Cap'n Bob & the Damsel

Retirement

Solar Astrophotography

In anticipation of the Annular Solar Eclipse on October 14, 2023, I got out the Canon SL1 camera and associated accessories to photograph the solar disk. I used the Canon EF 100-400mm lens along with a Thousand Oaks Optical threaded SolarLite® filter to get the (clickable) image above. I had to experiment with the camera settings to get the image and further had to adjust it using a photo processing app.

The setup resolved the solar disk and a couple or three sunspots currently visible; the two larger sunspots visible are 3297 and below that 3294. Those numbers are according to SpaceWeather.com.

As I mentioned above, I had to experiment with the camera settings a bit. Using the camera’s Programmed (P) setting, the images were overexposed. I switched to the shutter speed priority setting and tried several exposure times from 1/1000 second, 1/2000 second, and 1/4000 second. The latter, which is the fastest shutter speed on the camera, captured enough of the details needed to produce the image seen above and will certainly be good enough for the annular eclipse. For the total eclipse in April of 2024, it will be necessary to remove the attenuating filter during totality in order to capture the details of the solar limb and the spectacular appearance of the solar corona.

06 May 2023 by Astronomy Notions Photography Retirement Something Shiny Technobabble

Mid-Spring News —
Busy Week Upcoming

Image above — A Curve-Billed Thrasher was perched atop our big Saguaro Cactus singing its spring songs this morning. I took this shot this morning with my Canon EOS Rebel SL1 and a 250mm lens. Click on the image to enlarge.

Other than celebrating holidays and preparing the feasts associated therewith, we have had a relatively calm early spring with no outstanding chores nor appointments. As of this week, however, that will change as it seems that we made a lot of appointments all in the same week.

Tomorrow, Monday 4/24/23, we’re going to have to get the dogs to the Vet for their annual immunizations; the licenses are due in May and the County Animal Control Bureaucrats will be requiring current Rabies vaccinations for both dogs.

On Tuesday 4/25/23, I have an appointment with the Ophthalmologist for a regular follow-up exam. Both eyes received cataract lens replacements in 2020 and the Doctor wants to admire his work, I guess. Or maybe he wants to check up on things like eye pressure, floaters, retina etc.

On Wednesday 4/26/23, we have our standing appointment at the Pet Groomer for both dogs. Tucker, our little Long-Haired Chihuahua mix pup will be getting a trim which we think will make him more comfortable in the desert heat this summer. He really is a fluffy little guy and won’t need that fur coat when the indoor thermostat is set to 80° and the outside temperatures will be in the low 100° range.

On Thursday 4/27/23, I have a Dermatology appointment. Last visit, the Doctor removed a suspected basal cell lesion from the back of my neck and will probably want to do a follow-up procedure for it by applying Liquid Nitrogen to kill off any remaining basal cells. Plus, I have a couple of other suspicious spots he needs to examine. Wear your sunscreen, kids!

Finally, on Friday 4/28/23, our landscape crew will be reporting to tend to some needed yard work including tree and shrub trimming, weed control and renewing the courtyard quarter minus ground covering. I don’t expect that I will need to help them do their job, but I know some things will come up that we may not have anticipated and we need to be there to authorize additional work.

But wait! There’s More! On Monday May 1st, I have to report to the clinic for blood work as a precursor to my Nephrology appointment in May and on Tuesday, I need a haircut.

This retirement business can be less restful than one might think.

Getting old is not for sissies.

23 Apr 2023 by Arizona Critters Medix Retirement

2022 Tax Season Mostly Over

UPDATE 01/27/2023

I snail mailed the AZ return yesterday as I said I might. However, AMAZINGLY, after only three days since e-filing, the Federal Refund is already in the Bank Account today – a record for sure. Something is to be said about filing early.

Confirmation Flag

Well, we just received our last 2022 1099-DIV from the broker and we entered the last of the data into the tax program. We validated the return and promptly e-filed with the IRS today.

It seems to always be that we wait on the broker for the last tidbit of income information to arrive in late January or early February. We have had all the other figures already plugged into the tax program only waiting for the last 1099-DIV to show up. The e-forms posted on the brokers website this afternoon.

So, as mentioned above, we e-filed this afternoon and within an hour had the confirmation flag email shown above. If things go as they did last year, we should have our small refund e-deposited within three weeks or so.

We were unable to file with the State of Arizona, however, since the main tax form 140 is not yet available in its final revision. Since we have neither a tax refund nor tax due with AZ, that filing can wait. The updated form is estimated to be available later this week. Since there is no refund, I think I will save myself the $20 and just print out and file the state return via snail mail rather than e-file.

23 Jan 2023 by Money and Business Retirement

Oh Look! A Squirrel!

Today, we were replenishing the bird feeders out back and as has been the case lately, one of the little Antelope Ground Squirrels came out to beg for a handout. It’s hard to see in the video above until he starts moving, but he came within a few feet when I tossed an almond over towards him.

After securing his goodie, he scurried to a safe distance and then off to his underbrush or burrow. The squirrels scored a total of five or six almonds (which I carry up there for them) before I was done with the bird feeders.

Happy Friday-the-Thirteenth

From History.com:

Long considered a harbinger of bad luck, Friday the 13th has inspired a late 19th-century secret society, an early 20th-century novel, a horror film franchise and not one but two unwieldy terms—paraskavedekatriaphobia and friggatriskaidekaphobia—that describe fear of this supposedly unlucky day.

Just like walking under a ladder, crossing paths with a black cat or breaking a mirror, many people hold fast to the belief that Friday the 13th brings bad luck. Though it’s uncertain exactly when this particular tradition began, negative superstitions have swirled around the number 13 for centuries.

While Western cultures have historically associated the number 12 with completeness (there are 12 days of Christmas, 12 months and zodiac signs, 12 labors of Hercules, 12 gods of Olympus and 12 tribes of Israel, just to name a few examples), its successor 13 has a long history as a sign of bad luck.

[more]

My Maternal Step-Grandmother was very superstitious, a trait which, thank the Lord, never rubbed off on any of us, myself or siblings. As far as we are concerned, this is just another blessed Friday in January. We hope your day is going as well as ours.

13 Jan 2023 by Arizona Critters Retirement

Mid-Week Run for Staples

When we have to travel down to the west valley for supplies, one of the perks is that we pass through a scenic section of the Arizona Desert. The (clickable) image (courtesy Damsel) shows the desert between US 60 near Morristown, AZ and a craggy peak up in the mountains to the northeast that I call “Castle Hot Springs Peak,” so named (by me) for the nearby historic resort. I have no idea what the actual name of the peak might be, but then my moniker is suitable enough for our purposes here.

We embarked on the shopping venture today to stock up on certain staples needed for our fall and winter seasons. Note that trips to the valley involve more and more traffic the closer we get to the holiday season due to the influx of part-year residents (a.k.a. Snowbirds). So, before the big rush, we wanted to get some things that we can’t usually get in our little town’s stores.

We had a list of items to procure which we were mostly able to obtain at the large warehouse chain store (starts with W and ends with T). We also scored some bonus items including Keto Culture Hot Dog and Hamburger Buns. Since Damsel and I started our diets in late 2018, we haven’t been able to have a decent hot dog or hamburger on a bun until today. I can honestly say that after eating a couple of those beef franks with mustard and relish that I was not able to tell the difference between the 1 net carb buns and the old 20 plus carb buns.

We also found a nice 5 pound boneless Prime Rib Roast (at $12/lb) which is now in our freezer with the intention of having it for Christmas Dinner. It has been a long time since we’ve had prime rib and we’re eagerly anticipating enjoying it when the time arrives.

Damsel also picked up a few sundries and other items that we don’t usually see in town. We can order some of the stuff on-line, but there is the factor of holding items and inspecting them before buying that is satisfying.

So, we’re done with trips down to the west valley until after the new year unless something really urgent comes up. Meanwhile, we’re cozy in our little abode with the provisions we need for the season.

12 Oct 2022 by Food & Dining Notions Retirement

Thirteenth Retirement Anniversary

Damn if these years don’t just keep speeding by! Thirteen years ago yesterday, I hung up my aerospace hat and jumped into the world of never-ending weekends. Today marks the thirteenth anniversary of my first full day of retirement.

The texture image in the numeral 13 above is from an old photo taken at the Grand Canyon National Park ten years ago.

Last year we posted about our twelfth anniversary and in that post we spoke of our intention to get in the big RV and go somewhere. Well, for various reasons, that trip has not yet happened. It has been over three years since we had the motorhome out and about, so this year we really intend to take a shakedown excursion to see how the RV does and how we do with it.

The most recent long trip was in 2019 when we went through Northern Arizona, Southern Utah, Western Colorado, Southern Wyoming, back into Colorado, down through New Mexico, back into Northern Arizona and then home again.

Our next excursion, as I mentioned, will be a shakedown cruise and as such, will be confined (mostly) to Arizona. We may cross over into Kalifornistan for a few miles, but it will be brief and (hopefully) won’t subject us to any of the insanity out there. Our proposed route will take us from home base up through very scenic US 93 to I-40 and east to Seligman, AZ. After that, we’re going to travel along Old Route 66 up through Peach Springs, AZ, Kingman, AZ and winding up at Bullhead City, AZ. Then we plan to head back home via Lake Havasu City, AZ, Parker, AZ, Salome, AZ and then on into Wickenburg.

01 Oct 2022 by Notions Retirement Wanderlust

Dermatology — An Ongoing Thing

Virtually, every year since I have turned 50 years of age, I have had to visit one dermatologist or another to deal with epidermis problems. Even prior to that, I had minor things like cysts and moles that the doctors dealt with back then.

Since coming to Arizona and even a couple of years before that, Dermatologists have treated me by removing skin lesions such as basal cell and squamous cell carcinoma. A lifetime of sun-exposure in the deserts of the west have come back to haunt me. Damsel says that skin remembers the UV exposure long after we forget about it.

Today, I had yet another appointment with the dermatologist who removed a lesion from my upper right chest a month ago. He had some interesting news for me; the dermopathology report indicated that the latest biopsy was, indeed, a keratoacanthoma which is a more aggressive form of skin cancer than those before this. The follow-up treatment in this case is like the other follow-ups in that the doctor freezes the tissue with liquid nitrogen directly on the lesion site and the area around it. This method, according to the treating physician, will usually prevent a recurrence 88 to 92 percent of the time.

I did some research on-line about keratoacanthoma which answered a couple of questions one might have:

Who Gets keratoacanthoma?

Keratoacanthoma is most common in fair-skinned older males with a history of chronic sun exposure. Most patients are over 60 years of age and it is twice as common in males than in females.

What causes Keratoacanthoma?

  • Exposure to ultraviolet light
  • Chemical carcinogens (e.g. cigarette smoking, industrial workers exposed to tar, pitch, and mineral oils)
  • Cutaneous trauma (e.g. surgery, radiation)
  • Human papillomavirus infection.

What is the outcome for keratoacanthoma?

Keratoacanthoma is regarded as benign and thus has an excellent prognosis following surgical excision.

I’m guessing UV caused my problem, although I was a smoker many years ago. I like the odds given for a full recovery.

15 Sep 2022 by Medix Retirement

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