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A metaphor for my take on life and how it affects me. |
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| On Saturday the 19 of January, my wife and I went out to lunch with my daughter and son. We had a nice meal at BJ's Restaurant, then went to Costco to pick up some items since we were close by. Upon our arrival home after putting away the groceries we settled down to watch some TV. To my surprise the TV wasn't providing us with a picture. The router on my WiFi was down, and we had no TV, Internet or Phone! This is the second time this problem has happened and we were out for 5 days. When the repairman showed up he confirmed it wasn't our fault and he back tracked the wiring and someone had unplugged us (from a box) and put in new service for somebody else. I called Frontier and advised them of the problem and after several attempts at trying to start the system from their end, a repair ticket was made. I was advised it would be Wednesday before another technician could come out. (the girl on the phone tried to tell me the reason for the delay was issues in Malibu from the fire and rain. We live in the High Desert at least 80 miles from Malibu and I knew that was not the problem! This young lady lived in Texas so she had no idea) I put a call into Spectrum and asked for a quote and when could they install. Turned out I liked the quote and the installation happened on Sunday, in time for the football games. I'm not sure what my closing bill will be from Frontier, because I called in on Monday to close out the account and he said they would show the disconnect being done on Tuesday. I told him we had no service after noon on Saturday and did not expect to be charged for the last half of Saturday thru Tuesday since we had no service. I may have another fight on my hands when the final bill comes. My daughter had a job interview here in Victorville and she said it went well, in fact after the first interview they had her stick around and did a second and third interview. She said it was for less money than she is making now but she will save on gas and wear and tare on her car. She has been working in Ontario and driving up and down the Cajon Pass daily for 22 years and working all kinds of hours. We are praying she gets the new job if it's what she wants. I have 4 doctor appointments this week. Yesterday I saw my Urologist and everything looked fine, today we travel to Upland to see the doctor who did the procedure (ablation - I think) in November and hopefully they will take me off this medication with bad side effects. They haven't happened yet but I'm sure the longer I'm on it my chances of feeling those effects increase. Tomorrow I see the primary doctor after having blood work done, so I can see how my diabetes is doing. On Friday I will see my cardiologist, he was waiting for the final report from the doctor who did the procedure. Throw in driving to Yucaipa on Thursday and it turns out to be a very busy week. Life Is Good |
| The weather has been frightful, cool temps, dark clouds, rain (sometimes) and throw in wind. Winter is here, and my gas bill reminds me how often my heater is running. Speaking of rain, the company who was suppose to install the rain gutter on Monday didn't, because rain was forecast for 4 days straight. It will be installed next week. I have managed to get out and walk a couple of days during this period of off and on rain. I walk 2 miles most of the time but today I went 3. I would like to make a correction on a statement I made in an earlier post that if "I walked 2 miles I would have covered 10,000 steps." That is a grave misnomer - according to my Apple Watch, "today (so far) I've walked 4.2 miles and 9,251 steps." I believe my 3 mile walk was 6,460 steps (give or take), considerably short of 10,000. I guess the most important information is, I'm walking on a regular basis for my health! Not sure why I'm writing about me when I should be talking about the shutdown. We have people out of work or working without pay for the Government. It's time all Americans should be making a big stink about this. If our Government can't work together and solve a problem then we should raise our voice and make them take notice. Both sides are at fault, it doesn't make a difference if you're Democrat or Republican. It's time to come together and get these people back to work. It shouldn't be a win or lose situation for Congress or the President. Their employees are hurting and no one is budging. Is this how we want our government to work? What are we waiting for? Let's make our voice heard! Life Is (Can Be) Good |
| I'll update yesterdays post, my wife is doing better and felt well enough to do her volunteer work at the Thrift Store. Our handyman Dell came over and painted the entire fasciae around the house in about 5 hours. We'll have him back to do the underneath in the next few weeks. The rain gutter will be installed on Monday the 14th. I notice when I reread my posts that I have added helping words and sentences that are not necessary, I don't always catch these mistakes no matter how many times I review my work. I'm sorry if my post are not a literary work of art but I'm who I am and try my best. I apologize for any sloppy work! I took a sleep pill last night, actually I cut all my pills in half so I don't feel drowsy all day. I crashed round 7:30 and slept till 4:45. It still takes me awhile to wake up and start the day. The extra sleep felt wonderful. When I finish this post, I'm going to go ride the bike for an hour. I not sure what is the best way to keep track of my weight. My wife weighs in once a week, I've been weighing everyday and I go up and down so it's hard to tell how well I'm doing. I may change my ways pretty soon. I need to do a better job of watching what I eat. I've been cutting down on quantity but I still snack some and I can't help myself. My wife made Cowboy Caviar, it's delicious and healthy till you get the chips to scoop it out with. My comfort food is Ritz crackers and peanut butter, this has been a stable for years. I add jelly when I want to make it special! I can eat Peanut Butter by the spoonful and do sometimes. Life Is Good |
| The last paragraph of my previous post said I had the day planned. Boy was I wrong! When I came home from Church, my wife wasn't feeling well; she was having a reaction to B12 pills. This is the second time she has been knocked down, the doctor once before gave her B12 shots and she had a reaction. The doctor couldn't believe the allergic reaction was from the B12 so he gave her a prescription with a lower dosage and wham she started getting bumps and swelling. She could hardly swallow from her throat being swollen along with a pain in her chest. This morning her swelling has gone down and the chest pain is gone but she feels exhausted. I will continue to keep watch on her to make sure she continues improving. I didn't take any sleep pills last night, thinking I might have to take her to the Hospital or Urgent Care. She went to bed around 6 last night and I followed at 7:15. We both awoke this morning at 1:30 and she was doing better. After being up for awhile I decided to get on the bike and take a ride to nowhere. It would be nice if there was a TV channel that showed different scenery that you could watch while exercising. This morning I watched the news but would prefer to look at beautiful landscapes or different countries while peddling. Can someone help me please? My father had this same problem, after he a had bypass surgery he had a stationary bike that he started riding. At the time I was in the Navy and home ported out of Yakouska Japan. I went to PX and bought him a Kodak Carousel. My folks had quite a few 35 mm pictures, and I thought he could push the clicker and watch his photos while riding. This was back in the 1960's. You would think by now someone would have come up with a better idea - come on it's 2019 for heavens sake! I will be going to Home Depot this morning and purchasing some paint so the handyman we have coming can start painting the fasciae boards so we can order the rain gutters. There is not a lot of area that has to be painted so it shouldn't take too long. There is a weather system in our area but we aren't suppose to see any rain today. Keeping my fingers crossed Life Is Good |
| I woke up at 10:30 and couldn't go back to sleep, I got up at 11:30 and have been sitting in my recliner thinking about things. Nothing in particular, whatever pops into my mind. I decided to come in and put my thoughts on paper. The weather was miserable yesterday, it was cloudy, the wind blew, and the temp outside was in the 40's so I didn't venture out. I'll go to church this morning if I think I can stay awake, then my wife and I are going out for lunch at Sizzler. We'll have their 2 for $20 salad bar. We both enjoy the food and I especially like the clam chowder, every time it has been hot and tasty. I usually dine on chicken wings, Mac and cheese, along with a fresh salad. After lunch we'll head over to Lowes or Home Depot and pick up a couple of gallons of paint to put on the boards where the new rain gutter will go. Hopefully we'll have a couple of days of dry weather so we can get this taken care of. We have light rain coming down now and the forecast is for more rain during the day. Oh well our day is planned and maybe I'll throw in an hour ride on the recumbent bike. I was bad yesterday I didn't walk or ride; maybe I overdid it the day before! Life is Good |
| I've been walking with my travel companion Gracie, my dog, and we have been doing good. I have over the years walked and at one time I jogged, but my knees started to bother me so walking is where I'm at. I've never been a speed walker, I go at my own pace and sometimes Gracie tries to get me to move faster. Sometimes I try to get Gracie to move faster also, so it's even. With rain in the forecast I'm not sure what we're going to do. The closest enclosed mall is 10 to 12 miles away and not really an option. I could go to Lowes and walk around the store with my dog, but I don't know if they would appreciate my walking in their store and not buying anything. I managed to ride the bike for 45 min and walked for 1 and half miles today. My wife and I also used a blower to move the leaves to the dirt so I could rake them up. We worked from 8:30 to 11:30 and called it a day. That's the nice thing about our schedule, we work in the mornings and call it quits before noon, and enjoy the afternoon. The lady came out and gave us a bid on the rain gutters and it came in less than I was expecting. So I advised them we would call as soon as we painted the fascia where the gutters will go. We'll see how the tax season goes and maybe we can get the circular drive also. My wife informed me that she would like to replace our garage door, so I've put that on our list of things to want. Life Is Good |
| Maybe I misspoke, I should have said Off and Walking but it doesn't have the same ring, and I should include bike riding. I didn't walk as far as I wanted yesterday due to cold temps and wind. Then I see on TV, the folks back east with cold temps, snow and wind. I think I must be a wimp! Actually I'm old and can use any excuse I want. I did ride the bike yesterday but that isn't enough exercise to fill in the rings on my watch. Funny how something like that (rings on a watch) can motivate you to get off your duff and try to complete the circles. If I walk 2 1/2 miles that puts me over 10,000 steps and I want to make that my daily goal plus riding the bike for 30 min to 1 hour daily. Rain is scheduled off and on during the next few weeks so I doubt I will reach my goal daily unless I go to Lowes and walk around inside the box store. I'm chastising my dog Gracie for her barking, she is a little dog that wants to be heard. I'm at the age where I think dogs and cats should be seen not heard! Kidding but her constant barking at nothing, does get on my nerves. We do use a bark collar that emits citronella every time she barks and that does control (sometimes) her want to bark. When I walk her on leash she never barks and I praise her as we walk around. Our sphinx cat is a crier, she wants to be heard also, and I don't know what she wants. She has a bowl of dried food out and we give her raw chicken twice a day. You never know what she is looking for. She sticks her butt in the air and likes her back rubbed and her tail pulled on. If we put a sweater on her she doesn't cry but when she walks her back legs bend down like she's carrying the weight of the world on her back. Go figure! I'm waiting on the technicians who are coming to put up our TV, they called to advise me they were over booked and their arrival time would be between 11 and 12. I'm the last one out of 4 installations they are doing today. So I did some dusting and changed out the filter for the heater/air conditioning, plus siting here putting words on paper. Must be time to sign off, I'm continuing my optimistic thoughts about the New Year. I'm going to be a half full kind of guy! Life Is Good |
| Hello 2019; I wonder what's in store for me, my wife and my extended family. Will I sit back and wait for things to happen or will I step up and step out to embrace the New Year? Only time will tell! I woke up at 3:00 AM this morning to my cat crying, which is normal at that hour. I usually start my day at this time even if Greta is not making noise. A habit, I acquired during my working years, I can't seem to shed. The temp is 28 degrees outside and the high is projected to be 44. This is normal weather for the High Desert, one of the drawbacks to living here but the air is cleaner and the smog is not bad, and we aren't as congested. We don't have as many people living in the High Desert, though it has grown in the past 20 years, with the price of housing considerable lower, There are a lot of people who commute long distances to work for that reason. Since I'm an older person I didn't celebrate the New Years arrival, I was asleep by the time pictures of the ball dropping in New York came onto the TV screen at 9 pm. No hangover, no wondering what I did that I don't remember. Just easy living at its best. I plan to walk my 2 miles today once the sun comes up and warms the air a tad bit. 44 degrees can be tolerable if the wind is not blowing, and there are no clouds around. My dog Gracie will join me, and I'm looking forward to it. I also plan on getting on the bike for 30 min, the TV won't be installed until tomorrow so I will be listening to music to help pass the time while I ride to nowhere, just like the treadmill I sold when we moved. Taking the good with the bad. It's time to go take my pills and blood pressure, better living with pharmaceuticals! Life Is Good |
| It's here the last day of 2018! I'm glad to see 2018 come to an end, medically speaking from my perspective it has been bad. I survived a heart attack and by-pass surgery in April. My recover went smoothly with the exception of the first four weeks. That was when the pain was the most intense, and I was unable to sleep in my bed. Fortunately we have recliners and I was able to get some sleep in a chair. I continued to have A-Fib after my surgery and that required another trip to the hospital for a 5 hour surgery to help correct the problem. I will find out on January 22, if the Doctor thinks it was successful. My heart rate is down when I do walking and exercises so I believe it was. What does 2019 hold for us? Will Congress learn to work with the President or will they continue the partisan politics until the next election. I've been a registered member on both sides, Republican until George HW came along and I decided I didn't care for his attitude and the way he went about his business. I saw how the Republican Congress acted when Obama was President and fully expect the Democrats will do the same. What a shame we can't work together and get the things done that need to be done. On a more personal note, I'm wondering when I will be done with major projects to our home. We have someone coming to give us a bid for rain gutters, and I'm wanting to get a bid on a circular driveway. Tomorrow we have people coming to install a new TV on the wall in our bedroom where our recumbent bike now resides. We have moved it from room to room and I believe it has found a home. I dusted it off today and rode it for 30 min, not sure if I'm trying to break in the bike or myself, probably both, I continue to walk 2 miles daily when the weather cooperates, today it's 44 degrees with a light wind. I managed 1 1/2 miles so far and I'm thinking about trying to get in another mile. When I lived in the foothills, I would walk 3 miles round trip to the mailbox. This was fine the first few years, as I got older it was hard to walk the distance without needing to use a bathroom and none were available. We purchased a tread mill and I did my walking on it. It was ok but it's a walk to nowhere, even with a TV in the room it still left a lot to be desired. I enjoy looking at the scenery and everything the Lord has made. I missed getting out and enjoying the fresh air and wonderful sights. Living in the city has rectified my concern for needing to use a restroom. I have a one mile trek that I walk with shortcuts to my house if it becomes necessary. The scenery is completely different but sometimes you have to take the good with bad. I don't plan on making any resolutions for the next year because I don't stick with them. I started walking to help maintain my health and that is my goal for 2019. We are going to begin watching what we eat, and that will go by the wayside when we get tired of the foods we've chosen to dine on. I'm looking forward to the New Year and all the exciting possibilities awaiting us! Life Is Good |
| I thought about starting a new blog on the internet with my own domain, named Growing Old In America. I wanted to write about my travel into my Golden Years. It's something we all do and some do it better than others. As I dip my toes into the Golden Pond, I’ve noticed some changes that are annoying. I now find drool on my chin, and I don’t know how it got there. I’ve never notice it coming out of my mouth, it appears on my chin from out of nowhere. Reminds me of the lyrics to a song that says “old men with tobacco stains all down their chin.” I don’t smoke or chew so I’m minus the stain but still it’s creepy. There is no longer a spring in my step, I find it hard on some mornings to get out of bed. I think if this is how I feel now, what will it be like in 5 or 10 years? Do I really want to know? Life becomes more of a challenge as you get older, the things you used to do you can’t now. You pay to have someone put in a sprinkling system or paint your house. I don’t have the stamina, and getting up and down on a ladder or off the ground takes it toll. Oh it’s hell getting old-older! Look around and you can see each person ages in a different way. Some go into latter life with no (outward) problems and they look spry and somewhat vibrant. Where others show their age both in the face and body. Why is there such a difference? I would think there are more reasons than you can express in a post. Your surroundings, the job you worked, mental and physical stress, and the curves life throws at you in general. I’ve decided to take it one day at a time. No sense looking into the future since I don’t have a working crystal ball. I’ll play the cards I was delt and see what happens; roll with the punches and make the most of any situation. Smile it’s the journey not the destination that counts, at least that's what I've been told! Life Is Good |
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