OK. I got the lab tests results. The doctor concurs that what happened to me was due to my poor appetite and that I simply needed some real nourishment. But they all fainted when they checked my blood sediment level. I have Psorriatic Arthritis, so the inflammation keeps my sed rate way, way above normal. It was nearly 400. The normal high is about 40-60.

No problem.

I am forcing myself to eat, taking iron pills now, and stuffing myself with bloody red meat. I feel like having a nice juicy steak, but I can't afford that, so I eat lots of chops, burgers and meatloaf.

Next, paying for all that!

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No signs of diabetes, either.

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I need a stiff drink.

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A stiff drink is a half glass of tequila and a crumbled-up Viagra. LOL

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My Columbus patron called. He will be here at 11:00 a.m. Thursday. I am frantically putting away crap, sweeping, hiding laundry and warning the cats to keep their litter IN THE BOXES! He is interested in the remainder of my "study" paintings (the small ones) and the latest stuff I've painted.

I am stimulated. I can use the cash, if he buys!

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I could use it even if he didn't!

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The DJIA was down over 800 points today at one time. It rallied near the close to down 355. The 800 was the biggest point drop in history. The DOW is now where it was over 4 years ago. It will go down more. Cramer says 8200 to 8300. I say maybe 8600-8800. There was talk today on the floor of the exchanges about nationalizing the banking system, but that is already happening.

At one time, prior to President Andrew Jackson, there was only the Bank of the United States. It was the government bank. There were no private ones. He broke that up and made it so we have privately owned and operated banks.

Right now everyone with money is not concerned about gains or profit. They are only concerned about preservation of capital. Everyone but me, you see, because the only capital I have is talent. They can't take that away.
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I posted the Palin family photos for someone who couldn't get them to stick on the blog.

Reminds me of my happy gun days. I was in the US Army, before they turned it into the Boy Scouts. I was sent to Ranger School, which was an honor. Once a Ranger, always one. No Ranger is an "ex" Ranger. It is a brotherhood.

The reason is this: Ranger School is the toughest, hardest-to-complete school in the Army. We had three Navy Seals in our class and two of them flunked out. That's how hard it was.

We worked our butts to the pulp. Day and night it was. We averaged about four hours of sleep, and one of those was while we were standing on our feet. We slogged through swamps, kicked snakes out of the way, ate garbage, shot every weapon they had and learned to strip, clean, reassemble and fire everything that had a chamber and bore. We learned when asked, "What's your favorite weapon, Maggot?" to say "The one I happen to have in my hand, Sir!"

One night in the rain we were rolled out of the bunks and assembled out on the muddy parade ground. A Major or Colonel inspected us in our soaking wet fatigues, called us to attention and told us we had graduated.

"Now get inside, clean up and get your gear. I want your asses out of here so we can bring in the next bunch of troops who THINK they can be United States Army Rangers! Hop to it!"

Six weeks earlier there had been nearly two hundred of us. That night I counted thirty-eight.

I could still strip down an AK-47 if I was completely drunk. Sometimes in my dreams I am up to my neck in a muddy swamp, looking for an island or a tree to climb. When it rains sometimes I go out and just stand in it and let the rain drip off my face.

I was much younger then.

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