Yard sales and Thanksgiving

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,