Sorry for the lateness of this post.
Sometimes life just gets in the way.
10-26
We had a yard sale this past weekend
and I suppose if you look at the numbers we did OK. The glass top
table did not sell as I had hoped, but we eliminated a lot of things
that we had been storing and generally cleaned out a lot of stuff.
There were two other friends of ours that put some stuff in it, so
our entire front yard was covered in everything from clothes, baby
items ( she had been holding on to some hoping for more grandkids )
tools, and knick knacks to just about anything else you may have ever
seen at a yard sale. The leftovers were donated to a church that is
going to have one next weekend so we can go there and buy back all of
it. NOT. We had been getting ready for this for about
two weeks. Thursday was a killer of a day trying to set this all up.
Thursday night I thought I was going to have to crawl to bed. And
like most yard sales we had a LOT of lookers. If everyone had bought
one item we would have sold out Friday. Of course Sunday was a
cleanup day. And as usual we found several things that could have
been put in the sale as we were putting away other things. On the
other hand, my shop/storage shed hasn't been this clean in a lot of
years.
My real food intake now includes
oatmeal, scrambled eggs, refried beans, potato chips, candy, and ice
cream. I realize that candy and ice cream aren't actual foods, but
again it's all about calories. Besides, 4 out of 5 dentists say it
doesn't matter if you don't have teeth. I'm trying to add a few
things a week so that my digestive system can get used to real food
again. I'm still doing the cans of formula to keep my caloric intake
up. I've never been one to count calories, but now it seems that I'm
supposed to be on a weight gain regimen like the super cut, six pack
toting young guns. It reminds me of a comedian that was told to try
Billy Blanks workout. ( Paraphrasing ) “ Why, I can't do that. It
would turn me into a tough, lean black man and I would have to change
all of my family pictures. “
My real problem now is with fatigue.
The temperature outside has a lot to do with it. Currently the
temperature outside is in the mid 80's. I can go outside for about 10
to 15 minutes at a time and then I have to come in and rest. It does
give me some time to write, but not being able to stay out longer
gets old really quick. As the weather moderates I'm able to stay out
longer enabling me to build up my stamina.
Days Later
The temps have moderated and I've
been able to get outside and do more. Ideal temp for me seems to be
between 50 and 75.
And a few more days later
Well, you know how someone says if
you don't like the weather just wait a few minutes, it literally hit
us in a matter of minutes. At 11:30 PM it was 74. One hour later it
was in the 40's. I couldn't tell you the exact minute that the wind
switched from the south to the north, but I can tell you that there
couldn't have been more than thirty seconds between the two. Now, a
day later and it will be in the 30's all day and another 5-6 days
before the temps come back up again. I've never liked the cold, and
it seems I tolerate it even less than the heat. Of course the wind
has been there to intensify the temp and that is never helpful. With
the 20-30 MPH winds one to two minutes is about all I can take before
I need to find something out of the wind. I have a small heater in my
shop, but with us counting pennies now I can't leave it on as much as
I would like.
Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is a time of year that
tends to make you look back at the year gone by and reflect on what
you should be giving thanks for. I for one have a great many things
to be thankful for, not the least of which is that the cancer was
caught before it was too late. I still have a few tests to be done to
be a bit more certain that we have gotten all of it. I certainly have
more to be thankful for, but I believe that is the one thing I am
most thankful about.
I am also very thankful for my wife,
Teresa, who I'm fairly sure cares more for me than I do myself. She
is always making sure that I have taken any meds that I'm supposed
to, making, keeping up with, and taking me to appointments and so
much more.
And any list of thanks would be
incomplete without my huge list of friends that have prayed for me,
given me endless encouragement, and wouldn't let me think for a
minute that this could get the better of me. And the list would be
nowhere near complete without the care from all (except the dentists
) of the ( mostly ) helpful staff at the VA. The medical staff at
the Dallas VA is overworked, underfunded, and doing most of this on
the run. I've gone over the problems there before and I don't see any
chance of it getting worked out this decade.
No list of thanks would be anywhere
near complete without a huge thanks to my brother. He prefers to
remain in the shadows, but we would be close to financial ruin if it
weren't for him and his wife.
I would also like to thank each and
every one who has read these blogs. Early on this was my one way to
vent and communicate since my therapy called for being there almost
every day for two months. It always helps to know someone is
listening.
Until next time,
