy and “last time” can be spun and handled in the media.
the President wants to campaign on the issue of “vote for me or Biden will appoint a commie, America hater, who will take all your stuff” and attempt to regain the voters who will hold their nose and vote to get a conservative Justice. Nominate a controversial judge and argue the Kavernaugh fiasco during the campaign or nominate a good judge and fight the lefts attack on a conservative. Nominate a woman and have the “conservative woman” issue. There are going to be a lot on memes created.

The interesting part is if and when the election is contested, which it almost certainly will be by either side (ala 2000) and there are only 8 Justices on the Court.
The decision would likely be 6 – 2 but it won’t matter. The empty seat will be the headline and the political argument.

It will be interesting

I really like this one. Blackwood on Spalted Maple, mosaic cross pin, brass tube pins on 1/8 inch Stainless Steel.
Very light, very sharp.

I just finished this one. I may play with the finish a little more, maybe some wax. But I kind of like the rustic look of it.

wicked sharp though