Oh My Aching....

The wife told me last night that we needed to move a refrigerator.  The extra one we use as a freezer and cold drinks is having some issues.  One of our friends is having an estate sale and has a BIG one.  For 20$ she couldn't pass it up.  She had bought it for Son #2 but he can't deal with it now.  I am not able to lift anything remotely heavy with my back like it is without paying the price.  Son #1 can't help until the 23rd.  I don't like the way I will have to move it.  It will have to be laid down in the bed of my small Ranger.  You always take a chance laying one down.  But if you leave it standing up for a day or so without plugging it in, you might be OK.  That is what I am hoping for anyway.  If it dies on me I'll just have it hauled off by the guy that came and got my old BBQ pits.

The thing that bugs me the most is I obsess over little things like this.  Yeah, I know, don't sweat the small stuff.  Something that should be and is pretty simple I blow up into a big deal.  I wasn't like this years ago.  Now that I have some physical limitations it bothers me more than it should.  I was always the guy that could be counted on to help you move, whether it was just a refrigerator or your entire household.  Not being able to help others in the way I used to bugs me.  Having to ask for help is what REALLY bugs me.  I know, but my mind is a wacky place these days.

Happy Trails 

Jumbled

My mind is a jumbled mess.  I can't seem to get my thoughts sorted out into an intelligible process.  I mentioned a while back about having an emotional weekend and how it involved loved ones.  There was more of the same this weekend.  The only difference was it was unexpected.  I took it like a kick in the gut.  My mind has been running way to fast than I am used to.  Consequently I zone out a lot.  So I am not even sure how this particular post will turn out.  

Satan is real.  He is at work everyday in our lives.  Some people will even blame their actions on him, trying to avoid responsibility for the things they have done.  Yet, we have the ability to choose.  Whether to fall for his lies and succumb to temptation or to choose to walk away or keep your mouth shut.  Gossip and outright lies have and continue to be more hurtful than most anything.  The scars run deep and can last forever.  Even when forgiven, those things can still linger resulting in lack of trust.  Physical scars can last too and be damaging long term.  But I submit the emotional and psychological damage is much worse than the physical in almost every instance.  This sort of thing damages more than the person it is directed at.  There is a huge amount of collateral damage if you will.  Loved ones get involved and they get hit in the fall out.  One event can get out of control due to the way people perceive things and then the tongues start to wag looking for sympathy or, unfortunately, to get pay back.  Satan knows the tongue is his strongest weapon.  It is easy for us to 'talk' about things or others.  It can start out as information sharing and turn to something much uglier.  Lives can be changed/destroyed with a few careless words.  Those that take this path will have to answer ultimately for their actions.

Sorry for the mini sermon-this helps get my mind sorted.

There is some great news too.  I am not allowed to say exactly what it is at this moment.  It will be kept under wraps for the time being.  Unfortunately this comes at the same time as all the garbage and it detracts from this great news.

Friday

You would think after a full week of no new posts I might, just might have something worthy or interesting to write about.  Well you would be wrong.  😕 

The plumber came Thursday and got the pressure regulator installed.  Without asking he installed a cut off valve at the same time.  No extra charge.  Sweet!  We hadn't even talked about it.  

Picked the first tomatoes of the year.  Just a couple and they aren't very big at all, smallish actually.  It is new hybrid I am trying out that ripens faster and is heat resistant.  As hot as it is getting here, much hotter for this time of year than usual, it will affect my tomato production.  When it gets really hot, the plants stop setting fruit.  There are quite a few green ones already thankfully, but it the heat keeps up like this, about 5-8* hotter than normal, that may be all we get.  However, after all I have done to prepare and prevent tomato blossom rot, I still chucked three over the fence that had it.  if you aren't familiar with tomato blossom rot, the bottom of the tomato where the blossom will sometime still be attached will rot, turn blackish brown.  You may not see it until you pick it and turn it over, the tomato looks just fine otherwise.  This has been an ongoing issue for me.  From what I read it is due to a lack of calcium in the soil.  I read where adding bone meal should help with this.  I did exactly as prescribed on the directions.  I also added epsom salt as I have before.  This is something that has worked for me in the past but apparently it doesn't last.  So now I am not sure what to do next.  I will add much more bone meal than prescribed along with more epsom salts and hope that solves the issue for the remaining tomatoes.  I don't know.

Happy Trails

Prostate Cancer? What Do I Do Now?

It's been a while since I have talked here about Prostate Cancer.  I started this blog about 3.5 years ago when it was discovered I had Prostate Cancer.  I told my story and the things I was going through and urged other men to get checked and also appealed to their loved ones (wives).  I have no idea if any of that hit home with anyone but I felt like I should keep telling my story if it helped in saving someone's life.  I never once advised how they should decide to proceed if cancer was detected.  There are options and being informed is the only way to make a decision that will affect those that need to make this decision for the rest of their lives.  Each man has to make his own decision.  Make an informed one.

Over the last couple years there has arisen controversy among doctors about even testing PSA for cancer.  It is generally slow growing and many that get it will pass from something else before the cancer can get worse.  But there are those like me, I believe the choice I made saved my life.  The biopsy and PSA numbers didn't indicate that my cancer was all that bad.  I opted for surgery.  It saved my life due to it being more aggressive than the original biopsy revealed.  It also was not as big as the biopsy tended to indicate.  They thought that about 60-70% of my prostate was cancerous.  It was only 7%.  So biopsies don't reveal everything either.  Yet with the aggressive nature of mine, the doctors agreed I made the right decision.  Yes, there are issues I still deal with as a result of the surgery and I am resigned to the fact they will never be resolved.  The most common side effects are incontinence and sexual dysfunction.  Yes, those are not pleasant but there are workarounds available.  Your doctor can help with that.  For me, living longer with those I love,  even though it is not guaranteed, and peace of mind is motivation for me and I have no regrets at all.  I still get checked every 6 months with a PSA test and so far there has been no detectable cancer found.  I go again in July for another check.  I have been blessed so far.  If it returns, I still have no regrets.  

My Uncle by marriage has Prostate Cancer and at 75 is ten years older than me.  He and his doctor chose a different path.  No treatment at all.  They determined through a biopsy that his was the least aggressive form.  He would most certainly pass before it ever advanced to a life threatening stage.  His was detected at nearly the same time as mine.  Yet he still must get the biopsy ever so often to determine if it has gotten more aggressive or spread.  I don't know what he and his doctor talked about so can't agree or disagree with their decision.  It could be that the doctor's protocols did not call for any other option like surgery or even radiation.  For me, Peace of Mind is what I need.  I felt that surgery was my best option.  Taking the risk that it could all be removed by surgery and be cured completely is what I was praying for.  So far that is how it has turned out.  I am still 6.5 years away from being declared cancer free/cured.

Now to the reason I am posting about this again.  I read this article and it echoes some of the things I talk about with others and write here.  This man chose to not take ANY treatment at age 59.  Thirteen years later his cancer has spread and the outlook is grim, yet he seems happy.  But what do we really know what is going through his mind at night laying in bed or when he is alone.  

Please, go read his story here,  Prostate Cancer Info.  Get informed, talk to your doctor, talk to a couple doctors.  If you have to make this decision one day, make an informed decision, and pray about it if you are a praying person.  Prayer has helped me more than anything else.  I have the peace that passes understanding.  

Let me know your thoughts, experiences.  Free exchange of these things and open dialogue help others decide what to do.  I want to help anyone I can. If you don't feel comfortable expressing on this forum but still want to talk to me, my email is in my profile.  

I will most likely leave this post up for week in order to reach as many as I can.

Happy Trails

Have They Come to Their Senses?

No, not by a long shot. It seems the 'nfl' has come to its senses in regard to the National Anthem and how the prima donnas that play the game now must stand like normal Americans.  My question is "what took so long?"  Why now?  Less publicity, since nothing is going on now with them as far as games and all the publicity they get during the season, that's my guess.  Not being on TV daily and the players are off somewhere doing whatever they do in the off season and aren't in front of the cameras for the media to ask them stupid questions.  Basically just less instances to get bad publicity.  I'm sure there may be other 'rationalizations' they use to justify themselves, but it comes down to money.  Unhappy fans means less money, less fans means less money.  They aren't fooling anyone.  If they really cared about patriotism and how their players acted they would have addressed the not standing immediately, after the very first instance, not after multiple copy cats.  The fans stopped going to games and viewers decreased.  That hit them in the pocketbook.  Did I quit them?  No, I wasn't watching them for years prior to this.  At least 10 years ago I quit them completely.  I had been watching less and less for a few years before that.  The product I saw was turning my stomach.  I just couldn't abide all the childish behavior of overpaid spoiled children acting like asses every time they were in front of the cameras.  I was a huge Cowboys fan all my life.  Jerry Jones and his antics and the publicity he sought by hiring the likes of Terrell Owens was the last straw.  I'm sure they miss me terribly.  I don't miss them at all.  They can take a flying leap at a rolling donut for all I care.

The plumber came and went in about 30 minutes and 120$ later.  He will come back next week and install a pressure regulator.  We have 100# of pressure in our lines when he tested it.  Should be 70 or less.  We have had various numbers of leaks on water lines to faucets over the years with most of them being replaced a couple times.  Hopefully this will fix some of that.  I decide not to get the water cutoff valve replaced.  I can still shut it off at the meter.  It's not as convenient but I can still do it and it won't cost me a few hundred dollars.  I'm just glad things aren't leaking anymore.

Happy Trails

Quiet But Busy

After a very emotional weekend we don't really have time to relax.  I won't go into the emotional part, it's just part of life that happens when you love others.  

K is down at the Army hospital (SAMMC) sitting with a friend while they wait for surgery to be completed on a young mother whose husband is deployed.  It is very possible the results if negative could be life threatening.  They have 4 very young children and this is a very trying time.  They don't need this after nearly losing the two youngest, one to near drowning and the other to meningitis right after birth.  I will be heading over to the Grandpa's house to visit with him while he watches two of the smallest kids.  We have another friend that will head home today after 28 days in the hospital and nearly losing his life.  Prayers have certainly been answered.

Various other errands kept us busy yesterday.  Tomorrow the plumber is supposed to call me and hopefully will be able to come out soon and fix our leak and the other things I have put off.  It appears that the final billing from my visit to the ER back in November has come in and we paid that yesterday.  There should be one final bill for K's stay and we expect that any day now.  It also appears we were overcharged for one of K's visit and we will see about a refund after an appropriate amount of time.  We want to give the wheels time to turn.  

I have things I am working on for our congregation that is a bit tedious but I volunteered and hopefully can get this finished this week.  I have to wrap up some loose ends.  

Happy Trails

I Don't Get It

This fascination with the royal wedding.  Seriously, what is the deal here?  For weeks we have been bombarded about guest lists, who is invited, who isn't and who is angry about it, who is walking the bride down the aisle.  I just don't understand why America is so caught up in this.  Today already TV is being inundated with videos and photos of the wedding and even Elton John frowning at the wedding.  SMH.  Who gives a flying flip?  I suspect we will have videos and photos of the honeymoon for the next week or two.  These are people that don't really even like Americans if the truth be told.  I'll be glad when it's over.

We are going to cut the cable.  I got a digital antenna and it does a surprisingly good job.  There are about 30 over the air channels now.  There were 5 when we started with cable so many years ago.  However almost half are Spanish speaking channels here.  A lot of the other channels show very old TV shows and the resolution is just horrible on these bigger screens.  They are really bad, in fact so much they make watching unpleasant.  The exorbitant price increases every year has pushed us over the edge.  Every year in the past they would offer a new promotion to get the price to a more manageable level.  Not this year.  A price increase of 30$ and rude treatment has done it for us.  WE already have Netflix, which is OK but doesn't seem to be everything we thought it was.  So we will most likely try Amazon Prime and hope it is good enough to drop Netflix.  There also a ton other TV apps like these that have different offerings.  We will need to be careful what we add or we will be right back in the same price range of cable.  I will miss the DVR though.  I use that quite a bit to watch shows the wife doesn't care for when she is not around, history or military type shows.  Bet you thought it was porn.  Not me.

Happy Trails