Bud Baker

Good morning, everyone! It was 82 degrees as I rode to work this morning. Forecast high is 109. My fishing trip to Benbrook yesterday after work didn't work out. I arrived at Mustang Park just after 3:00 pm, only to have the gate attendant there tell me the last boat ramp had been closed that morning. He said there are now no open boat ramps on Benbrook, which is over 9 feet low. So any more Benbrook trips I make in the foreseeable future will have to be kayak trips. Happy Birthday, MI Judy! Best wishes for great scan results, KW Judy! Have a great day, all!

Good morning, everyone! It was 84 degrees when I got up this morning. Forecast high is 109, so today will likely be our 38th straight 100+ degree day here, and 7th straight 105+ degree day. I drove to work this morning so I can get home earlier and meet a friend at Lake Benbrook this afternoon. I didn't ride either Saturday or Sunday, so I'm getting a rare three days in a row off the bike. We went out with friends Saturday night to celebrate Rose's birthday, then had lunch Sunday with friends from Oklahoma City who were in town. Late Happy Birthday, Annette! I hope you enjoyed your easy day. It's Rose's birthday today. Paulette, I hope you're having a good visit with your sister. I need to get to Oklahoma City to visit mine. We're only siblings. What kind of sewing projects are you working on, Lillian? Rose has started microwaving corn that's still in the husk. It seems to be very good that way, too. Stephanie, I've forgotten which day your birthday is. Whichever day it it, Happy Birthday! Time for me to get back to work. Have a great day, all!

Welcome, Dee! I was found to have a small tumor that was thought to be stage 1, but the biopsy from surgery revealed that it had already spread to one lymph node, making it stage 2A. But I've recovered well and been cancer free for more than 3 1/2 years now. Here's wishing you many years of being cancer free, too.

Good morning, everyone! It was 84 degrees as I rode to work this morning. Forecast high is 109. I won't be getting up at my usual 3:55 am time, starting Monday. I'll be getting up at 2:55 am. With record electricity use around here every day lately, the power company has threatened industrial users with rolling blackouts if they don't cut down, so my employer is going to start the day shift an hour earlier, start the 2nd shift later, and shut down a few hours during the hottest part of the afternoon. They're going to let me off work at 2:00 pm. That should make for a lot cooler ride home; it's probably only a couple of degrees over 100 at 2:00 pm. I'm probably just going to do a short bike ride from home tomorrow morning. Rose and I are going out tomorrow night to celebrate her birthday, which is Monday. I may just sleep in and stay home in the air conditioning on Sunday. We were talking about going out tonight too, but I think we're going to just cancer that and stay home. Ann, I know what you mean. It's been a very long week here too, and I'm ready for the weekend. Janet, it's hard to beat a walk off homer for a great ending. Glad you enjoyed your trip. Eric, I'm sure your Seattle stop will be a lot more fun. Wish I was going to be there for the walk. Time for me to get back to work. Have a great day, all!

Ok, that gets my vote as the worst typo of the day...

Good morning, everyone! It was 82 degrees as I rode to work this morning. Forecast high is 111. It was 109 degrees on my ride home yesterday again. Ah, but testing my limits is part of the fun. I do ride with a heart rate monitor, though. I've learned that in severe heat, perceived effort isn't nearly as reliable an indicator of real effort as heart rate is. Yesterday, though, I was feeling so good that I kept forgetting to watch my heart rate, and eased off more that once after catching myself with a higher heart rate than intended. I've been threatening to do a cycling blog forever. My story is unusual enough that I should have started one after I was diagnosed. I'm going to try and start one now. Maybe when I'm retired and have more time, I'll really get into it. Glad your AC wasn't down for long, Paulette. My office here at work barely gets down to 82 degrees these days. Lots of AC units only seem capable of producing a 25 degree or so temperature drop, so when it's 120 degrees in the shop, it's not that cool in the offices inside the shop (but I still try and duck out of the shop and into my office whenever possible). Glad you're feeling better, MI Judy. Are you going to record your speech for us? I hope you manage a better night's sleep tonight, Sara. Have a great day, all!

Good morning, everyone! It reached 100 degrees here before 11:00 am yesterday. It stayed over 100 degrees until after 8:00pm. In the middle of my ride home at 4:00 pm, it was 109 degrees (officially at NOAA; my bike computer was reading 118). My sandals got so hot they were burning my toes. Whenever I grabbed the bike's brake levers, they burned my fingers. I can't say that it was as much fun as my ride home usually is. So did I ride to work today? Of course. This afternoon's forecast? 110 degrees. I can hardly wait. Late happy anniversary, Alan! Go over and wish your neighbors a happy anniversary, too. Paulette, do you suppose there will still be Medicare for you next year? I'll soon be having to investigate all the Medicare details. Can you do both Medicare and VA health care? Annette, better to climb into the toilet than to you-know-what in the bathtub. KW Judy, we have some furnaces here at work. Have Stan come and work on them. It's nice and cool in Fort Worth. Stephanie, I hope the Avastin continues to not give you too many side effects. MI Judy, I hope your nausea is better today. Have a great day, all!

Good morning, everyone! It was 86 degrees as I rode to work this morning. Forecast high is 111. Today will be the 32nd straight day of 100+ temperatures and people are starting to talk about the unthinkable, breaking the 1980 streak of 42 straight 100+ degree days. It had been widely assumed here that that record would never be broken. Yesterday's 107 degree ride home was my hottest ride on the bike this year, but it sounds like this afternoon will be hotter. Laurie, great to see you on the Air. Good luck with your colonoscopy. The worst part is already over. KW Judy, I hope the bruises and scrapes from your fall have healed. One of the nice things about the recumbents that I ride is that you don't have as far to fall. Sara, how was your fish fry? We have a couple of other recipes for our crappie, but fried is still my favorite. We do use a lot healthier oil for frying these days than we used to though: rice bran oil. Alan and Janet, I know just what you mean about cancer eating your wallet. Between the VA and insurance from work, my cancer wasn't very expensive, but my wife's cancer was a different story. Stephanie, I hope that Avastin isn't causing too many problems. MI Judy, how's your foot? It should be lots of pretty colors by now. Have a great day, all!

Good morning, everyone! It was 80 degrees as I rode to work this morning. Forecast high is 109. July became the first month I ever remember where it was 100+ degrees every day of the month. On Saturday, I did the hilly 70 mile route at the Goatneck Bike Ride. I was slower than last year at Goatneck, and pretty wiped out at the finish. I don't know if riding to work all 5 days last week had me on tired legs, forgetting my carb drink mix slowed me down, or if I'm just getting feeble in my old age. Speaking of unhealthy food, after Goatneck I stopped at a Dairy Queen and had an extra long chili cheesedog and a turtle pecan cluster blizzard. I don't eat anything that unhealthy often, but it went down well after all the heat and hills. All of my pedaling on Sunday was on Lake Benbrook in my kayak. Fishing was tough but I did catch a few nice fish. Have a great day, all!

I only have one thing left on my bucket list: 1. WORK A LOT LESS DANG HOURS!

Very nice, Judy. I don't know why, but when you posted about having your scan last week, I was thinking this better-than-expected news was what we would get. Maybe I need to be so optimistic more often, huh? Congrats!

Good morning, everyone! It was 80 degrees as I rode to work this morning. Forecast high is 104. LOL, Alan. I know what you mean. Less than two months after my surgery, I was riding with friends when I took a rough turn too fast, went down, and skidded a ways on my side. These friends had seen my scar. They were just sure I was split wide open, but I only suffered some minor road rash on my arse. Lillian, I hope your cold is better today. Most years, we only have a few days over 100 degrees. If this streak lasts through Saturday, that will tie for the second longest streak of 100 degree days ever. Stephanie, I hope you're feeling better today. Time for me to get back to work. Have a great day, all!

Good morning, everyone! It was 84 degrees as I rode to work this morning. Forecast high is 105. Yesterday was the 25th straight day of 100+ temperatures for DFW, tying the 3rd longest streak of 100+ degree days ever recorded. We're starting to see contests on guessing when the streak ends. And yesterday morning's low of 86 degrees was DFW's hottest minimum temperature ever. This is turning into a long summer. Janet, good to see you on the Air. Good luck with the MRI. KW Judy, glad you're feeling better. Rose gets the breathing machine on Friday, so we'll see how that goes. MI Judy, I hope you're foot is better soon. My left little toe has been broken in 3 places so I know that's no fun. Time for me to get back to the sweat shop. Have a great day, all!

Good morning, everyone! It was 84 degrees as I rode to work this morning. Forecast high is 106. It was 105 degrees as I rode home yesterday afternoon. I never saw another rider the entire 12 miles. There aren't many cyclists on the road when it's 105 degrees, it would appear.......LOL. I was looking at my electric bill last week. It has some good comparison information on it. Last year, from June 13th to July 13th, the average daily high temperature in Crowley was 94. This year's average daily high during the same stretch of June and July? 102. In spite of it being an average of 8 degrees warmer this year, our electricity usage was less. Our practice of turning up the house thermostat and running our window unit air conditioner at night must be helping. MI Judy, there seem to be lots of movies that don't do anything for me these days. You can pretty much pick any Will Ferrell movie and I can't sit through it. I tend to like adventure, science fiction, and kids movies. I think I enjoyed all the Shrek movies more than the grandkids did......LOL. KW Judy, I hope your chemo side effects aren't too bad today. Take care of that cold, Eric. Have a great day, all!

This is indeed great news, Karen. Big congrats!

Good morning, everyone! It was 80 degrees as I rode to work this morning. Forecast high is 107. No daily high forecast in the 10 day forecast is less than 104. I rode to Benbrook Saturday morning to join Fort Worth's new mayor, Betsy Price, and 20 or so others for a short ride. Mayor Price is an avid cyclist, and has led a short ride every day of the Tour de France, calling it the Tour de Fort Worth. By the time I rode back home, I'd gotten in 53 miles. Rose and I went out with friends Saturday night and got home very late, so I slept in Sunday morning, and settled for a short afternoon fishing trip to Lake Benbrook. Rose spent another night at the sleep clinic last week, and it looks like the breathing machine they tried on her helped a lot. They're saying she has the type of sleep apnea that weight loss would probably help. It looks like I'll be eating lots of salads for dinner for a while. Back to work for me. Have a great day, all!

Good morning, everyone! It was 80 degrees as I rode to work this morning. Forecast high is 103. If it reaches that, it will be our 20th straight day of 100+ degree temperatures. That is NOT normal here. KW Judy, it sounds like you felt better yesterday than expected. I think you have the right idea about today, taking it easy. MI Judy, sorry you had a sleepless night. I'm still hoping your scan results will be better than you expect. I'm thinking I will just do a shorter ride from home tomorrow morning. That will give me a lower than usual mileage week, but I had 225 miles last week and all these 100+ degree days are tough on an old guy. Rose and I are supposed to go out with friends tomorrow night, so I probablly won't be up early to go fishing Sunday. I might make a close to home afternoon fishing trip. My weekend will start in a little over 6 hours. Have a great day, all!

Good morning, everyone! It was 81 degrees as I rode to work this morning. Forecast high is 102. KW Judy, sorry you're not feeling as chipper today. I guess it's to be expected, though. Enjoy your rest when you get back from your shot. Enjoy Toronto today, Eric. I was there years ago, making a service call on my present employer's shop there, before I went to work for this company. I learned not to order iced tea with my lunch there. They bring you a can.......LOL. It's just not as popular a drink there as here. I hope you can get the doctors on the same page without too much trouble, MI Judy. Time for me to get back to work. Have a great day, all!

Oops, I forgot KW Judy's chemo. Good luck with your chemo, KW Judy! There seem to be a lot of umbilical hernias going around. An umbilical hernia played a part in my lung cancer being diagnosed. A chest x-ray before my January, 2007 umbilical hernia was one of two that got compared and caused them to bring me in for a CT scan. Getting different doctors on the same page is a common problem in this country. We struggled with some of that during Rose's cancer treatments. One thing I like about the VA is that every doctor has access to every other doctor's comments and conclusions.

Good morning, everyone! It was 78 degrees as I rode to work this morning. Forecast high is 103. Lillian, it sounds like you're having a great time with your visiting family. Glad to hear it. LaDonna, I didn't realize you were in Venus. That is indeed close to Lake Bardwell. I do miss fishing that lake. Katie, it's always hot here in summer, but this is not normal. 1980 was the year that set all records in number of days 100 degrees or over in this part of the country. There were 69 100 degree days here and 50 in Oklahoma City. I notice that in Oklahoma City, they're starting to talk about breaking that record, with 30 100 degree days already. We had too many 99 degree days early this summer to break the record here, but it's still going to be one of the hottest summers ever. I seem to have finally reached my target weight this week. I would have suffered less on some of those early summer rides if I had reached it in May like I did last year, but I guess the old saying of better late than never applies. Good luck on the scan, MI Judy! Have a great day, all!

Good morning, everyone! It is 78 degrees outside. Forecast high is 102. Rose has to leave for work at 10:30, so if I had gone fishing, I'd have to be back by then, so I just decided to stay home. I'll get out in an hour or so and move the boat out of the garage, maybe wash my truck. LaDonna, before I moved to Crowley, I lived in southeast Arlington. Lake Bardwell was just a 40 mile drive, and was a favorite crappie spot. That Hwy 34 bridge holds a lot of crappie. But it's almost 70 miles to Bardwell now, so I don't make it there very often, preferring to fish closer to home. Good luck with your scan tomorrow, MI Judy. Have a great day, all!

Good morning, everyone! It was 78 degrees as I rode to work this morning. Forecast high is 101. I headed over to Lake Benbrook on Saturday and ended up with 8 keeping size crappie. I just released them all this trip, though. On Sunday, I got up early and did a 100 mile ride with friends. I spent the rest of the day vegetating in front of the TV. There will be no ride to work tomorrow. I'm taking a day of vacation and the garage door installer will be coming over between 10:00 and 11:00 am. I had scheduled a day of vacation for Friday. I take a few Fridays off during the summer to give myself a long weekend break away from the hot shop. But since the garage door man could make it out tomorrow, I switched my vacation day. My boat is 18 1/2 feet long. With motor and trailer, it's over 21 feet long, so I have to angle it to get it to fit in the garage. It will need to be moved to give the garage door man room to work. That sounds like a good excuse to take the boat to the lake and go fishing, don't you think? Have a great day, all!

Good morning, everyone! It was 80 degrees as I rode to work this morning. Forecast high is 105. Being on the southwest edge of the metroplex, Crowley gets a bit cooler at night than DFW. Yesterday morning, while I was noting an 80 degree temperature as I rode to work, DFW Airport was recording 84 degrees, which set an all time highest low temperature for the day for July 14th. KW Judy, I missed the fact that you were wanting two windows side by side. I just switch back and forth between two tab windows. "bs and salt rinse"? I get lots of bs here at work, but I never rinse with it.......LOL. Late Happy Anniversary, Katie! My weekend plans are kind of up in the air, depending on whether the garage door guy can do the installation tomorrow or not. My HOA Gestapo has already notified me that my garage door needs to be fixed. Nice to know they're doing their job. The door cratered on Monday, and by Thursday I had received a letter in the mail. That's fast......LOL. Have a great day, all!

Good morning, everyone! It was 82 degrees as I rode to work this morning. Forecast high is 105. LOL @ yellower pastures. They're definitely a dull brownish yellow around here right now. KW Judy, Ctrl-T opens a new tab in IE. LaDonna, I ride to work before daylight, so the heat isn't too bad then. But, I start my ride home at 3:30 in the afternoon, the very hottest part of the day. Annette, you'd likely never guess what we're watching. It wasn't something I figured would ever be a favorite. Not knowing many series, I googled best TV series and read stuff that I found to decide what to start with. We watched a number of series pilots, and there are a few that I can tell will be very good. While I was googling, I ran across a site that rated the 50 best science fiction TV shows ever. I like sci-fi, so I browsed the site. I was very surprised by which show they rated the best sci-fi series ever, so I added it to my Netflix queue. That was 36 episodes ago, and we haven't watched anything else since that first episode.....LOL. The sci-fi series that Rose and I got hooked on? It's Battlestar Galactica. Back to work for me. Have a great day, all!

Wow, three Airs today; I think that's a new record. I'm in mad man merge mode... Those of us with Netflix got bad news today. Their best monthly plan, unlimited monthly streaming TV plus two DVD's per month for $9.99 has been scrapped. This happened, of course, less than a month after I signed up for it. As of September 1st, it's $7.99 a month for streaming, $7.99 a month for DVD's, or $15.98 a month for both. We'll probably just do the streaming thing, and get a Redbox DVD now and then for a newer movie. I've probably never mentioned this, but from the time I got a satellite dish in 1988 until I first got a DVR a couple of years ago, I never watched a single network series. Not one. I'd just had my fill of commercials, and decided to never watch them again (so when y'all talk about a commercial, I have no idea what you're talking about, because I haven't seen it.....LOL). So Netflix streaming, with all its available TV series, works great for me, since I haven't seen any of them. But here's a quiz for you. With the incredible number of series available on Netflix, and after checking ratings and watching the pilot of a few, guess which one Rose and I got hooked on the most and have been watching (to the exclusion of everything else) ever since.