So, again - if you want to drop to Michelle that I have an autistic daughter and have spoken about the difficulties and trials we had navigating raising our daughter, and that I'd be willing to talk to her about it - that might be a way to start. Not that you're getting involved - that you don't care either way - but you just thought you would put it on the table. Do just that - and if she calls, I'll talk to her, if she doesn't... that is what it is...


Maybe if your local support network is failing you - speak to others. Autism Center in Phoenix can't help you directly - but maybe they have networks up there that they can put you in touch with that would do better than whoever you're seeing now.

Billion Strong is a national organization for people with all kinds of disabilities. Maybe they have local resources.

If something isn't working for you - don't necessarily stick with it and hope it will improve - look for alternatives that can help you with the things you do want to stick with and see improve.

I mean, otherwise, it feels like just delaying the inevitable, right?

Sun Aug 29 2021 10:16:25 MST from Jerry Moore

Great advice, but not easily taken and accepted around here. They HAVE tried outside assistance and found the system to be inefficient and unwilling to help, under the pressure of this Covid thing. They have both seen therapists - Tom gave up on therapy, while I think that Michelle is still going, unless she missed two sessions in a row, in which case they drop you from the system and you have to call them and start all over again. The social worker who was supposed to help Landon failed to show up on time, which resulted in my daughter and her husband not being home because of the need to get their kids to school, which is still happening here except for periods of a couple of weeks at a time, when someone has tested positive for Covid. Since each of the kids attend a different school, it's a bit more complicated getting them there and back, and takes both parents working together. Unfortunately, the social worker stopped trying because of the "missed" appointments resulting from the above, and Tom reacted in his usual teenage attitude, with "Fuck them, they're not coming on time and then blaming us!" -  and when Michelle tried to get the system started again, his loud, profane comments in the background when she was on the phone have made things more difficult. I understand your advice, but the problem is really that we're not all on the same page, here. There has been too much hate and mistrust generated, and the resulting attitudes are hard to get around. Landon's attitude and reaction is much like you described, Michelle's is she could do it alone if Tom would just go away, Tom's is authoritarian but weak and laced with profanity, which he is unwilling or unable to control. He acts like he thinks he's God, but has no follow-up except for threats of violence, which upset Michelle and cause immediate arguments. As for me, I've been told by both parents to stay out of it. My daughter and I have an agreement regarding politics, religion and child care to disagree and not talk about it, because we both get upset. I left Layton out because he is the one who seems to be coping with things the best, and not contributing to the problems. Other than Layton, we all seem to be at fault in some way, and we all seem to feel powerless to do anything to make things better. Oh, Layton is in the first grade, this year, and Landon is still in the Head Start program, so both have the opportunity to socialise with kids of their age. I suspect that Landon gets firmer control at school than at home, since he doesn't hit his classmates like he does his brother. At home, Layton sounds off periodically that Landon is pulling his hair or hitting him or trying to bite him. Michelle then talks to Landon, telling him that he shouldn't be hurting his brother, which sometimes results in Landon biting or kicking his mother. I'm just the observer here, unable to do anything but this effort to document things. Of course, it's all from my point of view, so take it as you will.

I had a brief talk with my daughter and told her that we have a conversation going and that she was invited to read what had transpired so far. She said that she'd like to do that, but didn't have the time to read it all directly from my tablet, so I should forward it all to her in an email, which I have done. Now I'm waiting for for her to find the time to read over it. Meanwhile, the shit is in the fan here most of the time. Today I heard her and her husband having a loud discussion of our overall situation here, and she was despairing of what to do about me if we lost our apartment here, which is still a possibility, since the courts decided that she government can't stop landlords from evicting tenants, now. They don't seem to have an answer, and neither do I.

That discussion either paused or ended, and now I'm hearing sounds of Tom interacting with his sons.

I really don't have an answer, and it worries me. If my recent surgery had not gone well, I might have been hospitalized, or died, which would have solved the problem (at least, for me), but it went quite well as an inpatient procedure, and I'm feeling physically much better than I have for quite a while. If I had gone to the hospital because, problems, then I might have been able to transfer to a local rehab hospital and get the government to cover me staying there indefinitely, but you could say that I had the bad luck to have had good with the operation. Now, I'm just waiting to see what happens. Sometimes there just isn't a solution to a problem, and, honestly, I never expected to live this long. I'm also waiting for Michelle to find the time to read over the massive text file I sent her. Depending on how she reacts to it, you may hear from her before I do, since she could decide to call you and ask for advice. . .or she may just not find the time. The ball is in her court, now, as far as the care of my autistic grandson goes.

Well, maybe even reading it will help. Help know that this isn't something unusual to experience, that the stress, regret and uncertainty and second-guessing oneself in this kind of situation is natural - and that it IS manageable and that there is assistance out there.

The big take away for me is that traditional parenting methods don't work with autists. We struggled with our kid until her Sophomore year, when she self-diagnosed and sought a clinical diagnosis and we started to understand that it wasn't just that she was willful or manipulative. It became more apparent as she grew older that while she was high functioning at many things - there were basic things that she was developmentally disabled at. She couldn't make herself a PB&J at 15 years old - like, she couldn't assemble her own lunch. Getting too and from school less than a mile away on a bike was a struggle for her. Directions - like, if she got lost - the odds of her turning a mild issue into a MAJOR crisis were HUGE. She had an irrational phobia of flying insects that would send her into full blown panic attacks. This was actually the point where we realized there was an issue. We had a foreign exchange student - and we had already noticed the major developmental difference between that exchange student and our daughter - the social developmental delay. We were in Yosemite, and we were walking to a vista - and there were a lot of meatbees flying around the garbage cans - and they're a pretty aggressive, menacing flying insect - but everyone knows they're just annoying. We're all walking to the view, and our kid is having a total meltdown. Like, I *recognized* it wasn't just discomfort of phobia - it was a panic attack. Debilitating anxiety. Took her back to the car and let her calm down there.

And, upon a clinical diagnosis, I had to live with the regret of all the things I had been fucking up for the previous 15 years as a parent. Trying to be a good parent, trying to do the things I *thought* a good parent did to make their child a functioning part of society - I was doing more damage than good. Just like it sounds like your son-in-law is doing. It isn't his fault... unless someone tells him that he needs to change his approach and he remains stubborn and adamant that his way is the BEST way.

Since we found out - our kid has grown so much. She is away at college in Chicago right now. She has a Vespa and she drives to friends houses miles away. She talks about moving out for good, and soon. She is interested in cooking for herself. She navigates Chicago, and its train systems, and its suburbs, by herself. She shops for herself. She is a fully functioning, independent adult. She still has challenges. She still has developmental disabilities, but she is aware of them, has had assistance in learning coping strategies, and *we* understand and are better able to support her.

If we hadn't changed our approach, we would have a 20 year old arrested mentally at about age 12 living at home with no hopes, no plans, no sense of independence or self worth and no chance of ever overcoming that.

We were at *war* as a family between about 4 and 15 - and it was almost all related to our Kid's issue and our inability to recognize it and find strategies to overcome it. I mean, my daughter and wife were at war, and I was in between, like the US trying to broker a peace between the Middle East and Israel. Like the US - I'd have my own swings from being accommodating and conciliatory to being angry and taking zero-tolerance hardline positions. Nothing worked. 

I hated meal time, I hated clothes shopping, I hated getting dressed for school in the morning, I hated travel, I hated family leisure events, I hated birthdays, I hated all of it - and I was very angry at my wife and my daughter for making things so damn difficult. Neither one would budge, and I couldn't find any strategies to get one to compromise with the other. For 11 years.

Then she got clinically diagnosed, we started getting some expert advice, we started educating and learning *ourselves* - and it was like the clouds parted and things haven't been *perfect* - but they've been so much better.

I'm not real open or much about being public about things like this. I'm not big on the people who are preachy about "raising their autistic child," on social media. It seems like they're looking for recognition and a medal.

I wouldn't speak up on this issue - but it sounds like your family needs help with this. It is out there.

Sun Sep 05 2021 17:08:47 MST from Jerry Moore

I had a brief talk with my daughter and told her that we have a conversation going and that she was invited to read what had transpired so far. She said that she'd like to do that, but didn't have the time to read it all directly from my tablet, so I should forward it all to her in an email, which I have done. Now I'm waiting for for her to find the time to read over it. Meanwhile, the shit is in the fan here most of the time. Today I heard her and her husband having a loud discussion of our overall situation here, and she was despairing of what to do about me if we lost our apartment here, which is still a possibility, since the courts decided that she government can't stop landlords from evicting tenants, now. They don't seem to have an answer, and neither do I.

That discussion either paused or ended, and now I'm hearing sounds of Tom interacting with his sons.

I really don't have an answer, and it worries me. If my recent surgery had not gone well, I might have been hospitalized, or died, which would have solved the problem (at least, for me), but it went quite well as an inpatient procedure, and I'm feeling physically much better than I have for quite a while. If I had gone to the hospital because, problems, then I might have been able to transfer to a local rehab hospital and get the government to cover me staying there indefinitely, but you could say that I had the bad luck to have had good with the operation. Now, I'm just waiting to see what happens. Sometimes there just isn't a solution to a problem, and, honestly, I never expected to live this long. I'm also waiting for Michelle to find the time to read over the massive text file I sent her. Depending on how she reacts to it, you may hear from her before I do, since she could decide to call you and ask for advice. . .or she may just not find the time. The ball is in her court, now, as far as the care of my autistic grandson goes.

My other brother is on the spectrum.  My parents know this but they still try to treat him like a "normal" person, which he has never been.  James acts like an emotional magnifying mirror.  Whatever you give him, he gives back around 1.5 times.  So my parents wouldn't understand the rages he got into when they spoke sternly to him.  I learned to just be upbeat with him all the time and that's never failed me yet.

I can't speak to all of the issues you're going through, but I'm another person who can attest that it's not easy to figure out how to act with someone on the spectrum, but it is worth the effort.

Thanks! We're moving at the speed of cold molasses, here, but we'll get there.

Wed Sep 22 2021 04:03:22 MST from TheDave

My other brother is on the spectrum.  My parents know this but they still try to treat him like a "normal" person, which he has never been.  James acts like an emotional magnifying mirror.  Whatever you give him, he gives back around 1.5 times.  So my parents wouldn't understand the rages he got into when they spoke sternly to him.  I learned to just be upbeat with him all the time and that's never failed me yet.

I can't speak to all of the issues you're going through, but I'm another person who can attest that it's not easy to figure out how to act with someone on the spectrum, but it is worth the effort.

It's probably time that I asked for your help, Donovan. I've indulged my obsession with Science news on FaceBook for long enough since I mostly recovered. I can't sit in my wheelchair for as long as I used to be able to, so it's become more important to get the Surface up to speed. Besides that,this old Amazon Fire tablet is starting to die, so I won't have it, any more. I told my daughter about that, and I think she intends to get me a new Fire10 tablet at the beginning of next month. They're a hundred and twenty bucks on sale, so we can afford it, and I've grown used to the onscreen keyboard with predictive text. I also play three kinds of solitaire daily challenges and a Mah Jong daily challenge every morning with breakfast.

Anyway, let me know when you have time available, but don't worry - as I told The Dave above, things here move at the speed of cold molasses.

Why don't we plan for something this weekend or next Monday. I've got a lot going on through Thursday. Let me know what works best for you.

Fri Sep 24 2021 15:31:28 MST from Jerry Moore

It's probably time that I asked for your help, Donovan. I've indulged my obsession with Science news on FaceBook for long enough since I mostly recovered. I can't sit in my wheelchair for as long as I used to be able to, so it's become more important to get the Surface up to speed. Besides that,this old Amazon Fire tablet is starting to die, so I won't have it, any more. I told my daughter about that, and I think she intends to get me a new Fire10 tablet at the beginning of next month. They're a hundred and twenty bucks on sale, so we can afford it, and I've grown used to the onscreen keyboard with predictive text. I also play three kinds of solitaire daily challenges and a Mah Jong daily challenge every morning with breakfast.

Anyway, let me know when you have time available, but don't worry - as I told The Dave above, things here move at the speed of cold molasses.

Should I have called you Paranoid Delusions instead of Donovan in the last message ? I haven't seen a response. I have the program you sent me on my desktop Dell, and I can run it and give it your contract information any time you supply it to me.

It's been a loud day - the two loud Holviks set each other off a number of times today. Neither of my grandsons' parents know how to deal with Landon. Tom gets mad and yells at him, and then he cries loudly for a long time. That pisses off Tom, and he gets generally loud and obnoxious. I think of them as the big cry-baby and the little cry-baby. Michelle has her own issues. When she has trouble communicating with Landon she doesn't go off on him-she goes off on herself, about what a terrible mother she is and how awful it is. This whole household needs therapy, but half of us wouldn't go.

On another topic, they are still looking for a place we can move to if the new management here decides to throw us out on some pretext or another, but having five cats is making it difficult. I'm hoping that the money accumulating in my bank account will come in handy when we make the move, eventually. Michelle hasn't asked for the debit card from that account back since she gave it to me last month, and I was expecting her to, so she could pull my share of the rent and utilities out of the account. I guess she's making the payments OK without my help so far, but we don't communicate as well as we used to.

By the way,I'm using the Surface Pro to send this message, and now use it as a tablet without the keyboard to connect with FaceBook alternately with the Amazon Fire tablet, which my daughter tells me is a Fire 8. It has developed a new problem, in that it won't let me read articles directly anymore. I can save them and then go to the saved articles on FaceBook and read them from there. Michelle said, last month, when it started, that she would get me a new Amazon Fire 10, but I haven't heard anything about it from her this month.

Argh! I just noticed that you HAD answered, and I missed it! Go ahead and try again and I'll try to get back here in a timely fashion. I'm free most of the time, all week, being retired and disabled. I spend most of the day in bed, on FaceBook.

Ok. So... THIS week is booked pretty busy until Friday or the weekend. Let me know which works best for you, and I'll try to work in some time for you. It shouldn't take terribly long. 

Sun Oct 03 2021 21:49:54 MST from Jerry Moore

Argh! I just noticed that you HAD answered, and I missed it! Go ahead and try again and I'll try to get back here in a timely fashion. I'm free most of the time, all week, being retired and disabled. I spend most of the day in bed, on FaceBook.

And it is OK to call me Donovan. My metadata pretty much leaks my real identity all over the Internet. I try to keep my handles, aliases and pseudonyms separate from my real identity - but it is a losing battle. :D 

Well, since it's Friday night and theoretically about bedtime, I guess it defaults to the weekend. How are we going to do this ?

Tue Oct 05 2021 20:17:37 MST from ParanoidDelusions <paranoiddelusions@wallofhate.com>

Ok. So... THIS week is booked pretty busy until Friday or the weekend. Let me know which works best for you, and I'll try to work in some time for you. It shouldn't take terribly long. 

 

Sun Oct 03 2021 21:49:54 MST from Jerry Moore

Argh! I just noticed that you HAD answered, and I missed it! Go ahead and try again and I'll try to get back here in a timely fashion. I'm free most of the time, all week, being retired and disabled. I spend most of the day in bed, on FaceBook.

 

You have my phone number. Call me. When it is convenient. Tomorrow, later afternoon will be best. I have some things going one early. 

Fri Oct 08 2021 20:20:27 MST from Jerry Moore

Well, since it's Friday night and theoretically about bedtime, I guess it defaults to the weekend. How are we going to do this ?

Tue Oct 05 2021 20:17:37 MST from ParanoidDelusions <paranoiddelusions@wallofhate.com>

Ok. So... THIS week is booked pretty busy until Friday or the weekend. Let me know which works best for you, and I'll try to work in some time for you. It shouldn't take terribly long. 

 

Sun Oct 03 2021 21:49:54 MST from Jerry Moore

Argh! I just noticed that you HAD answered, and I missed it! Go ahead and try again and I'll try to get back here in a timely fashion. I'm free most of the time, all week, being retired and disabled. I spend most of the day in bed, on FaceBook.

 

 

Just to make matters more interesting, I had a lost Saturday and didn't get back here until now! Is Sunday afternoon a possibility? It's almost ten am here and I just got back into bed (where I spend most of my time) and really don't feel like going back over to the desktop right away. I'm on the Fire tablet, but I have the Surface here in bed with me, so I can download the program you sent me a link for to that one, as well. I'll check in here after I do that.

We can fit it in today. I've got an appointment Monday and Tuesday - but we could probably fit it in early either day. They're afternoon appointments. Just call. If I'm available we'll do it. :) 

Sun Oct 10 2021 09:47:24 MST from Jerry Moore

Just to make matters more interesting, I had a lost Saturday and didn't get back here until now! Is Sunday afternoon a possibility? It's almost ten am here and I just got back into bed (where I spend most of my time) and really don't feel like going back over to the desktop right away. I'm on the Fire tablet, but I have the Surface here in bed with me, so I can download the program you sent me a link for to that one, as well. I'll check in here after I do that.

heh. , In case you hadn't noticed, I had a lost Sunday, too  - and Monday and Tuesday and even today if it's Wednesday. Things have been strange around here, and occasionally loud. I have made the mistake of getting involved where I know I shouldn't. As a matter of fact, just about ten minutes or so ago, I was lying here, reading another science article and listening to my daughter trying to teach something to Layton in the living room, and noticing that she was getting frustrated because it was something that he shouldn't have had a problem with. Then her husband  started yelling at Landon, and I said "shut up" probably louder than I intended. My daughter said "Thank-you" and Tom blew up at me for having put my two cents in. I don't even blame him, since I probably would have done the same thing when I was his age. The problem is that Tom is about six foot two or three, and a natural bully. He's used to coming right up to people quickly, in their face to intimidate them. He is also either stupid or feigns misunderstanding what you said. I Herr him doing it to Michelle all the time, and to his sons on occasion. He tried it with me this time and it didn't work for him  because (1) l was lying in bed and I(2) don't intimidate that easily, and yelled just as loudly as he was at me. He couldn't run up to me to intimidate me because I was in bed, and there was a Child gate across my otherwise open door. He actually put one leg over the gate and then stopped when it occurred to him that, if I didn't back down,and he hit me, both his wife and I would have pressed charges for assault of a family member. It might actually help my daughter in a future divorce proceeding. Anyway, life is too full of interesting times at the moment, so we'll have to wait a few more days before we get together over this computer and the desktop one.

I'm later in sending this because my daughter stopped by on her way to bed, to chew me out over causing the problem. We no longer seem to be on the same page at all. I will try not to worry about it, since she found out that I am not her biological father, so even though I raised her, they aren't really my family at all. Yes, I'm depressed, but I've been depressed for most of my life. I'll just keep on keeping on, until the end of the world. That may be when I die from my heart problem or diabetes, or it might be when the current spurt of inflation blows up and takes out our government and our society. I'm afraid that Elon isn't going to get us into space in a sustainable way before we destroy ourselves.

Sun Oct 10 2021 15:21:08 MST from ParanoidDelusions <paranoiddelusions@wallofhate.com>

We can fit it in today. I've got an appointment Monday and Tuesday - but we could probably fit it in early either day. They're afternoon appointments. Just call. If I'm available we'll do it. :) 

 

Sun Oct 10 2021 09:47:24 MST from Jerry Moore

Just to make matters more interesting, I had a lost Saturday and didn't get back here until now! Is Sunday afternoon a possibility? It's almost ten am here and I just got back into bed (where I spend most of my time) and really don't feel like going back over to the desktop right away. I'm on the Fire tablet, but I have the Surface here in bed with me, so I can download the program you sent me a link for to that one, as well. I'll check in here after I do that.

 

Jerry, even if Elon gets society there - you and I are never leaving this rock. Have you ever watched the movie Gattaca? If not, rent it, stream it, steal it... whatever... it is a relevant discussion and you'll enjoy the movie. 

I'm sorry you had a fucked few days. A 6'2" man running up on a man with no legs is pretty brave. I'd like to see the big motherfucker try that with me. He would find that I'm 5'10" of out of shape fucking *mean* that'll rip his balls off and gouge his eyes out if he doesn't take me out quickly enough. Nothing I like better than fighting a guy with a huge size advantage. I lose, I got beat up by a bully who should pick on guys his own size. I win - which happens - and I'm a fucking warrior. It is only a loss for him, and only a win for me - no matter how it goes. 

Just give me a ring whenever you get the time and we'll do the Team Viewer and I'll get things set up. I did a remote session to a friend's workplace PC today and fixed him up. It is quick and easy. We just need to make the time. 

Chin up, dude. Don't worry about tomorrow. Make the most of now. 

Wed Oct 13 2021 20:41:39 MST from Jerry Moore

heh. , In case you hadn't noticed, I had a lost Sunday, too  - and Monday and Tuesday and even today if it's Wednesday. Things have been strange around here, and occasionally loud. I have made the mistake of getting involved where I know I shouldn't. As a matter of fact, just about ten minutes or so ago, I was lying here, reading another science article and listening to my daughter trying to teach something to Layton in the living room, and noticing that she was getting frustrated because it was something that he shouldn't have had a problem with. Then her husband  started yelling at Landon, and I said "shut up" probably louder than I intended. My daughter said "Thank-you" and Tom blew up at me for having put my two cents in. I don't even blame him, since I probably would have done the same thing when I was his age. The problem is that Tom is about six foot two or three, and a natural bully. He's used to coming right up to people quickly, in their face to intimidate them. He is also either stupid or feigns misunderstanding what you said. I Herr him doing it to Michelle all the time, and to his sons on occasion. He tried it with me this time and it didn't work for him  because (1) l was lying in bed and I(2) don't intimidate that easily, and yelled just as loudly as he was at me. He couldn't run up to me to intimidate me because I was in bed, and there was a Child gate across my otherwise open door. He actually put one leg over the gate and then stopped when it occurred to him that, if I didn't back down,and he hit me, both his wife and I would have pressed charges for assault of a family member. It might actually help my daughter in a future divorce proceeding. Anyway, life is too full of interesting times at the moment, so we'll have to wait a few more days before we get together over this computer and the desktop one.

I'm later in sending this because my daughter stopped by on her way to bed, to chew me out over causing the problem. We no longer seem to be on the same page at all. I will try not to worry about it, since she found out that I am not her biological father, so even though I raised her, they aren't really my family at all. Yes, I'm depressed, but I've been depressed for most of my life. I'll just keep on keeping on, until the end of the world. That may be when I die from my heart problem or diabetes, or it might be when the current spurt of inflation blows up and takes out our government and our society. I'm afraid that Elon isn't going to get us into space in a sustainable way before we destroy ourselves.

Sun Oct 10 2021 15:21:08 MST from ParanoidDelusions <paranoiddelusions@wallofhate.com>

We can fit it in today. I've got an appointment Monday and Tuesday - but we could probably fit it in early either day. They're afternoon appointments. Just call. If I'm available we'll do it. :) 

 

Sun Oct 10 2021 09:47:24 MST from Jerry Moore

Just to make matters more interesting, I had a lost Saturday and didn't get back here until now! Is Sunday afternoon a possibility? It's almost ten am here and I just got back into bed (where I spend most of my time) and really don't feel like going back over to the desktop right away. I'm on the Fire tablet, but I have the Surface here in bed with me, so I can download the program you sent me a link for to that one, as well. I'll check in here after I do that.

 

 

Wed Oct 13 2021 20:41:39 MST from Jerry Moore

The problem is that Tom is about six foot two or three, and a natural bully. He's used to coming right up to people quickly, in their face to intimidate them. He is also either stupid or feigns misunderstanding what you said. I Herr him doing it to Michelle all the time, and to his sons on occasion. He tried it with me this time and it didn't work for him  because (1) l was lying in bed and I(2) don't intimidate that easily, and yelled just as loudly as he was at me. He couldn't run up to me to intimidate me because I was in bed, and there was a Child gate across my otherwise open door. He actually put one leg over the gate and then stopped when it occurred to him that, if I didn't back down,and he hit me, both his wife and I would have pressed charges for assault of a family member. It might actually help my daughter in a future divorce proceeding. 

If you need an accident to happen to him, you let me know.  I'm all too happy to assist in making problems for people like that.

Inclined to agree. Sounds like he needs to fall down and up a flight of stairs a few times until he learns not to be a bully. 

Fri Oct 15 2021 21:26:15 MST from TheDave

 

Wed Oct 13 2021 20:41:39 MST from Jerry Moore

The problem is that Tom is about six foot two or three, and a natural bully. He's used to coming right up to people quickly, in their face to intimidate them. He is also either stupid or feigns misunderstanding what you said. I Herr him doing it to Michelle all the time, and to his sons on occasion. He tried it with me this time and it didn't work for him  because (1) l was lying in bed and I(2) don't intimidate that easily, and yelled just as loudly as he was at me. He couldn't run up to me to intimidate me because I was in bed, and there was a Child gate across my otherwise open door. He actually put one leg over the gate and then stopped when it occurred to him that, if I didn't back down,and he hit me, both his wife and I would have pressed charges for assault of a family member. It might actually help my daughter in a future divorce proceeding. 

If you need an accident to happen to him, you let me know.  I'm all too happy to assist in making problems for people like that.

I can't believe that I haven't logged in here since October! After that last incident I had climbed into my safe hole with my computers and let my obsession personality take over. I became obsessed with reading Science and Technology news and sharing the articles I liked and letting my daughter bring me my meals and supplies while I just kept on keeping on. I was still doing that today when I came across an article about a new, expensive pistol that was an electronic rail gun. I was highly amused because I had built an electric rail gun, back in the sixties, when I was a teenager in Junior high, from the detailed description given by Arthur C. Clarke, one of my favorite Science Fiction writers back then, in one of his Science Fiction stories back then. My introduction to the article included a lengthy story of the project I had built back then, and when I shared the article I saved the introduction text to my notepad program on this tablet. That done, it occurred to me that you guy, here, might be interested in the story. It was a different world back then, before so much of the technology we now have and take for granted. I wound my own coils and figured out how to make other things I needed for my projects. Anyway, I logged in here and was amazed that I'd missed November entirely! Before I forget, here's the story:

Second article that's made me laugh today! I first read about the concept of a rail gun over sixty years ago in a Science Fiction story by Arthur C.Clarke when I was a teenager. Now, it was on the Moon, and it was designed to shoot metal pods filled with ore mined on the Moon, along a track that was probably a block long or longer. It would get them to Moon escape velocity and thus launch them into orbit, where they could be picked up but a rocket to be taken elsewhere. This sounded like something I could build a scaled down version of, with stuff around the house and electronic surplus I could buy locally. I was already building small electronic projects and this would fit right in! I bought a couple of industrial size transformers for the wire they contained, and grabbed an eight foot long piece of outside moulding ( long piece of wood designed to cover a corner, so it looked like pacman with his mouth open at a right angle in profile) for the barrel. You can read the article for details on how it works, which were well described by Clarke in the story. The trigger I made from a six inch square piece of wood, a whole package of plain steel carpet tacks, and a three inch length of flat steel girder from my Erector Set. I used string and a tack to find the exact center of the board and pushed the tack in there. I used the string, a pencil and the first tack to draw a circle around the center tack, then used the other tacks to make a circle of tacks, not quite touching, over the penciled circle. This was my circular switch, which would direct power to the individual coils of wire from the transformer. I made one coil for each tack, then threaded them onto the moulding so that they could move independently. I had a huge ships cylindrical battery from which I could run wires to the switch and coils. One wire went from one terminal of the battery to the tack at the center of the switch, and other wires ran from each of the tacks in the circle to one side of a coil on the moulding. The other battery terminal had a wire running to the other side one of the coils. It didn't matter which coil, because the unused side of each of the other ones would be, connected to the others, in series along the moulding by long lengths of wire, so that they could be adjusted as needed. When the outside of the switch was touching a tack, the coil, which was an electromagnet, would get power and be able to attract something metallic, like a nail. There was a large pail of "headless" nails left over from some project that were about as long as my forefinger and were ideal for my project. I built a base for my "gun" on a saw horse that was in the garage, using other pieces of scrap wood to elevate the front about half a foot. The first attempts were pathetic, until I got the magnet coils adjusted properly and got the rhythm of moving the switch over the tacks down.  By then I could hit the back fence, across the whole yard, hard enough to sink the nails into it. That was on a Saturday, because I was home alone (My mom often worked seven day weeks). The door bell had a transformer in the garage that buzzed when the bell rang. I heard the buzz and went through the dining room to the living room and opened the front door to find a cop standing there!  He said they had a report of someone firing a gun. I took him to the back and showed him my rail gun - and demonstrated it. He told me that there would be no charges if I just took it apart and didn't try any more projects that threw things. Long story, but, in retrospect, my ptoudest moment! 💖🌕🔬💖