Government Misdirection

Steven Bryant, his family, and friends are in a fight for their survival and that of their beloved pets, man’s best friend, their dogs. After a corrupted medical study goes viral chaos overtakes the country as everyone tries to save his or her dogs from euthanasia. But, why was this false report issued and with such great urgency? What is the ultimate goal of those that would cause such an upheaval?

Walker’s first novel, Canine Plague: A Post Apocalyptic Thriller is a refreshingly new entry into the apocalyptic genre. There are twists and turns and the ever-present government misdirection. When the lies and evil intents are exposed will the country fight back?

This book is obviously written by a highly educated person based upon the language used. It does not contain foul language but does have some violence.

For the most part, I loved this book. It showcased how a behind the scenes operation could easily be used to derail our constitutional liberties. The issues I had with the story are SPOILERS. So, stop reading now if you don’t want to know specifics about the book.

SPOILERS

The Kentucky Patriots have very good intentions to try and fight back against the State of Kentucky’s declaring of Martial Law. Their execution is very flawed. Taking out the power grid will cause many deaths of those whose health is dependent on medical devices run by electricity. Hospital generators will only be fueled for the short run and those within receiving critical care will surely die. Then those that need emergency care due to the violence from shortages and general mayhem will most likely die for lack of personnel showing up for work. In fact, this tactic is more of what I would expect from a terrorist group trying to overtake the populace.

Also, the KP wasn’t as sophisticated as the bragged to be. The lax OPSEC allowed a mole to uncover their plans and almost got them all killed.

Overall it is a good read and I would highly recommend it.

4 out of 5 stars.

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Hilarious Coffee Table Book!

There are three basic types of drivers, or four if you combine two of them. Idiots, Assholes, Idiot/Assholes, and Me. Bet you didn’t know there were scientific classifications with subcategories for each of them. Well, there are! And, this book has the most common ones listed for your review and understanding.

Walker’s coffee table book, Idiots, Assholes, and Me: The Psychology of Driving is one of the funniest, politically incorrect books that I have ever had the pleasure of reading. It’s witty and sarcastic. You will definitely recognize someone you know within each chapter.

If you are perpetually offended by straightforward, honest opinions then this book is not for you. If you are ready to laugh your ass off then after reading the ebook version buy a dead tree copy for your family and friends to read while visiting the library for, well, you know. Or put it out on the coffee table for some entertaining after dinner conversation.

5 out of 5 stars.

Cavvy Rides Again

Cavatica Weller and her sisters are off in their ever continuing quest to fight the founder of ARK, Tiberius Hoyt and expose his treachery. Not only has he been bioengineering super soldiers, but he also has the cure for the sterility problem. But, first, they must try and save Micaiah, Hoyt’s son, and Pilate, their friend, and a priest from the clutches of ARK’s Praetor Edger and her army.

Ritchey’s fourth novel The Juniper Wars series, Bindweed Highway delivers a fast paced, high octane, steampunk western. There is no lack of action. It is told from Cavvy’s point of view with her own brand of reflection.

I thoroughly love this series and was not disappointed. And, neither will you be.

5 out of 5 stars.

You vs. “The Man”

Joe Winston and his family are living the American dream until the bureaucracy of government from every level descend upon them like a plague of locus. Time after time some government agency hits the Winstons with an obscure and/or illogical citation. These Gestapo tactics continually take away time and money or property from the once thriving family of four. Even with Joe’s hopeful nature he too has a breaking point. Thankfully, his wife and friends are there to rally around him. It’s almost a David and Goliath story told in modern times.

Walker’s novel, Status Schmo: One Man Against the Status Quo is a very unique look at government out of control. No matter who you are he will have you rooting for the Winstons. While serious in nature the story is told with smatterings of humor interlaced throughout.

If nothing else this book will make you rethink some the ways the news media spins a story about someone fighting a government regulation. I can relate to some of the things the Winstons have come up against. And, I bet you can too.

5 out of 5 stars.

TMI! I’m Incontinent

WARNING
This post contains very frank and sometimes graphic discussions about being incontinent. Some of it may make you go “Ewww!”, but it is my hope that it will educate you. You have been warned. Do not read any farther unless you are willing to know more about peeing then you ever wanted to know.

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We are born incontinent. Our parents, other family members, and various caregivers changed our diapers while sometimes commenting “How can someone so cute make such a big stink?” At around the age of 2, we are potty trained. Of course, each child and parenting style is different. Some of us don’t make that leap until a few years later.

Then for the next 70 or so years, we are diaper free with only minor incontinence if we are lucky. That is, unless something happens, as in my case, that changes our entire world.

In July of 2016, I had spinal cord surgery to remove scar tissue from a previous surgery. The scar tissue was causing neurological issues making it impossible for me to function well. Little did I know the surgical cure would be worse than the original condition. For you see, I had a stroke in the spinal cord that left me an incomplete quadriplegic. When I awoke I was totally paralyzed on my right side and partially paralyzed on my left. I have come a long way since then but am still wheelchair bound and incontinent.

For the first 14 months after surgery, I had an indwelling Foley catheter. There were many issues with it including UTIs and skin breakdown from the tube’s pressure. But, my bladder would not pee. As I regained the use of some of my body it was decided to try going without the catheter. Since September of 2017, I have been catheter free. Yay! Sort of.

Now, I pee whether or not I’m ready for it. For the first week after the catheter came out, I peed everywhere all the time. If I looked up at you I peed. If I reached for the keyboard I peed. And, those over the counter supplies are for someone who dribbles. When I pee it’s in volumes. I called my doctor and begged him to do something. I was trapped in my house by my free-flowing bladder. He put me on a bladder muscle relaxer to help stop the spasmodic pees.

Finding pull-ups and diapers (called underwear and briefs – ha!) for someone like me was a challenge. After extensive research and reaching out to folks in the Spinal Cord Injury group I am a member of on Facebook, I found https://us.abuniverse.com/. This site is devoted to a cottage industry for adults who like to roleplay as babies. Their products hold 5,000 ml or more! They are a bit pricey, it is hard to find my size in stock, and they really hold more than I need.

The other site I discovered is https://wellnessbriefs.com/. Theirs is the products that I use now. They use NASA inspired technology and while pricey they do the job. I wear the diapers at night as I do not wake to go pee. My bladder still doesn’t talk to me. The pull-ups I only use when out and about. While at home I use the Walgreen’s pull-ups and try to train my bladder to go at certain intervals.

A few months back I suffered a severe UTI ending up in the ER and going home with a catheter for a month. I stopped peeing for over 18 hours. Not a good thing. This happened overnight and I knew something was bad wrong when I got up the next morning. Once my doctor removed the catheter a month later, he put me through some tests. It was determined that I don’t empty my bladder completely. I stopped the muscle relaxer and went in the other direction with new medication.

Talk about a turnaround! For the next 3 weeks, I peed everywhere. It was like starting all over again. Even though I had the good stuff from Unique Wellness it was still a mess. I have spasticity and the spasms are hard on the body. They also cause stress incontinence. With the body in spasm, liquid finds the least resistant path to escape. I peed up my back and out the sides and up my front. The compression was like squeezing water from a geyser. Back to the doctor I go.

I asked him if he had a good laugh for the past few weeks thinking of me peeing everywhere. I really did. He apologized and cut back the dosage on the medication. Now, things are much like they were before the ER incident.

I am still trying to convince my bladder to release its contents every 2 hours. So far, no luck. I cannot feel my bladder at all. The only sensation I have is on the exterior as the flow starts. I rarely make it to the potty in time. I go through a lot of pull-ups at home. The doctor hopes that since I have regained control of other functions that I will eventually regain control here. There are other possible options he wants to discuss with me that involve surgery. I’m not keen on any more surgery.

So, for now, I sleep with 3 large leakproof pads under me in addition to the diaper. Most nights the pads are dry. There’s nothing I can do about the stress incontinence. In my backpack are extra pants and pullups along with the necessary cleanup supplies.

No matter how funny this may sound, it is not fun. Being a 58-year-old in diapers is degrading. I’m not the only one but that doesn’t make it any better. I won’t give up though.

 

 

 

Learn How To Prepare

This is a work of nonfiction, a departure to what I normally review, but within the same realm. Preparedness or homesteading or prepping or whatever you want to call it is only the smart thing to do. Heck, even FEMA advises you to prepare for potential disasters coming your way. And, families, especially those in rural farm areas pass down from generation to generation ways of growing and storing their own food for the cold, harsh winters. By following the plan in this book, you should be well on your way to being prepared for any event that leaves you stranded without power and/or water for the short-term.

Cobb’s book, Countdown to Preparedness: The Prepper’s 52 Week Course to Total Disaster Readiness, is a compilation of articles he had written for a SurvivalWeekly.com. His fans asked that he put the lessons altogether in a book and here it is. It is well thought out and written so that anyone unfamiliar with preparedness can jump right in there with no trouble at all. And, even the seasoned prepper can learn something.

It is recommended that you read from the very beginning covering The Basics before going to other sections. After that, you may want to head over to whatever season of the year happens to be going on right then. Don’t worry if you must stop and start again. You need to do what’s best for you and your family. Shoot, you may want to read it all the way through and then decide on your plan of action. Either way you do it, you will be better off because of it.

For a step-by-step guide to surviving through most catastrophes, you can’t get a better reference book. I highly recommend reading it and following its advice.

5 out of 5 stars.

 

Promise made, promise kept

While on a mission in Afghanistan four of the remaining squad of Rangers in the 75^th Infantry Regiment swore an oath to their dying Sergeant to take care of his family back in the states. And, that they did plus some. So, when the United States starts tearing itself apart under the new administration their efforts become more intensified. It is now a matter of life or death. Will they still be able to keep their promise?

Watson, Allen, and Allen combined efforts in their first novel of the Stolen Liberty series, Behind The Curtain is one of the best political/military thrillers I have read. These three authors have seamlessly brought their talents together in this action-packed book. Having read each of them individually I was unable to tell who wrote which part.

The first chapter of the book was a tough read for me. But, once I read farther into the book I was able to understand its relevance. The book hooked me and was hard to put down. To me, there is never a good place to leave a cliffhanger, but I feel they did a good job on this one. Of course, it made me cry.

I felt the e-book version that I read was a bit rushed to publication. There were quite a few more mistakes than usual. For that reason, I cannot give it a 5-star review. I do however highly recommend the book and look forward to reading the rest of the series.

4 out of 5 stars.