Wind Turbine Project Part 9

I have channeled manly fire. I have melted steel. I have felt the hot sparks land on my bare arms and have rejoiced in the surge of testosterone. I am a wielder of welds, a player of power. I am Gandalf crossed with MacGyver.

I fight the urge to Tarzan yell. I want to pound my chest and scream "YEAH!" like only professional athletes and middle-aged fat guys can.

This is the good weld. The other side looked ugly. But I'm the one in control of which photos get posted, so I put my best foot forward.
Live long, and prosper.

Here David is grinding the rust off the pipes. Tomorrow we paint them. We have two 12 foot pipes, one 17 foot, and one 20 foot. They have 0.25" thick walls. After the paint dries, we will attempt to raise the tower.

I am dizzy with excitement.

Wind Turbine Project Part 8

Here are the magnets on a steel plate that will form one of the rotors (the rotating part). The wood is a template to help us get them in the right spot. It will be removed later.

Tayo, Karen, and Anna put a bit of superglue on the back of the magnets. I'm not sure why this is recommended, because the mangets are so strong that they grip the steel plate with about 75 pounds of force each. They were so strong that you could put one in your fist, and if you passed your hand near one of the others it would pull your hand down hard. If you weren't careful, it would smash your fingers!

Last we remove the wooden form and the magnets are all in the right places. Next we will cast the whole thing in a fiberglass resin. Come back for that exciting event! Tell your friends!

Finding an Alzheimer's Home for Father-in-law

My wife, The M, is still in Houston. She and her sister have been trying to find a place for their father. They have learned to ask the following questions right off the bat:
1) is there an immediate opening?
2) are they equipped to handle belligerent patients?
3) do they allow smoking?

They found a facility today that The M likes, but there isn't an opening yet. She said it was much more peaceful and home-like than their second choice, and less than half the cost. The range of costs for these facilities surprises me. They are seeing prices in the range of $4000-9500 per month. I'm not sure how much, if any, medicare will cover.

She told me tonight on the phone that being there with him is "insane". She goes from having tender moments of connection with her father, to screaming in the car to vent frustration, to laughing with her sister about some idiosyncrasy of his, to sobbing into her pillow. She says this is the most difficult thing she has ever endured. And that's saying something.

Like Tow-Mater, without the Tow

D smashed his foot at church Sunday. We hoped it would be better Monday morning, but he was still limping severely, so we took him to see the Doc. He got an x-ray, but it wasn't broken.

Now, only read this part if you aren't squeamish. When he landed, it pressed down on the tip of his toenail, and leveraged the nail bed out of the skin at the base of his nail. I get the heebee jeebees just writing it down. Sheesh.

Alzheimer's

The M is in Houston. Her father's mind is unravelling with Alzheimer's. It is emotionally difficult for her. He thinks he can stay in his house, but this is impossible. He no longer has any concept of time and calls people in the middle of the night. He takes a week's worth of medicine in one day. He can no longer take care of his own basic needs. He has become a child again.

Just as a child doesn't always want what's best for him, neither does he. So not only has The M experienced a role-reversal, becoming the parent, but now she must force him to do something he doesn't want to. All her siblings are coming to Houston to do this together this weekend. I am concerned for her. Last night she cried over the phone with me. She cried as hard as I have ever heard her cry. My ability to comfort her in this is so minimal in this situation.

She and her sister visited Alzheimer's care facilities yesterday. She said they were terribly depressing. So far, none of the ones they have seen in Houston is as nice as the one we have here in town, and they are more expensive. But all his doctors are in Houston, so they are looking there as a first choice.