Checking some old work records that had been scanned into my computer. It is from Green Giant it shows my age at 17. That should be 1967, the year I graduated from school. It looks like I was 5'11" in shoes, and my weight was 155 pounds.
I have some check stubs from 1966, about a month before my birthday, which means I was 16 at the time.

I think for both years my dad came with an application and told me to fill it out as I start work in the morning. Later on I had a welding job that started the same way. Fill out the application, you start work in the morning.

I think that in 1967 in the fall I was working for Green Giant for sweet corn. I think it was a hours drive there, work my 12 hour shift and a hours drive back home. One day I got home and wanted to get some sleep, but my dad had other plans. Since I had worked the night shift, it was day time and I should help with the chores.

I don't know exactly when he told me that when he was my age he worked two jobs, each being 12 hour shifts. He would get done with one, punch out and run across the street to the other and punch in. He didn't need any sleep, so there was no reason I should need any sleep.

While going to trade school, that would be a hours drive each way plus 8 hours in classes. My dad again came with an application, I would start that night, 8 hour shifts. Again there is no need for me to sleep. He even came up with the idea that I should take a sleeping cot, and sleep there until my shift. The person there did not give me a chance to sleep.
I started dozing off in class, I still haven't figured out why I would doze off at work, and wake up every hour to check the temperature. Seed corn drying plant, below freezing temperatures meant the end of the season. The worst part was one day waking up as my car went off the side of the road into the ditch. My dad never found out I dozed off while driving.
Michelle

After graduating from trade school for electronics, I could not guarantee that I would not get drafted. I ended up enlisting, I heard it called volunteer draft. I thought about writing about just barely passing for graduation from boot camp. I learned to do a pushup, then rest without getting up, then another, rest again until I got the minimum needed. Throwing the dummy hand grenade was something else, I did not have the power to get it near the target. I did figure it out, a high enough arc and the range is increased. I saw one that threw it like a baseball, and hit the target.
On graduation day, I was one of those chosen to help do cleanup around the barracks, I never got the parade review for ending my basic training

There were 2 weeks between basic training and advanced training. I spent time at home. I thought, you've got to be kidding, I'm home for two week and my dad comes along, fill this out, you start tomorrow. I'm home for 2 weeks from the army and I am working at a canning company. It didn't last very long.
Michelle

Some time after advanced training, there was a blood drive and I gave blood, later that night I got abdominal pain and other symptoms. In the morning I went on sick call. I might have had some confusion, not knowing if I had permission or not, I did not return from sick call that day. On sick call, I got put on a gurney, and wait and wait,(did they have at that time, no food or drink a specified time before a surgery?) I was asked if someone should be contacted. I thought of my parents, but forgot my unit. My parents were contacted.
I was told that my appendix ruptured while I was on the operating table.

My dad later got a call and was told that I was AWOL, He set them straight about me being right there on the army base in the hospital. After getting out of the hospital, I went on a medical leave. Since they thought I was AWOL, they had gone through my stuff. As they helped me get organized to go on leave they watched me grab a paper clip at the bottom of my locker door, I pulled out an envelope filled with the months pay from the vent channel.
Michelle

I was watching a video, and it was talking bullies are bullies to compensate for something they feel is lacking in their lives.
It reminded me of a scene from one of the reality shows, not sure if it was the one where he liked to repair antique coke-cola machines. Not saying this was compensation, just seemed odd, A pickup with huge tires stops at the shop, the guy gets out and climbs down the ladder. He is very short. I think I heard the term once, vertically disadvantaged.

It was a 1979 movie called "Fast Break" With Gabe Kaplan. It was a men's basketball team, where one member fell in love with another member. The player called "Swish" was actually a woman.

I hear this stuff about men being afraid that the woman they find attractive might be a man.
Michelle

There once was a time when I used to believe everything my dad told me. I was the evil one, I was the black sheep of the family. I was trying to kill my own sister. Such was the case when my dad explained to me how I used reverse psychology to make my sister grab the electric fence. (Now I see what I did, The talk about fencing brought up my experience with a fence.)
What is the evidence? She screamed and said I made her touch the fence. Defense is gagged, not allowed. Guilty of attempted murder.
Revisit the scene of the crime. It is a single wire gate that hooks to the main fence using a hook with an insulating handle. The gate is open being unhooked and laying on the ground.
My sister is about to grab the wire when I warn her about it being electric and would hurt her.

New evidence: It is not connected to the main fence and is only electric when connected to the main fence. The main fence is connected through an overhead wire that goes to the barn and is connected to the fencer.
Nobody saw her touch the fence, and it appears that at the time that section was not electric.

Suppose somebody grabs the electric fence, and nobody helps them.
I used to go out behind the buildings to play in the old cars after school. Like many time before, I grabbed the wire to move it, only to find it was now electric and I could not open my hand. Looking across the meadow, I could see my dad tilling the field. I watch as he went back and forth, disappearing over the hill and then reappearing. There was no indication that he had seen me, and I was left to figure out how to get my hand free. Using my other hand, I opened the hand around the wire.

It might have been days later when I heard my dad tell his buddies how hilarious it was to see me stuck on the electric fence. I now wonder if I had walked into his trap and got electrocuted. And how am I affected by having that electricity flowing through for something like 45 minutes. Is that the cause on my heart hiccups.
Michelle

It was non-lethal, But I was a child.

Quote from: Michelle_K on April 05, 2025, 02:15:36 PMI hear this stuff about men being afraid that the woman they find attractive might be a man.

That is homophobia. It is not so much a concern about being with someone like that. I think it is more that they are worried that someone else might think they are gay because they found that person attractive.

Things get a bit hectic around here. I have a little bit of a routine. Get up in the morning sometime between 9:00 AM and 10:30 AM. I weigh myself, take a shower, hopefully I will eat breakfast before 12:00. Around 1:30 PM, I may realize I'm still in my bathrobe. It is now past 7:30 PM and just now starting to fill out my daily food diary. My food journal lists what I have eaten for the day, plus a running total for calories and protein, usually around 2200-2500 daily for calories. I haven't figured out my scale yet. It is odd to me that it would run several days straight with the same weight, then the weight might change and again that weight for several days. Currently showing 168.3 pounds.
Michelle

Thinking about religion related things. I had considered going to a fish fry yesterday. Something about a fish fry on a Friday at a church just didn't feel right. Seems to me, going to the public school, every Friday we had fish sticks, for religious reasons.

See if I feel better next week, At a rod and gun fish fry. Considering a membership as they have archery targets. They are open 24/7 so not likely to have any supervision. Sounds like I could just show up. Their website doesn't tell much, under archery they just show targets.
Michelle

I did some research on the electric fencer. It appears it had been banned by insurance companies due to causing barn fires. Being that it was a weed chopper it had a longer duration of on pulse and short off pulse. It would seem that the fact that I was wearing shoes made it feel like less power.
Michelle

I think it was back in February that I had the appointment with the therapist, referred to by the endocrinologist to get another gender dysphoria diagnosis. They called me and set up the appointment and apparently failed to get VA approval, resulting in medicare paying for the therapist. The therapist was to contact the endocrinologist and I have not heard anything since.

I requested a karyotype test from the VA to see if I have Klinefelter syndrome. I am told that I need to see a specialist. I should push to get a referral to the specialist, except that it may turn out to be the endocrinologist at the gender clinic that has already told me I don't have it because it would already be in my medical records if I did.

I feel like forgetting about the VA and just go go my local clinic where they already have a gender dysphoria diagnosis.

I'm even waiting for a follow up appointment for the results of the pulmonary function test. The results have been sent to the doctor at my local clinic and to the VA. The doctor at the local clinic has already responded that my lung function is normal.
Michelle

Just doing some thinking. In Minnesota I am still able to choose my own gender on my driver's license. However, I was just wondering what would happen if I had a relative that worked in the driver's license division. Would she see my name and then check the application, and make a correction to my sex on my application. Just wondering, as she no longer works there. Still wondering if the person taking care of my application when I get my photo might check it.

I will be going to a different office, and hope the photo turns out better.
Michelle

I came up with the crazy idea, that I might get some closure on my s abuser by visiting his grave. Looking him up was easy in ancestry, being that he was at one time my stepfather.

Learned a few things too. He is buried in Black Hills National Cemetery, being a WW2 veteran. Now I wonder that being my dad's partner in an auto repair, that my dad learned all about the war from him. I have an uncle that is a veteran of WW2, so possible they were friends.

Anyway that would be about a 8 hour drive, at Sturgis, SD. No plans on driving that distance at this time. Ancestry found a photo of his gravestone for me.
Michelle

Quote from: Michelle_K on April 07, 2025, 11:29:28 PMI came up with the crazy idea, that I might get some closure on my s abuser by visiting his grave. Looking him up was easy in ancestry, being that he was at one time my stepfather.

Learned a few things too. He is buried in Black Hills National Cemetery, being a WW2 veteran. Now I wonder that being my dad's partner in an auto repair, that my dad learned all about the war from him. I have an uncle that is a veteran of WW2, so possible they were friends.

Anyway that would be about a 8 hour drive, at Sturgis, SD. No plans on driving that distance at this time. Ancestry found a photo of his gravestone for me.
Michelle

I live in Rapid City. If you ever want me to get some pictures for you, I would be happy to do it. I go to the cemetery several times a year. It is a nice drive up and not far from me. Send me a PM with details so I can find it and I can email you some pics.

Trying to figure out what is going on with the VA. I got a letter that my coverage may be cancelled, because I earned too much in 2023, The year that I broke my wrists and paid over 20 thousand in medical expenses that were reported on my income tax papers. It looks like they failed to deduct my medical expenses from my income.
It looks like I might be able to send them the itemized deduction form.
Michelle

I have a sea salt grinder, and I have trouble gripping the twist end. I have ordered a couple of electric grinders. In the mean time I checked on another forum about increasing my hand grip, and remembering this is the second time that I broke my left wrist. When they put in the brace in my left wrist, they did a carpel tunnel release. At the time I was told not to use a hand grip, but I think it has been long enough for healing.

,


I bought this decades ago.           One is about all I can do, and there is a large gap between the handles.

Michelle

Quote from: Michelle_K on April 07, 2025, 03:01:03 PMI think it was back in February that I had the appointment with the therapist, referred to by the endocrinologist to get another gender dysphoria diagnosis. They called me and set up the appointment and apparently failed to get VA approval, resulting in medicare paying for the therapist. The therapist was to contact the endocrinologist and I have not heard anything since.

Or just didn't bother to bill the VA when it might be easier to bill Medicare. At any rate I ended up paying a copay.

Sometimes I wonder if some of these doctors are willing to take your money, without any intention of giving the proper medication. The endocrinologist should have known better. She told me that the Klinefelter syndrome would have been discovered when I was born, and then would be in my medical records. The idea that I might have to go back to her to get a blood test to see if I might have Klinefelter syndrome after she has told me it is not possible because it is not in my medical records.

I'm supposed to go to an endocrinologist before getting a test, to discuss what it means if it turns out positive. The symptoms are already there. It won't change how I look, but with the proper diagnosis, hopefully I get the proper medication.
Michelle

My dad once said that nobody would benefit from his experience. He was not about to teach me how to reload shells, but I learned by helping him. Still it wasn't much, he had the turret press, and I might get to pop out the primers of the shells. Nothing about powder, or how to measure. His attitude was he had to find out on his own, so everybody else had to do the same. Did I mention that he had a mentor to guide him when he had problems.

His dad was the same way, nobody was going to benefit from his hard work. He was also one that you did as you were told. One day he made a decision that the garden had to go. not only was the garden plowed up, but all the apple trees and grape vines were cut down. likely the roots were dug up and everything became part of the adjacent field.

This seems to keep the person dependent. Unlike my dad, I did not know how to reload the shells, I would be dependent on him to reload the shells for me. With grandpa, there were no more apples from his apple trees, no more flowers from his garden. Although he was getting up in age, and might not be able to work the garden, but his children were there helping. with the garden gone, no help was needed.
Michelle

I didn't continue my thoughts. I think it as a teenager, for 4H my mother enrolled me in snacks and lunches. I had to learn to make sandwiches, I also baked cookies. That was so long ago, but I can remember the cookies being judged at the county fair. My mother can be proud that I know how to cook, except she didn't really teach me how to cook. All she taught me was how to bake cookies and make sandwiches.
I learned from the cooking shows, but I never got any cooking experience.

At one point after the Army, I moved out and was living with a friend. When they moved out of their house I moved back home. I didn't have the necessary skills to live alone. Dependent on my mother because I didn't know how to cook.

After moving into this house, I realized my cooking skills consisted of putting a frozen dinner into the microwave. I still haven't made any boiled eggs. Just this past month has been the first time I fried pork chops and rib eye steak. I even got some Braunschweiger, and some large round crackers. A month or 2 ago was the first time I made pancakes, before then I bought frozen waffles and pancakes. I still haven't cooked any vegetables, I just eat them right out of the can. I do the same with chili.
Michelle

Quote from: Michelle_K on April 14, 2025, 12:55:29 AMAfter moving into this house, I realized my cooking skills consisted of putting a frozen dinner into the microwave.

QuoteI still haven't made any boiled eggs. Just this past month has been the first time I fried pork chops and rib eye steak. I even got some Braunschweiger, and some large round crackers. A month or 2 ago was the first time I made pancakes, before then I bought frozen waffles and pancakes.

Hmmm, this post is making me hungry. 

Buon appetito! 😋



~ Lilis 💗

A smelt fry at a firehouse in a town that I used to go visiting before my dad died. At that time I was working days. Sometime after he died, my mother got a job working evenings, and then started her tricks. Before her work, she would put a pot of stew on the stove, and after I got done with work, I would have to go straight home to turn off the stove. She also convinced me that my friends weren't really my friends and that I was wasting gas to go visit them. I'm trying to figure out how long it has been, It has been 45-50 years since I last saw any of them. If I did go to the smelt fry, it would not be likely that they would be there, even then we might not recognize each other.
Michelle