diff --git a/gossamer_forums.rb b/gossamer_forums.rb
index 505f8d1..7ef109c 100644
--- a/gossamer_forums.rb
+++ b/gossamer_forums.rb
@@ -1131,7 +1131,12 @@ class GossamerForumsImporter < ImportScripts::Base
             database: "slowtwitch"
           )
     puts "PP 22 --  #{post_id}"
-
+    puts "    FIRST Checking MySQL connection status..."
+    if mysql_client.query('SELECT 1').nil?
+      puts "    MySQL connection is not valid"
+    else
+      puts "    MySQL connection is valid"
+    end
           begin
             # Use connection pooling for PostgreSQL and synchronize access to shared resources
             ActiveRecord::Base.connection_pool.with_connection do
@@ -1153,7 +1158,15 @@ class GossamerForumsImporter < ImportScripts::Base
             end
           ensure
             # Ensure the MariaDB connection is closed after processing
+    puts "PP 22 --  #{post_id}"
+    puts "    FINAL Checking MySQL connection status..."
+    if mysql_client.query('SELECT 1').nil?
+      puts "    MySQL connection is not valid"
+    else
+      puts "    MySQL connection is valid"
+    end
             mysql_client.close if mysql_client
+            puts "** CLOSED MariaDB client"
           end
         end
       end