%%USERNAME%%    %%ACCWORDS%% %%ONOFF%% |
 A blog of no uncertain musings. What goes on in my mind is often a source of wonder to me. |
|
My mind and my life are wonderous things ... as are yours, I'm sure. I have more slips of paper and pages of notebooks with musings and thoughts than I really know what to do with. Someone, actually several someones, have suggested I start a blog ... or a journal as a means of focusing some of this mental energy. To be honest, I don't even know what the difference between a 'journal' and 'blog' is--or if there even is a difference. Read on, my friends, and you can judge for yourself whether it even matters. And so....  I'm JACE. Yep ... that's me! And somewhere in all my writings my last name may be posted. But I'll just leave it at Jace for right now. I'm 70 years old and heading full tilt to 71. It's strange that while I'm going through some rather serious medical issues, I still consider myself to be in the prime of my life--pretty good shape physically AND mentally, though I don't run for competition anymore  . I love to ... dang, if I put this stuff here, I won't have anything for my blog.Guess you just have to be patient until such stuff leaks out.  Perhaps 2025, having embraced my retirement, will see more participation in my journaling efforts. Well, one can hope.... |
| Car dealerships can certainly be pushy. I bought my 2022 Toyota Corolla brand new on 9/11/2021 (just a coincidence on that date).And every year since as we approach that date I get text message, phone calls and letters from the dealership wanting me to upgrade to the latest year's model. Oh, the promises are there--an offer of $1579 special bonus off the MSRP of a new 2025 model plus a trade-in value of up to $18250 (depending, of course, upon verification by the dealer. Kelley Blue Book says it's worth up to $19,500. Essentially, I'd be paying about $10,000 to upgrade to a 2025 model with the same features. My average annual maintenance costs after the initial warranty period have been less than $250. And the 2025 model touts 6-8 mpg less in the city than my car currently gets. With a car that should easily reach 150-200,000 miles and I'm averaging only 1000 miles per month, I figure I'm good for the next ten years at least. I figure dealerships are like telemarketers--once they have your number .... |
| Gonna be one of those days, I think. I've been awake since just before 4 am this morning. I know that once my brain starts working for the day, there's little chance I'll get back to sleep. But I'm a stubborn coot and I'll lay there, essentially wasting time trying to get back to sleep, all the while knowing that's a useless effort. I finally got up at 5:20 and turned on the laptop. I do have a memoir story I've been working on for several weeks. Guess I could pull it up. Ah, but first--the daily task of five. A question: How long do you lay awake in bed trying to go back to sleep before you give in and get up? |
| A couple days ago, I called up my good friend (actually, my daughter’s mother-in-law) who’s has been going through a cancer diagnosis of her own over the past two years. She has some great doctors and support team to help her through, and she’s done a great deal of research on her own, some of which she’s passed on to me for my own journey. She told me that she had a little setback—that one organ’s function has been significantly reduced, and she would need a PET scan to help diagnose the issue. In terms of scans from aggressive and intrusive to benign--they are PET scans, MRIs, CT scans, then Ultrasounds. She currently has a pretty good quality of life presently that she doesn’t want to jeopardize with radiation. I can understand that. Her doctor is really pushing, telling her she might wind up in the hospital … or worse. She reminded him that she told him at the start of all the treatments that he would never give her an “expiration date.” She fully understands the risks, and submits to treatment on her own terms. This is a very strong woman who has the benefit of a two-year treatment history in her fight against cancer. Her advice to me is to find out all the options with their side effects and expectations. Decide what you can live with for your quality of life, and be aggressive as you can afford to be while surviving with the ability to enjoy life. |
| Last year on this day I turned 70. I had thought I'd never make it to my 70's. My Mom, one brother, and a grandmother and grandfather didn't. Still, I felt pretty good as I worked more than 30 years making projects, large and small, from wood. On my way to this birthday, I ran afoul of something sinister--a tumor that decided to take my right kidney hostage. I remember thinking 'At least I made it to 70.' Then I decided enough of this maudlin crap. Time to take charge and move forward. I still have grandchildren to see graduate and married. I won't go on about all the steps I've taken since December. They're documented in earlier blog entries. But all the well wishes I've received so far have reminded me what life is all about. Celebrate each and every friend you have. Rejoice in each day you have been given. All y'all still have lots to do ... like me. Get out and live! |
| Anyone who follows my blog knows I walk daily as part of an exercise regimen after my April surgery. I live on a dirt road in the country and have mapped out several routes depending on how long I want to walk that day. Down my dirt road are a number of houses many of which have dogs. I love dogs but find it stressful to have them roaming free, rushing at me as I pass. Most of the homes with dogs have fences that keep the dogs in. But a few toward the end of the road (and I know when to turn around) roam free. Only one loose dog (out of 24 along my walking path), a smaller pit bull, has actually displayed any aggressive tendencies. I now carry a small canister of "defensive spray", which I hope never to use. But just down the road are some friends who have five dogs, including three pups, that are fenced in. Usually they will lick my open hand and allow me to pet them. Today, however, one of the pups (my favorite one, actually) got over-excited trying to out-do the other dogs and nipped my finger, drawing blood. Guess I won't be petting them any time soon. At least I know our friends keep up with their pets' shots. |
| Anyone who’s listened to the news has heard talk about tariffs. There’s so much conflicting buzz about tariffs, you’re probably confused, like me. I thought I’d try and dumb down the subject of tariffs. So, what is a tariff? Strictly speaking, tariffs are taxes that a government imposes on goods and services imported from other countries. When a product crosses a border, the receiving country collects the tax. There are two main types of tariffs: Specific: a fixed fee on specific goods, such as $1.00 per item. Ad Valorum: a percentage of the imported good’s value, such as 10% of an items cost. This is the type used most often by President Trump. The main purposes of tariffs are to protect domestic businesses and industries, generate income, and control trade imbalances. Making imported goods more expensive helps domestic businesses compete with foreign companies by encouraging consumers to buy locally produced products, which ostensibly will be cheaper. The income collected by the government can be used for any number of things, such as paying down the deficit, upgrading infrastructure, and public services. Finally, tariffs address trade imbalances by discouraging imports and promoting exports. Let’s get to the bottom line. President Trump tells us that China, the European Union, Canada, yes, every country that he has imposed tariffs on will pay the taxes that the United States collects when the products cross the border. That is NOT correct. Instead, the domestic companies who receive the imported goods pay the tariff costs. These companies have two choices—absorb the additional costs, or pass them on to the consumer in the form of higher prices. Which do you think is the more likely option? I wonder if anyone believes that the foreign companies are actually paying the tariff costs! The tariffs serve their primary purpose: to make imported items more expensive, thereby encouraging the purchase of domestically produced items. And it’s true that the United States will collect income from the tariffs, though no one in the government is really telling us where this money is going. I dare say it’s not going toward reducing the deficit. One can guess the eventual results of tariffs. Despite benefiting domestic businesses, they will result in higher prices to consumers, which can lead to inflation. Tariffs can also lead to decreased economic growth because the higher prices mean consumers will spend less. Frankly, I wonder if the protections for domestic businesses against foreign companies out-weighs the turmoil consumers face with higher prices, inflation and less disposable income. Thoughts, anyone? Added Note: I just read an article that said any taxes taken in by the government goes into the General Fund, which is used to keep the government going. It's not earmarked for anything specific, like infrastructure or the deficit. And by the way, the amount of tax (tariff) revenue taken in during 2023 was about $77 billion, which was 1.5% of total income that year. Pretty small percentage. Back in the 1800's before income taxes, etc., tariff revenue was 80-100% of income for the government. |
| Finally, a break in the heat! The temperature for this morning's walk was 66 degrees. That's a far cry from the low to mid-80's over the past three weeks. I decided to celebrate by adding another half mile to my walk. My doctor told me walking is the best exercise for post-surgery activity. Today's walk was my 109th consecutive day. My initial walk was four days after surgery around my yard going about .18 mile. By the end of April, I was up to a half mile. May's average was a mile a day; June was a mile and a half; and July's average was just over two miles daily. My biggest problem with walks is ... they take too long. My two and a half mile walk today took almost 44 minutes. During my running days that distance was easily under 20 minutes. Yeah, I got other things to do. Speaking of that, I have to finish my daily writing tasks. |
| My youngest daughter told me she's playing something she calls Amazon Roulette. In fairness, I can't say that this game is her invention. She DOES spend a lot of time on Facebook, and may have come across this activity while spending one or more of her waking hours on that platform. But she certainly has adopted the game wholeheartedly. To play, she creates a wish list of items she would like from Amazon. Most of the items don't cost a lot; some are household items she needs, while others are just what tickles her fancy. Her husband checks the list frequently and when he feels the budget will allow, he purchases one or more items off the list without telling her. Not until something is delivered does she know that an item on her wish list has been crossed off. And until she opens said delivery, she doesn't know what item it is. She just knows that Justin was thinking of her. I could never play this game with my wife. I couldn't keep up with her shopping habits. And quite honestly, she would never wait for me to check the list. This is a girl who never lets any dust fall under her fingertips when ordering from Amazon.  |
| Off to check out the Old Settler's Day festivities at Waynesville, Missouri, featuring a Civil War reenactment and Duck races on the Roubidoux Creek. My son, granddaughter and son's girlfriend are up from Texas visiting. Should be a fun day. Gonna be a hot one today, though--sunscreen and hats recommended. |
| How do you track your achievements in this field of writing? Perhaps a better question is do you track them? We all know if you want to achieve a 'thing,' you must have goals to help you. A task is not met in one step; it takes a series of small steps to reach that 'thing.' Some members track their steps/goals/achievements in a Static Item; others use their Notepad. Still others use a spreadsheet to track their progress. It doesn't matter how you do it, but I submit you should do it. You can just sit back and take life as it happens, without regard for what you might accomplish in your life. That's stagnation. Moving forward is what makes life worth living. Your calling in life might be your vocation. If that's the case, congratulations. For the past 33-plus years, my vocation was my calling. And I enjoyed every minute. Now, I'm retired and have chosen writing as one of my fields of endeavor. I have a number of projects (both writing and non-writing) I'd like to complete, and tracking my progress ensures I'm moving forward with each project. I use both a Static Item and my Notepad to track my progress. Actually, the real reason I began this post was to remind myself I need to update my own tracking. There always seems to be something else that needs my attention. But, since I'm a profound procrastinator (and I know that all too well), I need to kick myself into gear. My goal next week is to update my 2025 writing tracking with goals I can meet. |
| I do like hot weather. I'd long enjoyed running in the Missouri summertime heat. But I have to say the older I get, the less I like to exercise in the heat. By exercise these days, I refer to my daily walks encouraged by my recent medical experiences. The current heat wave we're experiencing coupled with the higher humidity is prompting me to walk earlier than I did only three weeks ago. Before long, I'll be starting my walk at 6am--I've been leaving at 7. This has reminded me of my time as the Company Commander of Headquarters Company, 5th Engineer Battalion at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, in the mid-1980's. The 1st Sergeants of the five companies in the battalion would schedule Physical Training (PT) beginning at 7:30am daily. As it turns out, five companies of men descending on the Dining Facility for breakfast at the same time was almost unmanageable. One company First Sergeant decided to begin PT at 7am, allowing his men to be first in line at the Dining Facility. That lasted about a week before another 1st Sergeant moved his PT to 6:30. Next thing I knew, my 1st Sergeant had scheduled our PT at 5:30. But that left the men with an hour of downtime before the day's work was scheduled to begin. Downtime and soldiers was never a good combination. We went back to 7:30, leaving the remaining companies to fight over the early slots. And I got an extra hour and a half of sleep. 252 Words |
| Last month, I tried a reviewing experiment. What happens when a person completes just one review per day for an entire month? I completed a total of 30 reviews in June. Since I'm a member of "WdC SuperPower Reviewers Group"  , I affiliated each review with that review group. They, in turn, rewarded that review with a number of gift points pursuant to their mandate. The amounts varied a little depending on which group member was awarding that day, and perhaps how long the review was. Normally, as a member of "Anniversary Reviews ~ Summer Break" , I would have selected the item to be reviewed from the Anniversary listing, and I would have received GPs from that group too. But that group is on summer break; I received none from them.Additional gift points were awarded by the WDC system to me each day following the review in accordance with "Daily Review Rewards" . Since one review was completed daily, 100 GPs were awarded daily. Some additional gift points were awarded from "The Review Mixer" , which awards half a number of GPs to the reviewer (me) and the other half to the person being reviewed.Finally, I received some gift points of varying amounts as a thanks from some of the folks I reviewed. These GPs were not expected but were greatly appreciated. The tangible results of my experiment in June were as follows:  I received 75,850 GPs for my reviewing efforts, noted from my Gift Point Logs. (This is half the cost of a three-month Basic membership in ONE month. Oh, and I didn't take advantage of the Read & Review feature, which awards a reviewer a significant number of gift points when a review is completed within a certain time period.) I ended up as #6 on the Most Credited Reviewer list receiving a Reviewing MB for my efforts. (That was for only 30 reviews.) I received four Send A Review Achievement MBs for completing a month's worth of consecutive reviews.An intangible benefit is reading and reviewing various stories and poems from 30 unique members, most of whom I've never reviewed before. Plus, reviewing helps me improve my writing. After all, one should be correct when offering advice. Reviewing is such an important part of WDC. And the site offers many rewards promoting reviewing. They're yours for the taking. |
| When I wrote about my meeting with the University of Kansas Oncologist about enrolling in clinical trials to mitigate my cancer, I came away with a recommendation not to do clinical trials. See "To Medicate, or Not to Medicate" . But I needed to confirm with my Oncologist at the VA, who's responsible for monitoring my care, exactly what my treatment plan would be. I received a call Tuesday past from Dr. Pn's nurse telling me all the scheduled immunotherapy treatments would be cancelled--they were scheduled for every six-weeks as a backup to the clinical trials--and that my treatment plan for the coming year would be a blood test and two CT scans (Chest and Abdomen/Pelvis) every three months. Since my first scans were 6 June, the next will be in September. Honestly, I'm a little worried that three months isn't often enough. I mean, so much can happen. But Dr. Pn said she met with the cancer team and discussed my case with the result that this is the best treatment plan for me based on the testing results to date. Thinking back on the quality care I've received since my diagnosis and surgery, and my team's responsiveness to any question I had, I've decided to take that leap of faith. I'll continue working on the aspects I can control--drinking lots of water, exercising and modifying my diet. I have to admit that last one has been a real test for me. Hopefully, there'll be little on which to report. |
| Just met with a guy who my wife called an Insurance Adjuster. He didn't really 'adjust' anything, nor come up with an actual estimate. But he was a very affable guy, explaining what he was doing as he did it. Jeanette worked in the insurance business for more than 35 years, so she should know the terms. But I was talking with the guy and all he does is look at my car for the hail damage--the reason for calling the insurance company. He takes pictures, makes an estimate of the hail dings in the roof, hood and elsewhere, and sends all that information to someone at the company who actually comes up with the cost estimate. The last hailstorm in our area was this past March. I thought I had about 15 to 20 dings in my roof and hadn't planned to spend my $100 deductible on a few dings I could hardly see. He had a three-foot diameter screen that when held over the car revealed more than 250 dings ... on the roof alone! And he said once the repair folks came out with proper lighting, more dings might be shown. O-M-G, I thought someone will have to replace my roof. "Nope," he said. "The just drop the cloth covering inside the car and push out the dings from the inside." He added that they could come out and do it in my driveway. I think I'd like to watch that. My wife's son is trying to get into damage adjusting and this guy passed on a lot of useful information regarding this industry, like which companies to sign on with after passing his test. He strongly suggested her son get his drone's license--drones are being used more and more for getting exact measurements of a disaster or accident site, taking pictures from a wider range of vantage points, and so on. A drone won't alleviate the need for boots on the ground. But it does save a lot of tape measure grunt-work. The adjuster said most folks with older vehicles just take the estimate money passing on the repairs, a thought which I had considered. I wonder how much the estimate will be. |
| As I begin another week, I like to think about what I hope to accomplish this week. I've started doing this on Sunday morning since my diagnosis and surgery. That age old saw, 'we are not promised tomorrow' has much more meaning now. But first, we went floating yesterday on a rather calm, fairly low Gasconade River. As I mentioned in yesterday's entry, the day began overcast, even dropping a few raindrops on our way to the drop-off point. As soon as we started putting in the kayaks and canoes, the sun came out. My reward for praying for sun was a decent sunburn. This is why I seldom cook. Despite using sunscreen and wearing a shirt for part of our float, I still burn. If something involves heat, I can burn it. The Gasconade River follows a 280-mile meandering course from its headwaters near Seymour, Missouri, in a northwesterly direction emptying into the Missouri River several miles west of Hermann, Missouri. It's characterized by spectacular bluffs, some almost 100 meters high through dolomite and sandstone bedrock, providing fabulous scenery for our leisurely five-hour float. Earlier in the year, one might expect a quicker pace down the river. Our float was perfect. So, what was I talking about? Oh yeah .... This week, I'll continue working on my kitchen pamphlet. And, of course, try and maintain my exercise and WDC streaks. No major events to consider this week, which suits me fine. |
| The entire past week has been sunny and hot (90's). Today as I was out on my early morning walk, it started with mostly clear blue skies which clouded up by the end. And of course, today Jeanette's son and daughter, and their significant others are taking us on a float trip. Knowing how Missouri weather can change in a moment, I'm hoping for a shift back to standard sunny and hot. I prefer at least half my horizon to be dry. I really don't like getting wet from below AND above. And, because of my surgery, I'm relegated to drinking water. No beer today!  |
| Yesterday, I came across a blog entry of another member whose husband's two doctors are offering conflicting information regarding which medication he should be taking for his condition. It turns out, I have a similar situation. A few hours after I responded to that blog, I received a call from my VA Oncologist reminding me of my upcoming appointment, during which I have a blood test scheduled, a meeting my Oncologist, followed up with an immunotherapy treatment. That treatment had been put off several times while I pursued alternate treatment means, including potential clinical trials. I met with a University of Kansas Cancer Center Oncologist on 30 June, who strongly recommended that I not enroll in any current clinical trials since they were not geared toward my strain of kidney cancer. The anticipated adverse side-effects would far out-weigh the benefits I might reap ... if any. She also believes that the results of my surgery in April stated my cancer was removed and had not metastasized to other areas in my body, indicating no need for any follow-up immunotherapy at this time. Paraphrasing, to immunotherapize (VA recommendation), or conduct monitoring CT scans every three months (UKCC recommendation). Until shown otherwise, I'll pursue the monitoring CT scans. |
| Every morning for the past 79 days, I've taken a walk as part of myn recovery from cancer surgery. I started walking around our acre and a half yard until going in circles got old. Then I walked the dirt road on which we lived. In both cases, I walked past a huge Mimosa tree in our front yard. This tree, full of blooms this year, spanned more than 70 feet in the shape of a large umbrella. It was very much a centerpiece in our yard. And every day as i passed it on my walk, I'd think 'I need to take a picture of this tree with the sun shining through the leaves and flowers. And every day, I'd pass it by, content with the aroma of the flowers. Yesterday, a huge thunderstorm blew through, high winds and almost 2 inches of rain in three-quarters of an hour. Now our tree looks like this:  No longer will it display that magnificent presence to everyone passing by. Only time will tell if it survives such a loss of limb. I shoulda taken a picture coming home from one of those walks. I coulda taken that picture very easily with my phone. I woulda taken that picture after my walk ... but I got busy. I always tell myself if I don't write it down, it doesn't happen. I relied on my memory to go back and take the picture. It didn't happen. Don't let such moments pass you by. |
| Have you ever started a writing project and finally gotten it to where you're ready to post it ... and a thought occurs to you that you can't seem to ignore? This thought is going to take you to a place in the project you hadn't considered. It will involve some additions, several re-writes, and much more time before you can post your desired document. Of course, this diversion cannot be dismissed; it will enhance your project. That's where I am with my project, So, You Want a New Kitchen. I figured I could explain the concepts regarding remodeling one's kitchen simply. But simply leads to more questions. It's like a Hydra--cut off one head and two more grow back. The project certainly won't get done with me writing here. Time to lay down the sword and pick up the pen. Later .... |
| My wife loves watching cooking shows, especially the ones that pit chefs against other chefs. I suppose that's most of those shows. Anyway, she never cooks any of the dishes that are made ... thank God in most cases. One show had a chef telling the judges that she had over-seasoned her dish because her palette was exhausted. I happened to mention to my wife that I'd have to remember that excuse the next time she cooked liver. I know now that was the wrong thing to say.  |
View Portfolio
Visit Notebook
Send Gift Points
Awards
Badges
Send Email
Community Newsfeed
General Discussion
Sponsored Items
Book of Trinkets
Static Items
Books
Groups
Interactive Stories
Audio
Campfire Creatives
Community Notes
Crossword Puzzles
Documents
Folders
Images
In & Outs
Madlibs
Photo Albums
Polls
Product Reviews
Quizzes
Survey Forms
Web Pages
Word Searches
