Pictures of Some Things In The Trunk

Hi everyone. In the trunk was an envelope with stuff that was my Great Grandfather and my Great Grandmother's stuff. My Great Grandfather was a stage coach driver in the South Dakota territories. During his stint as a stage coach driver he became friends with Sitting Bull. There were letters between the two in the trunk. Great Grandfather visited Sitting Bull when Sitting Bull was in jail. While in jail Sitting Bull made a purse for my Great Grandfather. I have that purse in a safe deposit box. Some of you have already seen a picture of the purse but I am adding the purse picture to the pictures of the stuff found in the trunk because it fits in so well.

Ok here we go.

This is a picture of my Great Grandmother's going to church purse. During those days the purse
was worn around and dangled from the wrist:
















This is the picture of the purse made by Sitting Bull for my Greatn Grandfather. It was authincated by the Native American Museum in South Dakota as his work. It is completely hand made. Isn't it beautiful?












I thought about holding a contest where you would guess what some of this stuff was but then I thought nobody would know. This is a boot buttoner. Great Grandfather used it to button their boots:

This is a pen. Really a quill. Great Grandfather used it in his duties as a stage coach driver to sign for documents he picked up to deliver:

This is Great Grandfather's shaver:











Anyone know what this is? It is a Great Grandfather's letter opener:










These are my Great Grandmother's reading glasses:

May this be a day of finding treasures for you.

He Really Loved Her

First, Mom has decided to stay in assisted living until October 15. Then unless things change with her health she will move home. This will give us time to remodel her house and also in a month the picture will be clearer about what is up with sister and her house.

Second, as you all know every Friday we have be going to mom's house and going through things to either throw away, give to a relative, or to give to goodwill. Friday we came across this trunk that turned out to be a gold mine. Tomorrow you get pictures of treasures, today you get emotion because some of the things we found were quite touching. If you stick with me the title of the post will become very clear at the end of this post.

Besides letters from Sitting Bull to my great grandfather in the trunk there were letters from mom's students telling her what a great teacher she was and how she had impacted them. After some hurtful statements from my sister during the phone call deciding what to do about mom's move this was like a miracle drug to change Mom's emotions from sad to happy. There were also many letters from the three of us kids to mom and dad telling them what great parents they were. This was a very good timing find.

When I was in high school my brother's best friend was Ronnie H.. My brother and him were the backfield on the football team. They helped form the best team that our high school had in years. The paper referred to them as "the dynamic duo". I played but not often, I have good athletic skills but you needed great skills to play on that team. The coach was always lecturing my brother and Ronnie, "if either one of you had Bill's drive or will to win or Bill had your talent there never would be anyone to set the records you could accomplish." Of course those kind of statements didn't help me. It lead to brother and Ronnie torturing and making insane fun of me on a daily and sometimes hourly basis. So naturally I didn't think Ronnie liked me and I didn't really like him. In the trunk was a letter from Ronnie to my parents. It was when I was recovering from the car accident. It was an eye opener, here is part of it "I know Bill will recover fully. He has such strong emotional character. I've watched him in life in general and in sports competitions. He never makes a big deal of it but he always gets the job done." The kid that made a career out of making fun of me had such a good opinion of me. What an eye opener, you just never know do you?

Now about the real treasure that was in the trunk. There was a letter in it from my dad to my mom's mom telling her that mom was on the train heading home and that she took the news that her dad wasn't going to live like the amazing woman he knew she was. There were also letters from my dad to my mom. Love letters. Heart piercing love letters. Emotions I never thought my dad had. Funny, warm, but most of all very romantic. Those letters left no doubt that my dad loved mom and loved her exclusively. They did bring many tears to my eyes. Many people have said I am like my dad and I always took it as a compliment, it is even more of a compliment now. Just as an example of how dad loved mom I am going to end with a proverb that dad ended some of his letters to mom with. "A great lover doesn't romance a different woman every night, a great lover romances one woman for a lifetime." Then dad would had "you are that woman for me." How romantic is that?

Tomorrow you get pictures. May this be a romantic day for all of you.

No Pain, No Gain

Most of you know about the accident that left my left foot partially paralyzed. It doesn't keep me from doing things it just makes it harder for me to do those things. I can dance, but with limited movement in the foot it makes it harder for me to dance than those with normal movement in their foot. I can run but again with limited movement, it makes it harder for me to run than the normal dudes.

Another problem is sometimes with limited circulation there will be blisters or sores on the foot that have to be surgically removed. I usally have it done twice a year. It is an out patient surgery and really doesn't take very long but it keeps me inactive for a day. After the office visit I am requested by the doctor to stay off of my foot for 24 hours and to use a cane for a day to take the weight off. After the 24 hours I am back to the way I was before. So that is where I was yesterday. Sitting in an easy chair finishing the Harlen Coban novel and hobbling around my house.

At the doctor yesterday I got some absolutely amazing news. Good news. I have always had feeling in the left foot but that feeling is mostly pain, not really severe pain more like a minor toothache. In the past two months that pain has intensified. Some days really intense mind blowing pain. Before the procedure/surgery yesterday I brought it up with the doctor. It turns out that the pain is a great thing. After all these years the nerves are starting to regenerate and I am getting both more feeling and more movement in the foot!! It will never be a 100% but the doctor thinks it may get up to as much as 80% from about the 40% it is now. The doctor has no idea why the nerves started to regenerate, it could be all the walking, it could be the weight loss, or it simply could be a miracle. I really don't care why, I am just happy about this. I've never felt better about pain! I am so excited I can hardly type this. I did want to share this with my friends here. Thank you all for being a part of my life!

May miracles happen for you today!

Miscellaneous Notes

Not much going on in the Dahn household today except for a pretty important meeting tonight which I will report on later in this entry but first a couple of miscellaneous notes.

For those of you caring for elderly parents you might want to visit the following web sites:

http://www.visitingangels.com/

http://eldercare.com/

Both offer a ton of support and suggestions and even provide information on how you can get a break from caregiving.

For the Dancing With The Stars fans the latest rumors have Tom Selleck and Toni Braxton competing on the show. Lance Bass is still in but won't be dancing with a man. Dan Quayle is out.

Now about the meeting tonight. Mom and I are meeting with a caregiver to see if she will be available for when mom goes home. We have another caregiver hiding in the wings that has committed to help mom going home. We really need three to take the caregiving burden off of me. Mom is now wavering between going home and staying where she is at. My sister suggested she wait another month before making the decision. I like the idea of mom waiting a month before deciding what to do for several reasons, of course some of them selfish. I like waiting because I've adjusted to mom being in assited living and my life seems more full this way. That is the selfish reason. The unselfish reason is if mom really wanted to go home she would have given her thirty day notice by now and the fact that hasn't tells me she is having second thoughts. The other reason for waiting is Sis is trying to sell her house in Salt Lake City and if they do so her and her husband will move here for the winter. That takes away a need for one caregiver and also relieves my burden. Sis feels she will know more about the house selling in thirty days and if mom waits thirty days to give her notice there may be more information for mom to make the right decision. The bad thing about waiting thirty days is the caregiver we have hiding in the wings needs a job and won't wait that long to be hired. OK, here are the choices:

Mom gives her notice on the 15th of August and moves home the 15th of September.

Mom delays making a decision for a month and then decides what she wants to do.

OK, everyone both mom and I need some guidance. Please pray for us to receive that guidance or for those that don't prayer muster up are you good vibes that an answer presents itself to us.

May this be a great day for all of you.

John Edwards

Used to be my hero. I wanted to be like him. Now I all I see is a despicable human being. As someone who has represented clients through divorces brought on by affairs I can respect no man that would cause that kind of pain to his family and to have an affair when his wife and children needed his support the most just makes him a person that has to improve to be a bottom feeder.

How hard can it be for a married man to say to a woman "You are an attractive lady but I am married to the woman I love and would never do anything to endanger the love we have between us. So thanks but no thanks." Why don't men in power have the backbone to support their wives in a loving and caring way?

There are men that don't have affairs. My dad was married to my mom for over sixty years. He never had an affair. I know this because the week he died when we were saying our good byes to each other he told me that in sixty years he never cheated on mom because he never found a woman he loved as much as her or a woman as good as her. He told me he treasured every moment with her. He said his one wish for me was to find a woman that I loved as much as he loved mom to share my life with. He told me that if I did find that woman never to cheat on her because cheating was stealing.

That is what both John Edwards and the woman that he had an affair with did, they stole from Elizabeth Edwards and the Edwards family. They stole time and support that rightfully belonged to Elizabeth Edwards and the Edwards children.

Now John Edwards wants forgivenes. He isn't getting mine.

Kaye's Jewelry

When we were getting to know each other some of you expressed an interest in seeing Kaye's Creations. I was really struck by the beauty of her work. She is really creative! Isn't this stuff beautiful?

Success Is Hard To Live Up To

After the great response and how much fun we had with getting to know each other it is going to be hard to come up with new posts that even come close to the success of the last one. Questioning whether or not I can live up to the success of the last post helped me to come up with some questions for all of you. Following along with the theme of getting to know each other here are a list of questions:

1. What do you fear most success or failure?

I have had my share of both so really don't fear either. What I do know that is that I am a lot more successful at things if someone tells me I can't do something. Then I feel the need to prove them wrong and usually do.

2. Since all the posters here are women I am really curious as to what you look for in a man and if what you look for in a man is different if you are looking for a man for a long term relationship or a short term relationship?

What I look for in a woman isn't looks. You can lose weight, educate yourself, get a new hairstyle, what you can't do is change the basic character. What I look for in a woman is a sense of humor, similiar values, and that they like me. If they enjoy being with me that takes the pressure off and I can be more myself.

3. If you could choose the perfect career for you what career would you choose?

Mine would be motivational speaker. Which is weird because standing up in front of an audience and speaking scares the heck out of me.

4. This one is specifically for Pat. Where you happy with the winner of So You Think You Can Dance?

I was.

5. Of course the often asked question is next. What would you do if you won the lottery?

I would start a foundation named after my mom and dad whose main focus would be threefold:

A. Breast cancer research. B. Funds to give to the elderly that couldn't afford their own caregivers. C. Organ transplants.

Of course I would set aside a lot of funds to have one heck of a good time. Travel more.

Your turn.

SSA, Swing Vote, and Who Are You?

Here is the link to the second in a series of two articles about social security disability as being reported on by The Oregonion:

http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/1217724908140440.xml&coll=7

Not much to report on in the Dahn household this week. Golf is getting better. Weights are helping my arms getting stronger. Now within 12 pounds of my goal. Still single and looking for the love of my life. Mom has definitely decided to move home in September. We are interviewing caregivers today. I am hoping we find enough so that I can have some freedom.

Went to the movie SWING VOTE starring Kevin Costner. It wasn't that great of a movie but kept you entertained for a couple of hours. Hated the ending. Not rating it yet because I just honestly don't know how I feel about it. Probably two footballs. One for child actress Madeline Carroll who was just great in this and one for the secret service agent that protects her. They were really the stars of the movie.

Ok, if you are interested in letting people know who you are I would love it if the posters and/or readers posted a little bio of themselves. You can post whatever you want nothing is required, location where you post from if you want, occupation or ex occupation if you want. Nothing is required, it isn't even required to post anything but I'm guessing everyone would like to get to know each other.

Blog, Government At Work, & Reality TV Rumors

My blog was down for about 24 hours from Friday to Saturday but it magically got fixed late Saturday afternoon. Thank goodness.

For those of you dealing with the care of elderly parents please, please read the comments to my post "Updates", Kaye R, Pat, Lady Dr gave some marvelous and very helpful posts about the emotions that those of us that have the responsibility of elderly relatives have. It is one of the better group of comments since I started the blog!

For an interesting article about Social Security Disability go to this link here:

http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/1217564703119820.xml&coll=7
It is so tragic that people that truly need disability are being lumped in with those trying to scam the system. Any comments about the article?


Some DANCING WITH THE STARS rumors. The cast will be announced August 25th on Good Morning America and the show will start September 22. Those rumored to be on are: Kell Pickler, Kim Kardashian, Ex VP Dan Quayle, and Lance Bass. There is also a another rumor out there that Bass will be paired with a male dancer.

According to the NY Post Sesason Five of TOP CHEF will be in New York with the constestants staying in Brooklyn. The date of the start of the show wasn't stated in the article but I would guess it to be September 10 or September 17.

May this be a great day for all of you.

Updates

Not a lot to say today so thought I would update the readers and posters on various subjects.

Golf - improving daily. Birds don't fly away and people no longer look for shelter when they see me with golf clubs.

Dating - I did muster up enough courage to talk to a lady in the produce section of the grocery store the other day. She was 92.

Fitness - I bought some weights to add that to my regimen. I want to strengthen up my arms. Still walking four miles a day, the golf range every other day, cleaning house daily, and now the weights. I did break 200 yesterday and am eagerly looking forward to making my goal of 185. When I get there I am getting some new pictures taken and will let you vote on which one to put on my profile. At some point when I look decent in a bathing suit I am going to take adult swimming lessons. One, I always wanted to learn to swim correctly and two, that could be a good way to meet someone.

Mom - This is the second Friday in our weekly Fridays of going to mom's house to clean it out and get it ready for sale. Since a lot of you have the responsibility of caring for elderly parents I am wondering if you also have what I call elevator emotions and if your elderly parent gets to be negative a lot. Does the negativity wear you out? The elevator emotions for me are going back and forth between it is nice to feel needed and damn I wish I had my own life so I could travel or insert your own word here. Sometimes I have those conflicting emotions within a five minute period of time. In addition mom tends to be negative and that just wears me out. I try very hard to keep her positive but it usually ends up with me being brought down instead of her being brought up. Do you think negativity is a product of aging? Of seeing your life ending? Of not being able to do the things you used to do? Or is a product of personality and it depends on the person? I am really curious as to what you all think.

Off to the golf range and then to pick up Mom for a day at the beach. Well not the beach, her home.

Another Excerpt

Long time readers and followers will know what this is an excerpt of, if new readers or confused readers of the blog want to know about this post email me at williamjdahn@aol.com. D.R. this one of those middle things I was talking about as being boring.

CHAPTER 4

March 30, 1990

Visions a gentlemen’s club on N.E. 72nd and Sandy. Gentlemen’s club is just a fancy name for a strip bar. Friday night a busy night as the single men that can’t get a date, the married men wanting to cheat on their wives, and the bachelor party group celebrating one of their friend’s last day of singlehood all there to throw money at the scantily and sometimes no clad women. A young women maybe barely eighteen gyrating around the pole at the center of the stage enticing the lonely men to throw their dollar and five dollar bills at her. In the back corner of the bar a group of five men were engaged in a conversation that was barely audible competing with the music. The five men preferred it that way because they didn’t want to risk anyone overhearing them. Officer Westbrook, Officer O'Donnell, Officer Ryan Frazier, Officer Dylan Grafton, and city attorney Ted Vernon.

O’Donnell “I delivered the goods last night and put the ten grand in the safe.”

Frazier, 6’4”, 200lbs buff, strong, blue eyes, sandy colored hair, a decorated war hero, on the force for ten years.

“Good. We need to keep the drugs in the gang areas and the wars going. We need to keep the Gang Enforcement Team going. It is our home to fight our war.”

Grafton, late thirties, out of shape, black hair, green eyes, 5’11”, 240, on the force for fifteen years.

“Power to The People”

“Power to The People” they all said in unison.

“I heard Ms. Lane went to see an attorney, a high profile attorney.” Westbrook said.

“Do we need to be concerned Ted?”

Vernon responded “The attorney is well respected and will not hesitate to file a wrongful death lawsuit if he thinks something is remiss.”

Grafton “We need to monitor him or scare him off early on.”

Vernon “What are you suggesting.”

Grafton “A threat. We find out when he is the most vulnerable and then have one of the boys politely talk to him.”

Westbrook “We can start the investigation tomorrow “

They all got up shook hands and left Visions to go to their nightly jobs protecting the city.

The Economy And Cutting Back

I'm curious if the posters and readers here are being forced to cut back on certain items because of bad economic times. Or are you cutting back willingly to save money to prepare for things that might happen?

I've decided to cut back on a few things. Now that I have some extra time and I can do some things myself I just decided to save in case the economy takes another turn for the worst. The first thing I am doing is canceling the payroll service for my corporation. I'm the only employee and with CPA skills I can do my own payroll. Then I decided to cancel my housekeeper that comes twice a month. I am a very capable housekeeper. Being somewhat picky and a latent germaphobe I can lysol, dust, vaccum with the best of them. I actually clean better than the housekeeper. After the summer season I am also going to cancel my landscaper. Although yardwork doesn't rank high up there on my like list, I figure it will be good exercise. Add that to the golf and the walking and I will be as fit as a fiddle. Just those three things will save me about three hundred and fifty bucks a month. Not small change at all.

I can't say I am going to start using coupons because I have always used coupons. In fact my mom says that my epitath should be "here lies Bill, he expired before his coupons." I've gotten so good at using coupons that there have been four or five times when I've actually got money back for buying some products.

OK, what are you all doing, if anything?

Hope this will be a love filled day for all of you.

A Week In My Life

This week was two work projects, a couple of movies, the county fair, some writing, interaction with mom, four trips to the driving range, a lot of computer time, and checking different west coast cities for jobs. I'm not really looking for a job as I have plenty of work to do with mom, helping the firm that bought my business, helping some business clients organize their financials and consulting with some CPA firms on IRS audits that their clients are undergoing. However, if a job came up and it was sort of a dream job I'd look into it.

Yesterday was a day at Mom's house. Mom hasn't really decided what she wants to do yet. She is really starting to like the place where she is at and has made a lot of new friends. If she doesn't show up for bingo or meals they come get her or check on her. What her and I decided together is that if she decides to stay at Chehelam Springs then we have to sell her house. Her house is in the price range of homes that are selling, is a nice home on a golf course, and well kept. So it will stand out from the others in her area that are for sale. What we are going to do is that every Friday we will go to her home and get the place ready to be sold. So when the time comes for her to make a decision about staying at the retirement home or going home one of the factors won't be how much work has to be done to sell the house. Yesterday our mission was to go through the closets and the garage and get stuff ready for Goodwill. We got a ton of stuff ready and I am taking it to the Goodwill center today. While there I cooked lunch and she said it was the best lunch she has eaten for a while. I'm getting better at cooking! I think it is a good sign that Mom no longer uses Pepto Bismal as a salad dressing when I cook.

Thursday was doctor day. Mom had an 8:15 in the morning appointment. That followed a 7:45 appointment on Monday to take her to lab for tests. Good thing I am an early riser. The news at the doctors office was great. She said mom is getting better. All her lab reports and blood pressure readings were great!

Sunday I had breakfast with my one friend from Portland's elite society. T is probably in the top 2% of the Portland social scene, I'm in the top 98%. It isn't that I don't know more of them, I've met some through my business, have represented some of them but I've always felt that if you were dealing with a person's finances you shouldn't socialize with your clients because it could cloud your judgment. So I never socialized with them and as a practice turned down invitations. T gave me my first expert witness job and since then we have become friends. We are comfortable enough with each other that we can confide our darkest secrets. A lttle about T. He has diplomatic license plates because he is a counsel to a foriegn country. He never uses the plates. He was once referred to by the founder of a shoe company as "the attorney I couldn't afford to hire." He later served as an arbitrator for the shoe company on a legal case. He is several famous politicians' attorney. He never mentions them. He knows secrets, never tells them. He is also the most generous man I know. We had a great talk and a great breakfast and his wife S, joined us later on in the morning. I love S too and her I will get into some fun discussions when she is there. She hadn't seen me since I made my healthy changes and for an hour she questioned me about how I did it. I love T and S and am so pleased that they see something in me that they want to be friends!

Maybe some day I will share with you the story of my first time as an expert witness and the day in court that bonded T and I.

May this be a great day and weekend for all of you.

Since Life is Boring Right Now

I will go with an interesting fact. Thank you to my cousin Sharon. Tomorrow I will report on my week.

Manure... An interesting story.

Manure: In the 16th and 17th centuries, everything had to be transported by ship and it was also before commercial fertilizer's invention, so large shipments of manure were common.
It was shipped dry, because in dry form it weighed a lot less than when wet, but once water (at sea) hit it, it not only became heavier, but the process of fermentation began again, of which a by product is methane gas. As the stuff was stored below decks in bundles you can see what could (and did) happen. Methane began to build up below decks and the first time someone came below at night with a lantern, BOOOOM!

Several ships were destroyed in this manner before it was determined just what was happening .
After that, the bundles of manure were always stamped with the term 'Ship High In Transit' on them, which meant for the sailors to stow it high enough off the lower decks so that any water that came into the hold would not touch this volatile cargo and start the production of methane.

Thus evolved the term ' S.H.I.T ' (Ship High In Transport) which has come down through the centuries and is in use to this very day. You probably did not know the true history of this word.

Neither did I.


I always thought it was a golf term.

The Dark Knight

I sucked it up and went to The Dark Knight this morning. As you probably remember I've avoided going because I've been having a hard time getting over the emotion of regret of Heath Ledger's death. Regret that such a major talent left this world before he had the chance to reach his full potential and that after THE DARK KNIGHT we will never get see another performance of his. The movie intensified that emotion. To me THE DARK KNIGHT wasn't in the movie to me the darkest night was the night that Ledger died. The dark of an amazing talent feeling the need to artifically enhance his life. The dark that someone gave him prescription drugs without knowing how they interacted. The dark is the family he left behind.

The movie THE DARK KNIGHT was amazing. The story was so well crafted that you forgot it was a comic book hero. The special effects were great. The acting was so top notch that the weakest link was Maggie Glyllenhaal and that was a performance that under different circumstances we would have spoken more highly of it. However, in THE DARK KNIGHT her performance was overshadowed by the performances of Ledger, Bale, Eckhart, Caine, Oldman, and Freeman.

Five footballs. One football for Ledger. One football for Bale. One Football for the screenplay. One football for the special effects. One football for all the other supporting roles.

What I Am Reading

Before moving on to reading just wanted to mention to Pat that I may have been wrong about MAMA MIA on one of the blogs I go too everyone loved it. One person said it was the most enjoyable movie experience they had in years. Maybe it is the gender gap.

I was given three books for my birthday. The first one that I am reading is Harlan Coben's PROMISE ME. I've never read Coben before but so far so good. Up next is Janet Evonovich's FEARLESS FOURTEEN. Very light but very fun and fast reading. It is a Stephanie Plum novel. Love them. Then it will be on to Phillip Margolin's EXECUTIVE PRIVILEGE. Phil's father-in-law is a good friend of mine. We worked together at an insurance company and have been friends since. I've met Phil a couple of times and he is a very nice fellow. Sometimes his writing is to graphic for me but I'm giving this one a shot.

Since we are talking about books now here are some of my suggestions for late Summer Reading:

Books on Tape:

CAMEL CLUB by David Baldacci. Five retired government employees get involved in a murder investigation. First in a triology.

BLIND ASSASSIN by Margertet Atwood. Two books in one. Very entertaining, well read.

Reading Suggestions:

SAVING GRACES by Patricia Gaffney. Five women get together once a week to talk about their lifes. Graces is a dog that the five rescued. Very well written, very insightful, towards the end get a ton of kleenexes.

ART OF DECEPTION by Ridley Pearson. Set in Seattle, Washington. Part of the Dahpne Matthews series. She is a police forensic psychologist that meets murder and a teenage runaway as a volunteer teenage runaway counselor. Well written, good story.

THE INNOCENT MAN by John Grisham. Normaly I don't like Grisham books because all of his endings are the same. However, this is a great book. Grisham ventures out into the realm of true crime and weaves an amazing story. A New York Yankee prospect is arrested for a murder he didn't commit. Be prepared to be angry when reading this book.

THE WHOLE TRUTH by David Baldacci. Defense contractors and crime. Baldacci is the master story teller.

CAPITOL CONSPIRACY by William Bernhardt. Politics and crime. Bernhardt is actually my favorite writer. He has a real strong female character, Christina. In this book terror leads the way as the head of Homeland Security is murdered. The political fall out that follows is realistic, frightening, and a great read.

SOMEWHERE IN HEAVEN by Christopher Anderson. I saved the best for last. The ultimate love story and it is true. It is the story of Christopher and Dana Reeves. So well written you fall in love with couple so in love with each other that nothing can derail their respect for each other. A MUST READ.

Hope you all have a great day today.

Mama Mia Review and Unusual Headlines

I just have four things to say about MAMA MIA:

1. Meryl Streep can sing.

2. Pierce Bronsan can't sing.

3. The movie would have to improve to be lousy.

4. I should have sucked it up and gone to THE DARK KNIGHT.

Now on to other things. I have a cousin, Sharon, that lives in Virginia but commutes to her job as vice president of a Wall Street Brokerage House. She lives in her NY apartment five days a week and commutes home to spend weekends with her husband in Virginia. Despite how busy she is every Friday she sends me an email with different stories and different themes. This week the theme was weird headlines. Here are some of those headlines:

From San Francisco: TIGER WOODS PLAYS WITH HIS OWN BALLS, NIKE SAYS

From Madison, Wi.: ATTORNEY ACCIDENTALLY SUES HIMSELF

From Eugene, Or.: COUNTY TO PAY $250,000 TO ADVERTISE LACK OF FUNDS.

No Dateline: MEETING ON OPEN MEETINGS IS CLOSED.

From Salt Lake City, Ut.: UTAH POISON CONTROL CENTER REMINDS EVERYONE NOT TO TAKE POISON

No Dateline: ONE-ARMED MAN APPLAUDS THE KINDNESS OF STRANGERS.

From Colorado Springs, Co.: STATISTICS SHOW THAT TEEN PREGNANCY DROPS OFF SIGNIFICANTLY AFTER AGE 25.

May you all make headlines today and in a good way!

The Movies, More Golf, and Mom.

Two movies are coming out Friday, Mama Mia and The Dark Knight. I think I am heading out to Mama Mia with Meryl Streep and put The Dark Knight on the backburner. I'm avoiding Dark Knight because I know the number one emotion I will have during that movie is regret. I am just having a hard time getting past Heath Ledger's death. All I will think of during the movie is what a wonderful talent he was and what a waste it is that we lost him so early to an accidental drug overdose. All the reviews say Ledger's last role is memorable and he gives his best performance.
Maybe someday I will suck it up and go to The Dark Knight but this is not the day and the day won't come for a while. There will be a review on Mama Mia this weekend.

I have a new set of golf clubs now. Took my clubs to the driving range and even improved over yesterday. My arms and shoulders are just fine now. After I loosened them up yesterday they withstood the assault on them today.

I was called out to the retirement home where Mom was today because the staff thought she was ill and needed someone to be with her. She was very ill but it wasn't life threatening. I stayed with her all afternoon and she got well. I tested her blood pressure which was normal, tested her sugar which was normal. So it was a one day stomach virus. I fixed her soup and gave her some diet 7-1up and some soda crackers. She got well within three or four hours. Well enough to go down to dinner at her retirement home. I'm glad she is better. The call was very bothersome, however, because when you get the call you think the worse. You think oh no this could be the day she leaves this world and the emotions just overtake you. Thank God she recovered so fast and hoping I don't get one of those calls again.

May this be a great weekend for everyone!

Investments, Stiffness, and Cards From The Visitor

Hello there everyone. Been a busy few days. I took a big step and invested into a beauty products company. The company is a start-up company so it is a huge risk but it could also have a huge reward. Because of where the company is at I was able to buy a small percentage of the company for about 25% of what it would have normally cost. It was still spendy. But my IRA money market has been hitting the skids so it seemed doable to me. I will either lose my investment or make a fortune. In the interest of full disclosure my niece and sister are also owners of the company. The product is a skin product that hydrates skin and cleans up blemishes. It is a vitamin based cocktail powder that you add to any drink that you enjoy drinking or even add it to ice cream or do what I did this morning and add it to cereal. I've tried the product and it really seemed to work. The blemishes that I had are pretty much gone. Where the company is now is that CVS Pharmacy has placed an order to put the product in their stores but the company doesn't have enough cash on hand to order the ingredients it needs to fill the orders it is getting. That is where my cash comes in. Maybe it will turn out to be a really dumb idea, maybe it will make me set for life. It won't be known for at least a year. And I am purposely not naming the company because I'm not going to use my blog to promote products, even if I have an interest in the product!

I know realize I have arms and shoulders. I went to the driving range yesterday and hit the ball pretty well. However, not having used those parts of my body for much the last few years the arms and shoulders were hard to move and now they harder to move because they are stiff as can be. I'm optimistic that I will live to use my arms and shoulders again. Probably tomorrow or the day after. The driving range was fun and the lesson was I need more excercise than just walking. My legs are stong, now the arms and shoulders will follow.

Each of the last two days I received a thank you card in the mail from my visitor, Kate. The first card was to thank me for letting her stay in mom's house, the second was for thanking me to take her to visit mom. She also said she is feeling much better now that she is back in Arizona. I don't know what to think of the cards, one would have been enough. I'm not getting sucked back in, my mind is pretty firm about moving on.

May this be a great evening and tomorrow be a great day for all of you.

The Challenge of A Friend

The other night I was on an instant message with a friend from a different part of the country that I live in. We are close to the same age, both looking for someone, and both a lot on the shy side. During the conversation we decided we needed to take more risks. We decided we need to get out there and make ouselves seen. I'm am so proud of her for what she did the next day.
She went out to breaksfast at a restaurant alone. A big step for anyone really but even more so for a woman. She saw some guys but they were all married or otherwise taken. But the important thing is that she took a risk. Good for her.

As part of taking a risk she challenged me to take a risk. To go to a grocery store and if I found an available woman to at least say hi to her. OK, she can do something big like go to a restaurant alone, I can do something big like go to a grocery store and smile and speak to someone. I walked over to the grocery store in my neighborhood not once but three times. Unfortunately, every time I walked through the grocery store all the ladies had wedding rings on or were with someone so I couldn't complete the mission. But the important thing isn't that I didn't complete the mission, the important thing is that I took a risk, and was ready to complete the mission if the situation presented itself. Good for me.

After my excursions to the grocery store I went to the golf course and explored taking golfing lessons. Monday I am going to the driving range just to see how far I've regressed since stopping playing golf a few years back and to see how much instruction I need. A beginning class or an advanced class.

I appreciate my friend that I instant messaged with becuase she has encouraged me to take risks. Friends like that are rare.

What risks are you taking today?

Hancock The Movie and News on My Brother

Went to the movie Hancock this morning but before my review of the movie I received some news from my brother. Would like to ask everyone for good thoughts and prayers for my brother for a quick recovery. Got a call from my brother from the emergency room in the hospital in Dubois, Wyoming. While playing tennis with my nephew my brother ruptured his achilles tendon on his left foot. He had surgery this morning on it and they are expecting a ten week recovery. He will be on crutches for most of the ten weeks. The recovery will be very difficult for him because he is so active and this is the first major injury that he has ever had. He is going to be fit to be tied most of those ten weeks. So come on everyone send some vibes to my brother for patience and a quick recovery!

Hancock was a very enjoyable movie. Stars Will Smith, Jason Bateman, and the beautiful Charlize Theron. The basic plot is a hard-living superhero who has fallen out of favor with the public enters into a questionable relationship with the wife of the public relations professional who's trying to repair his image. Will Smith is Hancok, the hero. Jason Bateman is the public relations professional, and Charlize Theron is the wife of the public relations professional.

Three footballs. One for Smith. One for Theron. One for Bateman. They are did an amazing job of acting. The pumped up a week story line and made it enjoyable to watch. Sometimes the movie is a little sappy, the story line is unreal at times, and the special effects are repititive. Still worth the money.

Hope this day finds you all well and in good spirits.

I'm Back

After the exhausting visit of an old love I took a couple of days off from the blog, email, and anything that required thinking. There was a lot that went on during the visit that I didn't report on like the number of times I was asked "how much are you going to inherit when your Mom dies?" It was so mentally free not having her here the last few days that I just kind of went with the rest that I thought that I needed.

The visit, however, did not sway me from the path of looking for someone to share my life with. I still think that would add a wonderful dimension to my life. It just isn't going to be the old love that was here. I'm going to take some cooking classes, maybe some dancing classes, go to Events and Adventures, etc. I'm not the bitter type. Nor am I the type to condemn an entire gender for the actions of one very misguided woman.

The agenda this week is pretty much open. I'm going to write on the book an hour every day the rest of the week. There is also of course the morning walks. The new Will Smith movie is calling me. Some visits to Mom to get the things she needs. Plus the lawns at the two houses, Mom's and mine. Then there are a couple of work assignments that the guys that bought my business gave me. Plus the blog.

Thank you all for being there for me and commenting on my guest. You are a great support system.

May this be a great day for all of you.

The Visit The Final Installment

The day she left the day ended with a 911 call. Sort of an ironic end to the day that the visit ended. The 911 call has nothing to do with Laura or my health. I was out for my evening walk when a car pulled over and a woman rolled down the window and told me that she shouldn't coudn't breath or swallow and asked what she should do. After checking her blood pressure I called 911. She had just taken some medication and was having a reaction to it. I'd never met this lady before, didn't know anything about her, and don't understand why I was the chosen one by her since there were others around. Maybe it is the target on my forehead. I found out in my call to 911 that she is 76, had a history of drug reactions, heart trouble, and was diabetic. In another ironic twist a police officer pulled over a car right in front of us for a traffic violation. I went and got one of the officers that came back and helped. The paramedics arrived in about ten minutes. They gave her something that brought her back to normal and then let her drive off. Just like the lady visiting here that never bothered once to say thank you the lady in the car didn't say thank you either. What a reminder to me that I was glad the visitor was gone. The police officer, bless his heart, did say to me "we need citizens like you. thank you."

Thursday after sleeping all day Laura/Kate called and wanted to join Mom and I for dinner. The three of us went out and had a nice dinner. After taking Mom home, Kate/Laura and I had a nice talk during which it was decided that since she wasn't really feeling well and since there really wasn't going to be a long term relationship between us it was really better for her to go home. I changed her reservations so that she could leave Thursday morning instead of Sunday.

Friday morning Laura/Kate and I went to breakfast then I took her to the airport. Helped her with her luggage, said good-bye, and then breathed a sigh of relief.

I'm actually glad that I had Kate/Laura come for a visit because it answered another question from the past, confirmed to me that the healthly plan that I am on is the right path, and helped me define what I need in the future. Plus I didn't have to roller skate.

I always wondered if ending the one long term relationship that I had in my life was the right decision back then when I made it. This visit confirmed that I made the right decision. As to defining what I need in the future, is that I need someone younger. Not age younger. Age is just a number. Younger in spirit. Willing to be active. Willing to do things. Willing to learn new things.
I also decided that there will be no contact my direction towards Kate/Laura. This is truly the end. She has already called twice, which I didn't answer or return. Harsh yes, but it is just better for both of us if we move on to explore other options.

Hope this day is a great one for all of you and that yesterday's celebrations were fun for all of you and your loved ones.

Thunderstorms- Day 2

I can report on Day 2 early. There were thunderstorms here last night. I absolutely love thunderstorms. I got up and watched them. They energize and excite me.

Kate just called. The thunderstorms kept her awake all night and she doesn't want to do anything today. She wants to stay in bed all day and sleep. We are back to that energy thing. So basically Day 2 isn't going to happen. I was willing to go in and fix her breakfast and lunch and make sure she was comfortable but she doesn't want anyone to come there today. I tried to be thoughtful and considerate. She just doesn't want to do anything but sleep. So Day 2 will just be me. This is just further confirmation that we aren't the match made in heaven. I understand people getting ill on trips and was willing to go the extra mile. I was even willing to take her to the doctor. But it takes two to work things out. One way relationships just never work.

Off to buy a set of golf clubs. I had planned on doing that after she left on Sunday but am going to take the free time to start working on my twelve goals for the next year.

The First Day

Today was the first day of the visit.

The day started out with a nine o'clock meeting at the offices of the men that bought my business. We were meeting with a client that I have had for over twenty years. When I first met him he was working out of the trunk of his car, selling advertising time on radio stations. Now he is a millionaire many times over. He owns ten fast food restaurants in California, one in Oregon and four in Washington. He erronously credits me with some of his success so he won't do anything without my approval and wanted me in on the meeting with the new guys. It went well and he is now comfortable with the passing of the baton. Jon, the client, told me anything I want anytime just call him and he would do what he could. He is just the nicest man. It was such a pleasure to watch him go from a guy struggling to a guy set for life. He just recently married Donna, his business partner. Donna was at the meeting too. She also is a very nice person. They are a good match. Two people in their fifities finding love. That is pretty exciting.

After the meeting there was lunch with Mom and then heading out to the airport to pick up Laura whom now wants to be called Kate. Her plane got here a little after two. When she walked out of the security area she walked right past me. Didn't reconize me due to the healthy changes that I have made since the last time she saw me in 2001. I recognized her and went over and re-introduced myself. She is really nice but I'm not sure I won't tire of the religious talk the next few days. God forbid she is a fan of the 700 Club. She did get points for telling me that the reason she didn't recognize me is that I was younger and more handsome then the last time she saw me. What is amazing is that we had different energy levels. I had more energy than her. Not something I ever thought I would say. We stopped for a snack on the way home before getting her to her to mom's house. We had both been up since five this morning. She was exhausted. I was still ready to go do things. She took a nap, I ran errands.

At six we went out to see Mom at the assisted living center, Chehalem Springs. Mom and Kate got along really well. They were both glad to see each other again. They shared some pictures and had a nice chat. Then we took a tour of the facility. Well half of a tour. Kate got to tired to complete the tour. We definitely have different energy levels. After talking to mom for a little bit more Kate and I went out for a late dinner. After dinner we did a little grocery shopping and went back to Mom's house. Laura/Kate was ready to go to bed at nine. I gave her a hug goodnight and came home to report about the day on my blog.

Tomorrow the day won't start until ten because she wants to sleep in until then. I'll have half the day over by then.

The good of the day is that Kate made me feel really good about myself telling me how handsome and nice I was. She told me that so often that I almost started to believe it. If she tells me that that many times in the next couple of days it may go from being a good thing to an annoying thing. lol. The bad is the religious talk and the energy levels. Be interesting to see what tomorrow brings.

Hope all is well with all of you. Will report on Tomorrow's events tomorrow night.

PS

Just got back from a little excitement. Laura called and the police were at Mom's house. King City is a small community and they know when things just aren't right. They knew mom's house was supposed to be vacant and they were checking to see if Kate was supposed to be there. I went in there to show my driver's license and the deed to the house that shows me as the trustee of the trust that owns the house. I verified that Kate was supposed to be there and would be there until Sunday morning. Everything is now hunky dory and I'm back home.

Summary of Blog Vote And Updates

A big thank you to all that responded to the question of how to improve my blog. All your comments were appreciated. The general consensus is I should keep doing what I am doing and that I should write about what is on my mind at the time. Also that I should be myself. The problem is sometimes I don't know who myself is. I also agreed with Mary that I should show more of my humorous side. I've been thinking about my type of humor and why I haven't been able to show more of it on the blog. I've come to the conclusion that my kind of humor is reactionary humor not creative humor. I have a unique ability to see the humorous side in what people say and do. I also have the ability to make fun of the crazy things that I do and say. In the line at the grocery store I can make the whole line laugh by saying something in response to what the checker said or by making fun of what I am buying. However, to stare at a blank piece of paper and create something humorous is really difficult for me. It gives me an area of my personality to work on. I love that.

Here is some updates on what is going on in my life:

Mom. She seems to be losing a lot of her physical strength. Her mind is still sharp but she is having a lot of trouble walking. This worries my greatly. The place that she is in isn't the great place we all thought it would be. It is very poorly managed and they don't have the healthy menu that they promised us before we moved in. The number of activities they have is limited because they aren't that full. Mom is planning on going home in Septemeber if we can find the help. I'm still having trouble separating from her. I go out there to often. Not daily but often enough that it is to often. I feel such an obligation to help her that is hard to not do things for her. Because she is often emotionally down when I visit her and then emotionally up while I'm there I feel like I'm hurting her by avoiding visits there. I really do have to place a higher priority on my own life.

My Uncle. Not all the results of the tests are in but it appears that they were able to give him the right medication to stop the big stroke after the little strokes so that he didn't lose any movement on either side of his body. This is really good news. There is still a little danger until all the test results are in. However, we are hopeful. Thank you all for your good thoughts and prayers.

My book. You all have read the opening. I have a good start and a very chilling ending. The last four chapters are some of the best writing that I've done and has a very creative ending. Not an expected one that is for sure. It is the middle that I am having trouble with. It seems like the middle of the book is boring. It is mostly story and character development. I need to learn more about how to write the middle of the book. I have about 12 of 40 chapters done. Forty seems like a lot but not really because some of the chapters aren't that long. When I read I found out that I like books that have short chapters because that gives natural breaks for me if I have to stop reading to do something.

My goal list. I'm stuck at 200. I can't seem to break that number. I want to get to 185 and I know I will get there but it is taking longer than expected.

The visit. Tomorrow.

The end of the visit. Sunday.

Hope this is a great day for all of you.

The Visit

The visit is happening in two days. It is interesting that as times go by you forget about all the things that bothered you the last time you got together and then as the visit gets closer you remember those things that drove you nuts. I'm now looking forward to next Sunday, the day she returns to Arizona. I'm still going to have a great time and am looking forward to a lot of laughs and compainoship but I am also looking forward to my private time again. From Wednesday through Saturday I will try to check in to let everyone know how the visit is going.

I was planning a 4th of July barbecue at Mom's house with Mom, Laura, and myself. Was going to grill some hot dogs but then I remembered from her last visit here in 2001 that the only kind of hot dogs she likes are the expensive ones you buy in movie theatres! OK, so maybe I can take the barbecue to the lobby of the local theater, borrow some of their hot dogs, and barbecue them in the lobby. Or maybe I will just do hambugers instead.

If the hot dog thing wasn't bad enough in a recent call with her she said it would be fun to go roller skating. The only time I roller skated it scared me emotionally for life. I actually wrote about it on my blog at the beginning but just to refresh everyone's memory here is my story about the only time I roller skated:

In High School I was neither a nerd or popular. I just didn't exist. Overshadowed by some great siblings. Sis was prom queen. Bro was all state in three sports. I won a Howdy Doody look alike contest. Neither was I exactly a klutz. Just wrong place, wrong time derailed my athletic career. Our school had a student body of 2,500 with 570 in my class. The last player on our team would be a starter at many other schools. I was that last player. So I wasn't a klutz. We were visiting our aunt and her family in Glendale, California between my junior and senior years in high school. My sister and my cousin, Sandy, took me roller skating. I'd never been on roller skates before. I had been working out to get in shape for football and hadn't bought new clothes yet so my pants didn't exactly fit. It was at a roller skating rink in Pasadena, California. My sis and Sandy convinced me that if I went out to the middle of the rink where everyone was skating in a circle to the music they would hold on to me. Should have known better than to trust them. The music started sis was on one side holding on to my arm, Sandy on the other side, holding on to my other arm. My pants kept slipping so I kept holding on to them. Sandy and sis got to laughing and let go of me. I went flying, my pants went down, tidy whities exposed, I hit the railing and did a pretty good somersault over the railing into the concession stand. I was so embarassed. We had a real hard time in the emergency room telling the doctor how my aunt broke a blood vessel in her eye laughing. I didn't get hurt physically but the emotional damage was severe.

Do you think I want to try roller skating again? Oh, well if everyone reads in the newspaper about a guy getting arrested for bringing a grill to the lobby of a theatre or being taken to the hospital in his underwear after being foolish enough to try skating again, you will know it is me.

How Can I Improve My Blog?

Hi there everyone. Not much to write about today but thought I would throw this out there for some feedback. I'd like to improve my blog and would like to know what the people posting here would like from my blog.

Would you like more links?

More talk about my personal life?

More talk about movies and TV shows?

More political talk?

More news?

More humor?

More talk about Mom?

More talk about dating?

More pictures?

More talk about the book that I am writing?

More talk about family dynamics?

More referral to other blogs?

More tests? For example, personality tests.

This is your chance to help me improve. I'd like to know what you all would like. Feel free to post anything that you might want from a blog.

Hope this day goes well for all of you.

Trip Canceled/Prayers and Good Thoughts Needed

My cousin Dixie called today and canceled her trip here. Her dad had a stroke, well actually several small strokes, and is in the hospital for a couple of days for tests and then several followup appointments at the doctor's office. Uncle Frank was told not to drive and My Aunt Velma has never driven. Dixie was asked by them if she would come to Arizona to help out and of course she said yes. She is also quite worried about her dad as I am. What led my Uncle to seek help was he was having several dizzy spells and passed out. The good news is it wasn't a big stroke but the fear is that the several little strokes could have done some damage. Thank goodness he sought help before the big stroke that often follows after several small strokes.

I'm asking for all your good thoughts and/or prayers be directed my uncle's direction for a speedy recovery and good reports. Also more good thoughts and prayers should be sent my cousin, Dixie's, direction. That she be strong for them while she is there and for her good health.

Thank you all in advance. Hope you and all your relatives are healthy!

News Tidbits

Sort of the calm before the storm in the Dahn household so to do away with some of my boredom am reading various things in newspapers and on the internet. There were some interesting things to pass on to you:

UPS drivers are under instructions to only turn right. According to their management they save millions in fuel costs by having their drivers only turn right. I frankly don't know how they save anything. Just for fun I tried the turning right thing yesterday and to get to the places I wanted to go by only turning right I had to go miles out of my way to there. OK troops you have two assignments: 1. Trying getting some where by only turning right and get back to me about what you found out and 2. Be on the lookout for a UPS driver making a left turn.

On to food pairings. It has been discovered that pairing certain foods can lead to some really good health benefits. For instance, eating almonds with a glass of red wine can enhance the benefits that wine gives you for a healthy heart. For more information on food pairings you can read the entire article here: http://news.aol.com/health/story/ar/_a/dynamic-duos-for-better-nutrition/20080625124509990001?icid=200100125x1204833290x1200214461

Want to read what some people over 80 are doing? You will be amazed at how many people over stay active in business, including 106 year-old cowboy Jack Weil. Read the entire article here: http://smallbusiness.aol.com/features/older-entrepreneurs?icid=200100125x1204785985x1200209452

Don Imus is at it again. Read about here and vote on whether or not he should stay on air.

http://sodahead.com/question/106051/?link=Goog_Imus_q106051_txt&gclid=CMj02be1kpQCFR8cagodflgEuQ

OK, back to getting ready for the company of the next week or so. Mom's house is done and looks great. Today my house gets a shampoo job. Tomorrow both cars get a bath. Then there is laundry. So off to work today.

Hope this finds you all in good spirits and that your day is filled with joy.

Life Gets Exciting

My cousin Dixie is coming to visit on Saturday and will stay until July 3rd. Laura will be here on the 2nd and leave on the 6th. So from this coming Saturday until July 6th there will be company at Mom's house. I'm looking forward to the visits because it will get me out and about more.

Dixie is my favorite cousin. Her brothers Denny and Dave and herself always lived in the same city we did while growing up. They were more like a 2nd set of siblings then they were cousins. Their mom and dad, Aunt Velma and Uncle Frank we my second set of parents. Our families always did things together. Every holiday we spent together. We had some really great Thanksgivings and Christmases. Frank and Velma are now in Arizona. Dixie just moved back the mainland from Hawaii and is looking for a place to settle down. That is one of the reasons for the visit, she wants to explore Portland. If she likes it here she may consider moving in with Mom and helping take care of her.

About Dixie? Fun and unusual. She spent years high up in administration at Kaiser before deciding the stress wasn't worth and quit the job. She became a school bus driver because she loved the kids. On her 50th birthday she sky dived. On her 55th birthday she bungy jumped.
This is my older fun cousin. I'm looking forward to the visit.

The next couple of days are going to be filled with getting two houses ready for company (Mom's and mine) shampooing carpets, changing sheets, grocery shopping and those things we do when people come to spend time with us.

I'd like to know if any of you are looking forward to visitors and what you do to get ready for them.

May this be a day filled with love and friendship for all of you.

The Goals For The Next 12 Months

I had a great birthday yesterday. I got birthday wishes all the way from next door to Singapore. The dinner with Mom was absolutely wonderful. The place is called The Yamhill Grill. The food was great and the service was even better. The waitress made my day when she asked if it was my 49th birthday because that is how old she was and she thought we were the same age. God love her. I got wonderful gifts including some nice money, books, and the wonderful quilt. Now that the birthday is past it is time for me to set my goals for the next twelve months.

Before sharing my goals I want you all to know that I would love to hear what your goals are. I would really like to learn more about all of you that post here.

The one word that best describes what the next twelve months will be like is recommitted. I am recommitted. Recommitted to my goals. Those goals are:

1. Get to 185 lbs. That is the magical number I adopted in November when I started my commitment to better health. Seemingly a major goal back then, it seems very doable now.

2. Get off all medication. When I set that goal in November I was on six medications, now I am on two. The goal daunting in November seems doable now.

3. Take up golf again. I was a decent golfer but quit because so much was going on in my life that I didn't have the time to play weekly.

4. Finish my book. Both the first and second drafts. Send it to several publishers or an agent.

5. Continue my quest to meet a life partner.

6. Take a trip that requires flying.

7. Learn to swim. I swim a little bit but not well, just well enough not to drown in the bath tub. I want to learn to swim well enough to feel safe in pools.

8. Take some dancing classes.

9. Join some single groups, like dinner for eight.

10. Take a cooking class.

There you have my goals, what are yours?

May your dreams come true today and in the future.

A Special Gift

This arrived in my mail today from my sister:

"For your birthday I was trying to think of something special I could give you so I opted for something which is special and unique and something only I could give you. You will understand as you open the quilt - made by mom, and is one of a kind - I had two so I thought since we share so much this would be truly valued by you, and a memory of Mom that we share."

"Thank you so much for all that you do - we love you so much and as long as were are here on earth you will never be alone."

The gift was this beautiful quilt made by my Mom:

She also enclosed a gift card for one of my favorite restaurants.

I was really touched by the gift of the quilt and the letter. The restaurant gift card was nice and I will enjoy that but the quilt will be my pride and joy.

What do you all think?

Visits, Tests, and Top Chef Reunion

It could be the nail in the coffin but I found out that the lady that is coming to visit in July is a very strong Bush supporter and as you all know I am not. It could be workable if she liked him a little bit and I disliked him a little bit but we are at is so far apart of the likable scale I think it could be a deal breaker. I'm glad to know before she comes for the visit because it will change my approach to this visit. I'm still looking forward to the companionship but what we will do mostly when she is here is fun things and spend a lot of time with Mom. That is one of the reasons she wants to visit is to see Mom and also to see another friend that lives here. I will make Mom and the friend the focus of the visit instead of myself. The visit is now going to a be a lot less stress than it would have been.

Had a choloesterol test his morning. After my test was so good in January I quit taking some medication and was a little worried about the results that my self-doctoring would bring about. I got almost as good as reading without the medication that I got with it. Total with meds, 1o4, without, 121. Bad with meds, 55, without meds, 65. Good with meds, 37, without, 43. Trig with 79, without 65. I'm so happy, everything is within the good limits and the good and trig got better without the meds! Walking and dieting does work. Very encouraging for me to continue, diet, walking, and losing weight. Now the blood pressure, get that down and I'm off all meds but one! That one will follow and within six months I predict I will be drug free.

They had the Top Chef Reunion last night. Richard wasn't there in person because he was with his wife who was close to delivering their first baby. Congrats Richard! He was there by satellite. Stephanie won another ten grand by being the fans' favorite. It is the first time in the history of Top Chef that the Top Chef was also the fan's favorite. It is also the first time a woman won. Yea to both. Lisa was even half way likable at the reunion. It was good to see the whole crew back. I'm looking forward to next season!

May this be a good day for all of you.

New Friends And Old Loves

I didn't make it to Las Vegas this week it just wasn't in the cards. Today I am telling my new friends what is going to happen the first week in July. A lady that I used to date a long time ago, my one serious relationship, that has made a really strong effort to keep in touch with me over the years is going to come to visit between July 2nd and July 6th. Right now she lives in Arizona. She is very close to mom and wants to see her too. When she visits she is going to stay at Mom's house, I'm going to stay at my house. That is what a gentleman would do. The last time I saw her was 2001. I have a lot of reservations about the visit but I think seeing if there is anything there is worth the effort. It was my choice to end the relationship because I didn't think a marriage was possible and I wanted her to move on and find the husband she was looking for. She married shortly after we split up and then after only four or five years divorced. She has been single since. She has went back to college and will graduate as a social worker in one year. She has contacted me the miniumum of once or twice a month since the split up. This is what I see may happening out of the visit:

1. Closure for her and for me or.

2. People change and we are the good match that we weren't before.

Like I said I have my reservations. I am going to view it as a week just to have fun and whatever happens happens. It will be good for Mom and Laura to visit.

What do you ladies think? Any advice for me? Any comments would be appreciated.

Friends, Family, and C. Springs.

The facility where Mom is at is really understaffed. Not dangerously understaffed but understaffed to the point where there is very little activity at the facility. Makes for a really boring place. Makes the day long for Mom. They are making a concentrated effort to get the facility full so they can hire more staff. They also have no backup employees if someone calls in sick. Which means some days they will have nobody at the front desk and when the maintence man called in sick for a week they had nobody to fix things in residents apartments. What did they do? They depended on my friends and myself. When my friend, Ted, who owns a telephone repair company came out to help with Mom's phone the person in charge basically kidnapped him to fix a couple of other phones within the facility. Bless his heart, he did fix the residents phones and did it for free. Then yesterday when I went to the Fathers' Day Buffet that they put on for the residents before I left the person in charge asked if I would check out a couple of tvs in two of the residents rooms that weren't working. So I did. Now remember these are elderlys and what will often happen is that they will hit the wrong button on the remote control by accident and screw things up. The first lady was a nice lady that just lost her husband two weeks ago. She had accidently shut off the cable box. I got it on and her TV was back to normal. The second lady was in her late 80s and had turned on the vcr by mistake. All she was getting is a blue screen. First of all I don't know why she had a vcr that she never uses nor knows how to run but her family must have thought she needed one. It was an easy fix to get rid of the blue screen. Turn off the vcr that didn't even have a tape in it. I'm not sure how I feel about the facility depending on my friends and me to fix things around their facility. But for know I am fine with it.

Hope this will be a great day for you all.

Tim Russert

Sometimes news comes across the television that just makes you pause and say "no that isn't right they got the story wrong, that just can't be true." That is I felt like yesterday when the news of Tim Russert's death came across the airways. 58 is to young to die. He was such an icon and the elections this fall just won't be the same without him. It is just a shock to watch him one day with that winning smile interviewing people and then the next day face the reality that we won't be seeing him again. It just seems so sad for me.

Russert was one of those rare hosts that you couldn't tell if he was a Republican or Democrat because he treated both of them the same. Asked them the same tough questions. Shook their hands afterward. Rare.

My feeling is blogs should be informative (Russert worked for the Democratic party before his TV gig) , should let the readers get to know me (I'm a very emotional person and news like this often takes a few days for me to get over), and should be a place where readers can share thoughts and also tell what is going on in their lives and how events effect them. That is what I would like to do today. Make it your place for the day. Make it a place where we both can heal from the tragic news not only of Russert's death but also talk about other things going on in your life. If you would like to say something about the death of Tim Russert and what it means to you and how you are dealing with it, type away here. In addition if you are dealing with some trauma or other things in your life and think it would help to put it out there type away here. I'll support you any way I can.

Top Chef and Life

Top Chef's final was interesting but there was a period of time there that I thought the woman from hell was going to win it all. Lisa gave a top performance that night. Richard blew it and Stephanie had some missteps especially with the deserts. The judges were talking about Lisa like she had it in the bag. Then they went to a commercial break and that break seemed longer than War and Peace. I was pacing big time until they came back to announce the winner. So often on reality shows the deserving person doesn't win. DWTS this year may have changed that with the very deserving Kristi got the trophy. Top Chef finnally announced the winner and it was the very deserving, classy, and humble Stephanie. I'm so glad she won instead of Lisa. I also may have to withdraw my claims of sexism about Top Chef and Tom C. now that a woman has taken home the Top Chef trophy.

On to life. Mom's phone actually is working now. Verizon not only came out yesterday they called her twice to make sure the phone was working. Why didn't they do that on their supposed previous trips out there. I'm glad the phone is finally working.

I wanted to thank my friend Kaye for visiting and reading the blog yesterday. She sent me a nice email afterwards. I really appreciate that. Thank you, Kaye.

I'm 97% back to where I was emotionally before the trip that went awry. I'm getting there. So life is getting better.

May this be a great day for all of you.

The Dentist, The Devil, and Ethics

Did you all know that the number one occupation among serial killers is dentist? That's what I once read. OK, been so busy with caregiving that I let me teeth go. As part of getting in optimium health, dentistry has to be included in the plan. I'm really doing well on my three step plan to find someone to share my life with. Get healthy, get fit, get out there. The first one is almost there. I do now have twelve more pounds to lose to get at my high school weight. A lot less then the 44 I had at the beginning of my plan. I am off several of the medications that I was on, reduced a lot of the others, and will eventually arrive at the place where I am off all medication. Things are going great. I decided to go head to head against my fear of dentists. Scheduled an appointment for Monday. Of course what happened could only happen to me. I had a deep cleaning Monday. Because of some problems they run into they only did half my mouth and scheduled another appointment for yesterday. Monday was easier than I thought. I did really well in the dental chair. UNTIL The next morning when I woke up and my mouth was swollen. I called the dentist and they said that just isn't normal. They had me come back in on Tuesday to look it over. There first guess was a latex infection. Nope wasn't that. Thank goodness they discovered that before they gave me a medication that the way things were going I'd probably would have had a reaction to. They said put some ice on it and when you come in for your appointment tomorrow we will check it again. Wednesday I went in for the appointment, the swelling was way down. They looked at again and they deterimined it was a bite. My Monday appointment was at 11 and as soon as it was over I was starved so I ate lunch before the novicaine wore off. As part of eating with a dead mouth I bit myself. Only me. Yesterday's appointment went well. This morning everything looks as abnormal as it did before the appointment.

The last three days besides the dentist I have also been dealing with the devil. The devil's name is Verizon. I hope those idiots are reading this post because they without a doubt are one of the worst companies on the planet as far as customer service goes. They would have to improve to stink at customer service. Think I'm upset? I'm only starting. We decided to hook up a land line in mom's apartment at C. Springs. Monday I called to set up the phone. First they have a phone system with four hundred and fifty choices and none of them have to do with ordering new service. They start out by asking if the number you are calling about is the one that you called them on. Then if you answer no they ask what number you are calling about. How do I know what freaking number that I am calling about, it hasn't been set up yet? I finally figured out if I hit the o key four times it takes me to a breathing person. So I did that. Got a really nice lady that took my order and said they would be out to set up the phone between 8 and 10 Tuesday morning. I went out there to be at mom's apartment when they came. At 10:30 they still hadn't got there, I had the pleasure of going through Verizon's menu from hell again. Finally got another breathing person. They said they dispatched somebody at 10 and they would be out within the hour. When they hadn't shown up by two, I went through the Verizon menu from hell again and got another live person. This one told me that Mom's phone was never scheduled to be set up on Tuesday but it was scheduled for Wednesday. When I politely asked why then had they told me six different times that it was scheduled for Tuesday and why if it was scheduled for Wednesday had they told me thay had dispatched someone on Tuesday the response I got was "What do you want me to tell you?". You idiot I want you to tell me when the phone is going to be working. It is now Thursday morning and mom's phone still isn't working. I called the Verizon menu from hell again yesterday afternoon and after getting to a breathing person was told they had hooked the phone up but there was trouble on the line and it would cost two hundred dollars for them to come out and fix it. Instead I called a friend who has a small phone repair company. He came out and said the line was so screwed up that he couldn't do anything. He called the Verizon repair office directly and told them what they had to do. Verizon said they will be out between 8 and 6 today to fix the phone at no cost. I do wonder, however, if when they come out to fix the phone they will have enough freaking brains to go the apartment and make sure the phone is working before they leave. They never had that many brains before on their supposed previous trips to C. Springs. I sincerely hope mom's phone is working sometime today. Oh and by the way the people at C. Springs said several other residents have had the same problem with Verizon. Being incompetent must be contagious. Verizon can threaten to sue me if they want but I'm not removing this post, they deserve every word.

Ethics is what I was learning about yesterday. Us accoutants are required to take a four hour course in ethics every two years. The only course that fit my schedule was in Corvallis a little city about ninety minutes from my home base. Course starts at 8:3o so I had to be on the road early. They actually take attendance at these things before they hand out verification that we attended. Following my flexible ethics after they handed out the verification after the 10:15 break, I left and came home to get ready for the dentist.

That has been my week. How has yours been?

I'm It

A friend sent me this game so I thought I would play Blog Tag.

Meme

1. The rules of the game get posted at the beginning

2. Each player answers the questions about themselves.

3. At the end of the post, the player tags 5 people and posts their name, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they've been tagged and asking them to read your blog.

What was I doing 10 years ago? Working by fanny off building my own business

Five snacks I enjoy in a perfect, non weight-gaining world:

1. Ice cream just any

2. Organic chocolate covered hazelnuts.

3. Fat Free potato chips.

4. Oreos

5. Popcorn


Five snacks I enjoy in the real world:

The same as in my dream world

Five things I would do if I were a billionaire:

1. start a charitable foundation named after my parents to pay for dementia research, breast cancer research, organ transplants, and for college schlorships for children of poor parents.

2. Buy a winter home in Los Angeles.

3. Fly women in from all over the world until I found the right one to marry.

4. Hire a chauffeur.

5. Make my siblings, friends, and mom millionaires.

Five jobs that I have had:

1. Boxboy in a grocery store.

2. Delivered flowers.

3. Chief Financial officer for a dental manufacturer.

4. Accountant for a Big 8 firm.

5. Boss of my own business.

Five of my habits:

1. Money in descending order by denomination in my wallet.

2. Pennies in one pocket, other change in the other.

3. Walk at least three miles every morning.

4. Watching Top Chef every Wednesday

5. Up at five every morning.

Five places I have lived:

1. Billings, Montana

2. Pocatello, Idaho

3. Los Angeles, California

4. Ashland, Oregon

5. Portland, Oregon

Five people we should all get to know better: (A nice way of saying TAG!)

I don't know if I can do five without repeating yours. I ended up with four.

http://zelleworld.blogspot.com/

http://symplyamused.blogspot.com/

http://mrgreenjeans.blogspot.com/

http://sianthom.blogspot.com/

Happy Sunday

Haven't really got a lot to say today so just basically am going to do miscellaneous thoughts and let you know some of the things that I did last week.

Today took mom too church. She hasn't been to church in quite a while and wanted to go. It is hard for her to go because she can't walk far distances. We have two wheelchairs for her one is the mobil wheelchair and one is a regular wheelchair. The mobile chair is to big to get into my car and we just can't afford the cost of a van right now. So I took the regular wheelchair. We went to the Sherwood Methodist Church because it was the closest church to us. It went really, really well. So many people came up to mom and introduced themselves that she was kind of in seventh heaven. Mom is a social animal so when people talk to her she is really in her element. The music was good, the message topical, and the church beautiful. I'm glad we went.

Speaking of the mobil wheelchair it is time for me to confess to a really weird thing I did on the day that we moved Mom. At about 1:30 I was exhausted and had probably put over twenty miles on my legs by then. Not to mention the lifting. So you know what I did from 1:30 on? I got that mobile wheelchair, set it on the fastest speed and used that thing to move mom's stuff. I would carry a couple of boxes on my lap and then take off like a Nascaar driver. It made the move a lot more fun and it was certainly faster than walking. Inventive? Yes. Weird? Yes. Would I do it again? Yes.

Went to the new Indiana Jones movie the other day and really didn't like it. Thought it was slow moving, boring, and they showed basically the same scene over and over again. There really isn't a lot of movies out there right now that are any good. So far the best movie playing anywhere is on HBO, called RECOUNT.

I really kind of wanted Hilliary to be the nominee but I wanted to win the lottery too and neither happened this week. Although I would love to see Barrack choose her as a running mate, don't think it will happen. Be interesting so who McCain picks as his running mate also.

That is all for the day. So what weird thing have you done in the past, that you would do over again?

May this be a great day for all of you.

Top Chef Plus What I Learned About My Life This Week

First, Top Chef. I am pretty sure the finals will be between Stephanie and Richard because there is no way in hell Lisa has a chance to win and if she does I will be spitting nails. Lisa has to be one of the most unlikable people ever on TV. She was upset that Richard and Stephanie didn't congratulate her on making the final three and told them she thought that they thought the wrong person went home. You think? Where has Lisa been the past twelve weeks or so when the three best chefs, Antonia, Richard, and Stephanie bonded and worked so well together? I have news for Lisa 91% of the people polled wanted Lisa to go, 5% wanted Antonia to go, 2% each wanted Richard and Stephanie to go and those 2% were Lisa's relatives! The final show should be interesting.

Next, I learned a lot this week. I learned that I hate accounting seminars. Also learned that sometimes men really are annoying. In the men's rest room at one of the seminars there is a sign on the light switch that says "turn lights off when leaving." The only time the lights were shut off is when I left. None of the others ever shut that light off. I always thought most men could read!

The other thing I learned is moving is darn hard especially when the assisted living center where mom is at kind of pushed mom out of respite care to the new apartment and did so by promising to help with the move. They didn't keep their promise. They didn't help at all. We hired movers to move the big stuff from home to the new apartment and from the old apartment to the new apartment but since C. Springs had promised to help move the clothes etc we let the movers go after the big stuff was done. I ended up having to move the stuff a long with Mom. We got done about three. I spent the night at Mom's apartment because I felt she might have trouble adjusting to the new surroudings. She did fine and truthfully it was nice to have another body around at night.

Which is the last thing that I learned. I no longer like being alone. I really like having company. It is a place that I thought I would never arrive at. So I am thinking about getting a roommate. I'm not going to do anything rash until I have thought things through. But it is something that I am considering.

Hope this is a great day of all of you.

Mom's New Apartment

With accounting seminars and Mom's new apartment it has been on busy week. Mom decided on moving to another apartment within the same facility that she is in. She likes the new place a little better because the living room is bigger, the view is better, and the bathroom is off of the bedroom insteand of between the living room and bedroom. When she decided to move to the new apartment she decided she wanted some of her items at the house in the new apartment too. A couch, chair, bed etc. So we hired some movers to meet us at Mom's house this morning, then move the items from her house to the new apartment, and then items from the old apartment to the new apartment. Since the movers were going to be at mom's house at 9 this morning it worked better that Mom and spent last night at Mom's house. I actually enjoyed being there and Mom was the happiest that she has been in a long time. I do think Mom is going to move back home at some point. The regular caregiver wants to come back in September, The regular caregiver also knows a couple of other people that want a job a couple of nights a week, and I have a cousin that needs a job and a place to stay that would love to live with Mom. So maybe it is in the cards.

Because of the seminar and staying at Mom's house I missed Top Chef last night as Mom doesn't have Bravo. I did record it and am heading up to watch it as we speak.

As to the seminars. Damn I count the minutes until those things end! Tomorrow's seminar should be easy as it is only a four hour seminar. Eight hour accounting seminars seem like sixteen hour seminars and four hour accounting seminars seem like eight hour ones! Darn we need a lot of education to keep our licenses. Forty hours a year. To much in my opinion.

Hope this is a great day for all of you.

Rained Out

The game I was going to today was rained out so the day's schedule has changed a bit. Instead of baseball games and hot dogs it is going to be Mom and moving. Mom is seriously considering moving to a different apartment within the facility she is living in now. It is a nicer apartment but a few more steps to the dining room and to the elevator. She likes the apartment a little better because it is closer to the activity room where she plays bridge. In addition she likes the fact that the bathroom is off of the bedroom instead of between the living room and bedroom. This makes for a much larger living room. I am going out a little while to do some measuring just to see how far it is from her apartment now and the new apartment to the dining room etc. Then she can make some decisions.

Off to explore the moving possibilities. Hope this is a great day for all of you.

Bill

Blog Schedule

Because I messed up and waited to schedule my continuing education next week is going to be a weird week and I won't be posting daily messages so I wanted to let you know what my schedule is and my plans as to when I will post to the blog. That way you won't waste your valuable time coming to the blog when there won't be anything new here.

Monday - no post. I will be in an eight hour seminar and those boring accounting seminars wear me out. The subject is so boring and technical it isn't worth mentioning here. When I get home probably I will probably just kick back and not do the computer thing.

Tuesday - If it rains in Portland will post a normal message. If it doesn't rain my friend Al has invited me to a baseball game/lunch. Every so often our triple A franchise does a business man's special where they play a game at 11 a.m. This is what is going on Tuesday. If it doesn't rain there will be a small message on Tuesday Morning.

Wednesday - no post. Another boring accounting seminar. I will be learing all about Tax Favored Health Care Plans and Medicare.

Thursday - normal schedule only day of the week nothing planned. Probably will take mom to lunch to get her out a bit.

Friday - Four hour seminar during which I will be being taught all about Travel and Entertainment, if there is a post it will be late in the afternoon.

Hope your week is an outstanding one!