31 May 2019 — 0905 mdt

A special note to readers on the future of Flathead Memo

I haven’t posted since last Friday, when I commented on the absurdity of Trump’s imposing tariff’s that hurt farmers, then trying to mitigate the economic damage they suffered by giving them cash. Two days later, working in my garage, I leaned too far reaching for a pipe, lost my balance, and had my fall arrested by the corner of a box poking me hard in my ribs. By Tuesday evening, the pain and other discomfort was so severe that I checked into the emergency room in case I had suffered a pneumothorax or a blood clot. I hadn’t but I’m still hurting enough that focusing on writing is difficult. But in time, my ribs will heal.

That’s not true for my kidneys. I have late Stage 4 chronic kidney disease, a complication of Type II diabetes and other maladies. Two years ago, I could walk several miles without effort. Now walking a few blocks leaves me feeling I’ve run a marathon. Without kidney dialysis, my doctors believe I’ll be fortunate to live another year. With dialysis, a miserable and frightening treatment that requires “minor” Frankenstein surgery, I could survive four times as long. I’m taking those four years, and intend to become an outlier on the long side of survival. A kidney transplant is a possible but highly inprobable outcome unless I find a way to buy a bootleg kidney in Asia.

During the last six months, many people, a few friends and neighbors, and strangers, have assisted me with simple tasks. One neighbor plowed my driveway, a tremendous help especially after my snowblower malfunctioned. I am deeply grateful for their generosity and thoughtfulness.

I am also deeply grateful for the generosity and loyalty of the people who read this blog, and who stay in touch on a regular basis. When my natural force expires, so will Flathead Memo. But until that happens, I’ll continue posting reports and analysis on politics and other subjects, but probably not every day. I’m slowing down, but I haven’t stopped.