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A metaphor for my take on life and how it affects me. |
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| 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 |
| I think I over stepped my boundaries with my niece. After writing the previous blog, I sent her a email along with a copy of my post. I haven't heard anything and I probably never will but I tried on behalf of my brother. It was not my battle or business but I put my two cents in and I shouldn't have. I should have left well enough alone but I wanted to help and maybe get them back together. It wasn't my place so I hope she will forgive me. We all have trials and tribulations we encounter in our life time. Our upbringing plays a role in how we deal with those situations. I had one major life altering problem arise. When it happens you make choices that not only affect you but others around you. Family can be helpful and the support they give is invaluable. There are always two sides to a story but when you are out in the cold and wondering if you made the right choice family and friends help. I wrote a story about family that I had posted on this site before I shut it all down. The story came about when my wife's family had a major blowup. This all happed two weeks before her father died. Heated words between her and her siblings ensued with her parents in the room. The family has not been the same since. I had a number of replies to my story with a verity of comments on the subject. It was surprising how people felt about the breakdown and whether or not you could or should walk away from a family member. When the actions of a family member is so egregious it's hard to forgive, but forgiveness is what's needed. Ok once again I've gotten my thoughts off my chest, so I will step off the soap box and let the issue come to an end. Life Is Good. |
| We're getting close to Christmas and the end of the year. I'm in a funky mood not so much for myself but for my brother. He has been estranged to a large degree from his family. I don't have the details that caused this riff but it runs deep. His kids gave him an ultimatum several years ago and he couldn't go along with it. So they have stayed away even though they live close by. Of course with the Holidays here, he is in a depressed mood and would like to share in his children's life. Since I don't know the particulars I can't comment or try to intercede though I've given it some serious thought. As a Christian, I believe in forgiveness and moving on. I know from my own experience that hanging onto a grudge or hurt feelings gets you nowhere. You are the looser when it comes to what you're missing. This is breaking my mothers heart and she too doesn't know what to do. Unfortunately my brother is living with the decisions he made and not handling it well. Several years ago I sent his kids a email asking them to cut my brother some slack over the way they were handling a situation. That didn't go over very well, and their reply was for me to mind my own business. I don't have a bad relationship with these kids with the exception of one. His dislike for me stems from his feelings about my not being involved when his dad had a breakdown, he thinks I don't know what family is all about. My brother and I have lived on two different planes, he was a climber, wanna be, I just wanted to be happy with where I was and the people around me. I visited my brother more times than he ever came to our place. We've had a few disagreements over the years but nothing that made us lose the family connection. The one nephew never understood our relationship and I believe that his mother (who is separated from my brother) thought I should have the same connection with him as she has with her sisters. Not all families are the same, we are two peas from the same pod but we developed completely different. I did not involve myself in his family affairs so I wasn't there when the break up of his family occurred. I had a similar situation with my youngest daughter. She met a great guy and they were married, during a period of time we began to get separated and we both blamed each other for the problems we were having. I replied to a letter she sent me and I was not very nice. I was hurt and wrote some words I wished I could take back, but like words that come out of our mouths they can't be put back in! My daughters husband died suddenly, and she called me from the hospital in Oklahoma and I asked her if she wanted me to come. Her reply was yes and I was on my way. We have been re-establishing our relationship ever since. It's a terrible shame that it took a death of a good person to make us see that family is important for the support they give. Both my father and father in-law were very big on the importance of family and how they should be kept together at all cost when possible. I've gotten my feelings off my chest so I will say Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all! Life Is Good |
| Looking back in the mirror is not always wise, but I must take a moment to reflect on how this year has gone so far. We began the year continuing to work on our house to make it a home we are proud of. We have reached that point; but it will always be a work in progress. In April I had a heart attack and was taken to the Hospital where I had an angogram then a couple of days latter I had a triple bypass surgery. The first few months were trying but over all my return to normal life has gone smoothly and without any major problems. I continued to have A-Fib and while going through Cardiac Rehab I had an episode which caused the nurses concern so I put my Rehab on hold and wore a monitor for 30 days. It confirmed what we knew, I had A-Fib and I was never able to tell when that happened. My doctor suggested I have an operation called Ablation and that required us to go into Los Angeles where the procedure was done at Good Samaritan Hospital. This happened on November 26 and I was able to go home the next day. I took it easy for two weeks then I began my walking routine which is a 1 mile walk around my neighborhood. I take my dog Gracie and we walk 2 miles then I drop her off and walk another mile. The recumbent bike we have is still gathering dust but it is my intentions to include it in my daily routine. The spa we bought in February and the shed we had built around it has not seen much action this year account of my medical problems but the New Year will be different. The High Desert has wind and cold temps during the late fall and winter. It's not unusual for the temp to drop into the 30's, so having an inclosed building for the spa makes it that more enjoyable. We don't have the view we once had in our last home so we're not missing anything being inside. My wife and I are truly blessed, with our children all doing well. We had them over on Thanksgiving and had a great time, listening to what was new in their lives. 3 of our children now live in So Cal, and the other is in Phoenix a short 5 hour jaunt away. Life is Good |
| I seem to be having difficulty with my blog, so we will see if this begins my first attempt at getting back to writing. I'm going to make it short just to see if I set it up properly. If I did, I will be back with my regular blog! |
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