Keeping up with the Jones"

   It has been many years since I've had a neighbor that seemed to care what I did.  When I owned my second home my next door neighbor duplicated everything I did.  That included the planting of trees, digging of a drainage ditch, to building a fence.  They had the nicer house with a deck out back while all I had was a utility closet that wasn't big enough for anything except for a few long handled tools.  When I decided to move my hot water heater out of the laundry room to the utility room so I could have a full size washer/dryer I suppose the neighbors had had enough so they sold their house and moved.
  My neighbor across the street isn't exactly like that but he does keep up with me when it comes to mowing the lawn.  Every time I mow, he will mow later that day.  The only difference is I have a riding mower and he has a walk behind.  Sometimes it takes him two days to mow because it gets too dark for him to see.

   I mowed my grass last Monday.  I had gotten behind in my mowing duties due to my surgery recover period of six weeks and it is more than just tall grass.  Weeds took over the flower gardens and vegetable gardens and it is impossible to get a smooth cut on tall grass because the moisture holds the grass flat so it doesn't cut smoothly or evenly .  I got my okay to resume working in the yard on a Monday so I cut my grass the following Tuesday and the first of the week ever since.  
  I prefer to cut my grass on Thursdays  because I'm used to going to swim class M-W-F and I like my yard to look nice for the weekend.
   The week after my vacation I had cut my grass on Monday and when my neighbor got off work he cut his grass also.  Knowing that I had a doctor's appointment on Monday and my wife had one Tuesday and the weather man was calling for some rain on Wednesday I made the decision to mow again on Saturday so if I didn't get to mow this week it would not look so bad the following week.
Again, my neighbor mowed his grass on Saturday as well.  I wondered if it had dawned on him he had mowed twice in one week?
   I'm not complaining about him mowing on the same days I do except that he mows in the evening when everyone is in for the day and having supper, preparing lessons or reading or even watching TV and the noise is distracting.  Even so I'm glad I have a neighbor that takes care of his yard.

There are no buts

   My former pastor was talking with a preacher of a different denomination.  My pastor believed in assurance of salvation and the other pastor believed one could lose their salvation.  My pastor quoted a scripture that seemed to support his viewpoint and the other preacher quoted the same verse and then said "but"  and then proceeded to expound on why that was fully accurate.
   My pastor informed me of the conversation and I told him there wasn't any "but" in the bible.  He misunderstood me and thought I was saying that the word "but" was never used in scripture.  That was not what I was saying at all.  I really meant that there was no "but"  after that verse in the bible.
  I realize one cannot pick one verse and build a doctrine out of it.  One has to take a verse in context and then interpret it in light of it's usage in the entirety of scripture  But neither can one add your own interpretation to a scripture because you don't want to agree with what it is saying.
  It is hard for some because to accept that salvation is free and one doesn't have to do anything to get it except for accepting it.  Some think that becoming a Christian is a get out of hell free card and that once saved they can live like they want to.  But the bible makes it clear that once you accept  salvation that you have been purchased with a price.  You are no longer a servant of sin but you still have a master.  You have to serve one or the other.  If you say you belong to the Lord and yet still serve Satan, scripture says you are a liar.  You no longer want to live the way you did when you were lost nor will you.
  Those people who believe that you have to follow a set of rules and live a certain way in order to go to heaven have missed the reason for Christ's death on the cross because if you have to live a sin free life then what is the point of the cross?
  No, God said what he meant and he meant what he said and we cannot be adding "buts, if's or maybe's to the end of scripture.

'Vengance in mine"

   "Vengance is Mine" saith the Lord but sometimes getting even is so sweet.  Back in the days when I was a working man (I mean with a paying job)  I usually has a day or two off during the week. My wife worked manufacturing so was employed Monday through Friday.  Even though she worked close to home she preferred to take her lunch to work but one of her friends who also worked at the same place preferred to eat a home cooked meal.  Unfortunately for me it was my home where she preferred to eat.
  She would pop in several times a week while Nana was fixing lunch and help herself.  She did this once when I was home and I ask Nana about it.  Nana was a quiet woman and didn't complain much but she did confess this habit was unsetting because it often left the meals skimpy for herself and the kids.  I decided then I would fix her a meal she would never forget.
   My next day off during the week, I saved some leftovers and added some unsavory ingredients to it.  Nothing would make one sick or be hurtful in any way;  it just tasted awful.  Anyway, the woman stopped by for lunch that day.  She just walked it, grabbed herself a bowl and helped herself.   and never bothered to even tell me hello.  She took a few bites and remarked that I needed to speak to Nana about her cooking as the food was really bad.  "How can she even think about feeding this stuff to the kids?" she remarked.
   "She doesn't intent too." I answered.  "She made that for the dog."
   Needless to say she didn't finish her meal nor did she ever come back for a free lunch.

Going around in circles

  I celebrate each victory no matter how small in my battle to regain control after my prostate cancer surgery.  There has been small steps and there have been some setbacks too.  I am supposed to do these squeezing exercises to strengthen  the muscles that control the bladder release and I had been doing them faithfully until one night they seemed painful.  The next morning I passed a small amount of blood.  I held off on the exercises for a while and have resumed them but not so vigorously.
  Friday was my best day making it to the toilet 5 out of six try's without any leakage but yesterday was a disaster.  I felt like I have regressed back to the day when the bag was first removed.  Every little move, no matter how slight, created a sprinkle.
   Things are starting out a little better this morning ,  I crawled out of bed at 1:30 because I couldn't get comfortable.  Having to crawl in and out of bed every hour and a half is hard on my back and after the second or third time it gets sore and I can't get comfortable.  I usually just get out of bed, play a game or two on the computer, check my face book page,  and read the news until time to fix breakfast, then read some commentary before taking a nap until my wife gets up around seven.
   But this morning I can't have breakfast as I have a doctor's appointment and I have to fast. My appointment isn't until 10:30 and that is almost my lunch time.  I'm okay for now with a glucose reading of 100.
  I'm at that age when one thing gets better another goes wrong and some things will never get better
but I'm not old enough to accept defeat.  I'll keep doing what I can as long as I can.  

Vacation's Over. It's time for church.

   Went to the mountains for the week and the weather was absolutely perfect.  The traffic was heavier than expected due to people fleeing the hurricane.  The locals were courteous drivers and we only saw one aggressive driver; some guy in a white pickup truck that thought he had to be first to where ever he was going.  However, once you got near the college, you were on your own.  The college students were discourteous and aggressive.
  The GPS on my wife's phone didn't like me.  I wanted to head from my motel to the Mast General store.  The shortest and quickest way was to turn right out of the parking lot, go 1/2 block and make a left and  go straight for two miles.  The store would have been on my right. Instead it had me make a left. go two miles and three turns then make another right on Blowing Rock Road and then drive the two miles back to the store.
   The only time the GPS had me turn right out of the parking lot was the one time that turning left would have been quicker.  Once, we were headed to the Moses cone Estate on the Blue Ridge Parkway and the GPS sent me winding through backroads and residential neighborhoods and then into desolate areas where the roads were not even paved.  It got us there however freaky the route and we had a good time, which was what was important anyway.
   Spectacular September is half over with two preachers down and two to go.  The first one was kind of hyper and had the ability to work the congregation into a frenzy.  I'm not a big fan of this style of preaching because so often it consists of a series of well worn phrases that are designed to get one excited and contains little or no real substance but this preacher had a really good message to go with his delivery.  Well done.
The first preacher was young and has been a pastor only 6 years, the second week we saw an older man (56) who has been pastor at the same church for twenty of those years.  His style was more of a teacher and he used a lot of illustrations.  The first preacher came on the 4th and the second was there on the 11th.  They were both good and I can remember what they both preached about.  Most people can't tell anyone what the sermon was about by the time they get home for lunch so they had to have been good messages.
  The third installment is this coming Tuesday night, the 18th.  I have no idea what to expect accept another good message is spite of the delivery style.  But before then, we are having our regular church service this morning.  Will you join us?

Pastor David Mims Sept 11. 2018

Sam's club is hard to deal with.

  We purchased some playground equipment from Sam's club and paid to have it installed.   When the installers finished they took our existing playground equipment with them.  They were contacted and promised to return the merchandise within the week  but didn't.  They said they had been busy but would return it soon. They never did.
   I contacted Sam's Club and informed them of the problem and their response was that there was a miscommunication between myself and the installation crew.  I said there wasn't.  It was made perfectly clear that the kiddie slide and balance beam were to stay.  They said they understood.
Sam's Club then responded that they needed the purchase order number.
   I said no you don't.  My merchandise just needs to be returned.
  Sam's Club then replied that since I failed to respond they considered the problem solved.  I told them they solved nothing.,
  We were given a replacement kiddie slide by someone in Charlotte and I rebuilt the balance beam.
it is just a shame that big companies like Sam's club have no concept of good customer service.  It's just not them.,  Almost all the big companies are that way/  I've had problems with Duke Energy, CPI, AOL, and other extra large and large companies. Often one cannot talk to a real person and if you do get a person they can't solve the problem or don't speak good English.  I think Sam's Clubs problem is that they don't want to discipline their crew and they have no interest in making fair compensation for the items taken because that would cost them their profit margin.
   The small amount of business I could do with them isn't enough to entice them to do the proper thing and they know I cannot influence enough people to hurt their bottom line.
  That's okay.  I can live just fine without Sam's Club.  Big companies come and big companies go.  people go where they get the best deals and everything being equal, people will shop where they get treated better.
  But the situation is our own fault because we are motivated by the almighty dime.   I've seen people waste a dollar of gas looking around to save a penny or two per gallon.  Even if they save 5 cents a gallon they will have wasted more than they saved.  I, for one, would rather shop at Melvin's than Walmart.
  But some of the big stores better watch out.  Amazon is putting a hurting on some of the big box stores and for good reason.  For example I'm in need of a new chain saw chain.  Stopped in Walmart and they had a 10", a 14": and several 16", some with a new bar and some with just the chain but no 18".  Went home, searched Amazon and ordered one cheaper that The chains at Walmart.  I'll get it tomorrow.  I didn't have to get dressed, waste gas, or look around.  The only reason to go to a brick and mortar store is for an idea you need immediately or for one that you know is going to be too expense online.  That's what I was doing there in the first place.  I broke the tip off of  a fishing pole.  Shipping would have cost more than the tips.
  One would think with competition from other retailers and from Amazon that the big box stores would try harder to please their customers but the decision makers have so isolated themselves that the system is not flexible, the employees hands are tied and the owners only care about their lifestyle.  But like Montgomery-Ward, W. T. Grants, Sears and Roebuck, Roses, JC Penny, A & P, and a slew of other companies that have died or are dying, they had better learn to care  Saving a penny is not always worth the price you pay.  .          

First Spectacular September Service a Success

  Our first Tuesday night Spectacular September meeting was a huge success.  Pastor Tyler Gaulden conducted the services.

Good report from the doctor

  Went to see my Urologist Tuesday and received a good report.  My incisions are healing properly and I was released from restricted activity.  During surgery 7nodes were removed for examination and all seven proved to be benign.   That's a really good thing.  I hope to get the results from mu PSA tests in a day or two.

   My next appointment is in 2 1/2 months but the doctor wants me to go to Kernersville for a PSA test a week before seeing him.  After that, all my exams should be in Kernersville.

  Before surgery, I walked every other day and did water aerobics for and hour and a half every other day but since been on restricted physical activity it seems I have grown soft.  Starting today I'm going back to walking and hope to be back to my old self soon.  It will be a while before I can go back to the pool.  I have to regain bladder control, otherwise it would not be fair to everyone else to be constantly leaking into the pool.

  The doctor said it would take me about twice to heal as it takes most people because of the size of my prostate as more nerves were damaged.  He suggested that I do my exercises every hour 10 times instead of the 20 times 4 times a day normally done.

Recovery from Cancer

    I'm able to do more physically but where my incisions were feel like little pin pricks so make me aware I need to reduce the amount of stress I'm used to putting on my body.  Yesterday I built a balance beam for the kids at church.  There was no heavy lifting involved yet I could tell I had maybe overdone it a little bit by how pronounced the incision pricks were.  I can live with being careful about how much strain I put on myself but it is the bladder control problem that is hard to deal with.
   I can sleep for an hour to an hour and a half before I have to go.  The pressure isn't painful like it was before surgery.  In fact the pressure is so light that it isn't really recognizable except the urge to go woke me up.  If I scoot to the bed's edge and swing my legs off the side of the bed while sitting up, I do fine.  But if I roll over then swing one leg at a time off the bed, then I squirt.
  During the day, every time I stand I must go immediately to the bathroom .  If I hesitate or do anything on the way I will squirt and once that starts going to the bathroom becomes a mute point in many cases.
   Monday will be 6 weeks since my surgery and I do go back to see the surgeon so he can access my progress. And as frustrating  as each day seems to be I know I am making progress.  I change undergarments less often and they are getting drier overall.  Most trips to the bathroom are successful.  The trips I have the most problem with are at church.  The bathrooms are to far away so I try and stay seated
  Yes, it is embarrassing and uncomfortable and inconvenient  and necessary to wear black pants it is getting better.

Mid-week church services

   I enjoy Wednesday night church services.  Prayers are more sincere and deeper and bible teaching is more informative.
  Our attendance on Sunday morning is increasing.  In fact it has almost doubled since I have been attending the church.  One thing I realized this morning is that almost half the people attending Sunday morning have little idea of who I am.  To most of them I am the man in the bow tie who operates the camera.  But there are many other things about me that these people do not know.  To know me is not the important issue here.  What is lacking is the many blessings that are being missed by not becoming more involved in Christian service.  
   I doubt that any of the ones who just come on Sunday mornings has ever said a prayer for me or any other member who is or has suffered physically.  None of the Sunday only crowd attend Sunday School so they are missing out on some great lessons from scripture.
   I am fully aware that some have good reasons for not being there on Wednesday nights.   Some have jobs that have them working late or have them out of town.  But most people just don't see the need to be there except Sunday morning.  I've noticed that the Wednesday people are actively involved in the church while the Sunday morning crowd have a more passive role.
  There is a difference in the services for me also.   On Sunday morning I am in a more giving role.  I teach a Sunday School class, I video tape the services, I am the church treasure, and occasionally I am called on to preform other tasks.  Sunday nights and Wednesday nights I am more of a receiver .  On Wednesday nights I take the prayer requests and do video tape the services but I have less to do with people and have more time to devote to the learning and study of scripture.  That's the part of church I enjoy the most.

Five weeks later

  I'm a couple of days past the 5 week mark since my surgery.  The incisions were deep so there is still some pain associated with them and I am still not in control of my bladder yet.  I do well when sitting but if I stand I must go immediately to the rest room.
  My sleep isn't very good as I wake every hour and a half to two hours to go relieve myself.   I'm still limited as to what I can do physically.  I still have all the wood from the playground set stacked up in the yard and there are several trees I need to cut down but I'm having to wait until my body can handle the stress.
 It is my hope that no one else will ever have to go through this surgery and I am glad there are other choices now.  If I could have chosen radiation I certainly would have.  I suppose I could have but my prostate was so large it would have taken at least two years to shrink it to a size that would allow for radiation treatments and in that time my cancer could have spread beyond the prostate.  It wasn';t a risk worth taking.

 

Fuishing Trip

   Yesterday I picked a friend up and headed out to City Lake park in Jamestown for a morning of fishing.  I baited my hooks in hopes of catching a big one or two for my friend.  He caught nine; none big enough to keep and I caught none.  It was a cool overcast morning so the day was perfect weather for being outdoors fishing.  I suppose the rains overnight had washed enough bugs into the water there wasn't much need for the fish to get excited about our bait.
  Even so, I enjoyed the day and so did my friend.  I know he was disappointed that we didn't catch enough for a meal but he came away with breakfast, a new rod and reel and a tackle box and I came away glad that I finally had gotten away for a while after being cooped up for a month while recovering from surgery.
   Hopefully we will have better luck Thursday when we try a friends private pond.  

Real Christain Behavior

   So many people believe they are Christian even though they seldom, if ever attend church, never read their bibles, never tell others about Christ, and usually only pray when they need something like their favorite team to score or to obtain some goal they had set for themselves.  People who attend church regularly often feel that they are more Christian than most.  When they speak to others it is usually in a condescending way.  They say things like "You two shouldn't live together." or "You drink to much.  You need to leave that beer alone and start going to church."  In other words, many regular church attendees want to correct the lifestyle of the people they consider "lost".
    So far, I've never met a person that said "Yea Grandma, you are right.  I'll quick doing drugs and become a Christian."  It is far more likely that the only reaction Grandma will receive is one of disdain or anger.  It is like telling a stuntman that he needs to quit doing stunts because he might get hurt.  he knows that.  He doesn't care;  he just wants to succeed at a more dangerous and thrilling stunt.  maybe what he needs to hear is "In order to make that stunt work, what you need is a lighter motorcycle with a more powerful engine.  Perhaps we can find a person that knows how to design such a bike."
   I think that many Christians lack compassion for others.  We all have problems and shortcomings. If we can keep the joy of Christ in our lives and live our lives as a positive example of what Christ can do with a sinner,   then how we live our lives will speak louder and more positive about Christ than all the urging to change ever will.  It is our job as a Christian to light the way.  It is God's job to
do the changing.,  

Science is better than God

   A lady claims she believes in science but not in God.  I can fully understand where she is coming from.  The bible says that to those who do not believe scriptures are foolishness.  I can see that.  It's hard to fathom that some being created everything with just a spoken word, then decided the only way to save mankind from his own folly was to come to earth as a human baby, die on the cross, and rise from the dead.
   It takes a great deal of faith to believe that.  But it also takes a great deal of faith to believe that where nothing existed, that two forces that didn't exist collided and a perfectly formed and in sync existence was created.  One scientific law is that something cannot be created from nothing.  If there was once nothing then where did the two forces come from?  The fact that something exist is proof that something has always existed.
  So many things that science didn't know is recorded in scriptures. Isolation of plaque victims was Jewish law and it wasn't until doctors practiced that was the black plaque ended.  In one country 11 out of 14 pregnant women died until the doctors discovered hand washing, which also was a Jewish law.
    The bible also said that God sat upon the curve of the earth, the word for curve meaning a ball or sphere.  The Egyptians, great mathematicians, believed the earth was supported by 5 pillars but the bible says it was suspended in space.    Sailing around the globe was made possible when one sailor realized the bible spoke of pathways in the sea, or currents.
   The bible is not a book of science but many scientific discoveries were mentioned in the bible hundreds of years before science discovered them.
   It takes less faith to believe in God that in happenstance but one has to accept Christ.  Then the bible makes more sense than any other explanation.  So what are you going to do about Jesus?

Free apples

  Several of my apple trees produced this year but the trees are infected with cedar  apple rust, a disease I've been trying to find the solution for without success for several years now.  There are plenty of apples but they are small and most are deformed.  The taste is good though.
   I suppose the best use of these apples would be for deer bait.  I don't deer hunt and the woods surrounding my neighborhood are full of deer but my health won't allow me to pick the apples myself.  If anyone would like to come pick them you are welcomed to.  No charge.
   I'm seriously considering cutting the trees down as the disease seems impossible to control and they block the sunlight from my peach trees and cause brown rot.
Also, I know some craftsmen like apple wood for some of their crafts so I will have some available.  

Whole Hog or Die

   My dad had a few saying and "Whole hog or die" was one of his favorites. That means to give something all you have and don't give up, no matter what.   In many ways my father and I are alike.  I can see of lot of my mother in me too.  I am a composite of my parents.  My personality is more like my mothers but I am more like my father in my physical makeup and motivations.
  I have taken a "whole hog or die" approach to many things in life.  When I do I am successful.  When I do not fully commit to something, then things don't always work out as they should.  Once, when I was in the military, the base was hosting a horseshoe tournament and I decided to entry and not just to enter but to win.  I practiced at least eight hours a day  and was often seen practicing all night s well as during the day.  I not only won the tournament but I was national champion of Puerto Rico and All-Navy Campion as well.
  At Chowan College I took an Economics class under Mr. Helms.  I remember he was from Cherryville, NC and he graded different from every other professor.  In fact in his over two dozen years of teaching, no one had ever earned an "A" in his class.  I determined to be the first.  I was.
Unfortunately,    so few things in life have so motivated me to give myself over to it completely and I've had a half hearted approach to life.
  Several years ago, I began to realize that doing things my way wasn't getting me where I wanted or needed to be in life so I decided to live for Christ.  But if I live for Christ, I was going to go "whole hog or die".
  It's more than church attendance, bible study, or even prayer and it's certainly not about trying to be a better person.    I didn't seek out any offices in church nor did I try to live up to what most people consider Christian values.  I didn't have any preconceived ideas about what a Christian was supposed to be or about what the scriptures mean.
  I just started attending church.  The first thing I did was ask if I could mow the grass.   Then I spent much of my spare time clearing the overgrowth from the church property.  The land was in such poor shape it took two winters working 4 hours a day to get the job done.  Then I planted a pumpkin patch.
 I cleaned the church, did maintenance, changed the church sign,  planted flowers and bushes, laid timber to define the parking lot, cut trees, took care of the trash and recyclables, nd every other task that needed to be done.  I purchased my own equipment for mowing, my own tools for other jobs.  I never took one dime from the church for anything.
    No, I wasn't trying to work my way to heaven. Christianity doesn't work that way.  But if I'm not willing to serve and do the small stuff then how could God use me for the bigger stuff.  And eventually He did.  But I learned many things along the way.  I learned that He is good and faithful and when I needed Him most, He was there.  I've learned that in seemingly tragic events  that the only real tragedy is if we fail to use that event for His glory.  He puts us through things not only to strengthen us but because he knows we are strong enough to handle the events and know how to properly view things.
   A good example of that is my cancer.  How in the world is having cancer a good thing.  It is and I give God thanks for allowing me to go through this.  I've learned that we will all die of something sooner or later so the fact that I have a life threating disease is not the tragedy here.  It is just part of living.  We will all die of something.  That something is "sin".  Even the best Christian in the word will die a physical death because of sin.  That is the nature we were born with and that can't be changed.  We cannot live good enough lives to overcome that sin nature.
  But there is a way out of the situation.  God sent His son to pay the death penalty for us so that we don't have to die that second death.  The cancer doctors gave me three options in my battle with cancer and God gives us three choices in our battle with sin.
   We can ignore the problem and we may be lucky and not die of cancer but we will die of something.  Another options is radiation treatments and the third option is surgery.    God gives us three options:  We can ignore or deny or sin and eventually we will die.  We can turn over a new leaf and try to live a better life, maybe even become church members and maybe even leaders in the church.  We will still die.  Or we can take the third option, accept Christ, and live.
   In my battle with cancer there are things I need to do to speed my healing and to improve the quality of my life.  I don't have to do these things and I can live in my misery.  Or I can work hard and recover sooner.  The same is true in my Christian life.  I choose to serve Christ "whole hog".

It is appointed unto men once to die

I can detect small changes for the better with each passing day. Some days I have had setbacks and I know I have months of healing before I can consider myself recovered. Please don't feel sad for me because I don't. I thank God for allowing me to go through this. I'm consider it a reward because He trusts me enough to use my illness for His glory .
How can I do that?
When I was first told I had cancer I was given three options: I could take a wait and watch approach which is the best approach in most cases, I could take radiation treatments, or I could have surgery.
Chances are good that if I made the correct choice, cancer would not be the cause of my death. It doesn't matter for all of us are going to die of something. Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead but he died later anyway.
A friend asked me what caused cancer and I said I didn't know, but I realized I do. It is sin. Our physical bodies are infected with sin and we will eventually die because of it one day.
But we also have a spiritual side. We have three choices: we can take and wait and see approach to life, waiting for that moment that we have that great revelation of truth or we realize our life is used up so we might as well give in to Christ.
Choice number two is we can start to live better, maybe even attend church on Sunday mornings. Or we can use option number three and accept Christ and live for Him.
It's appointed unto men once to die. Yes, we will all die one day but we only have to die once. Reject Christ and we die twice. Don't let the cancer of sin take your soul too.

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Rainy weather hides the truth

 
    I don't know many of my neighbors by name but all my neighbors recognize me because of my yard.  I do so enjoy getting outside and working in the dirt.  One neighbor uses a professional lawn care service so he has the greenest grass but I have the prettiest and best kept lawn.  That is, until my operation.  I cut my grass as close to the time of surgery as I could   but I left the grass a little on the long side due to lack of rain.
  The last few weeks we have seen a lot of rain and the grass has grown substantially the last week yet my lawn  has not been mowed.  I'm sure the neighbors have noticed but with the continual rainy days, I have an excuse for not mowing.  It also keeps the neighbors from knowing there is something wrong at my house.  

blood sugar

  The medicine and the stress my procedure has placed on my body has made controlling my blood sugar difficult.  It is currently 79 which is about perfect for this time in the morning (I usually have breakfast at 4am) and my average for the week is128, which is too high for just before ones first meal.  The recommended level is in the high eighties.  Normal is 90 to 110.
  This is my highest weekly average in 13 weeks.  After my trip to the emergency room my reading shot up to over 240 although I had not eaten.  It isn't always food that causes a diabetic to lose control and contrary to popular opinion it isn't the consumption of sugar that causes all high readings.
  Not being able to exercise is taking it's toll too.  Simple tasks are sapping my energy.  I will be so glad when I can get back to the gym and my daily chores.  

First Day after catherter

   I know this is personal and not a interesting subject but then this is my personal journal.  I had one bag removed yesterday but the G-bag, the one on my side that captures the drainage from my side is still there but the discharge seems to finally be declining.
  Every time I think I'm making progress I cough (suffer from allergies)   which makes me squirt.  But I have made it from the cough to the bathroom which is great.  The only thing is I have to think and concentrate in order to do it.  That's something we take for granted because, as adults, we have been doing it so long it no longer requires thought.  But think back to when you were a baby.
  That's what I thought.  The muscle that controls the flow was detached during surgery and then reattached The gland that surrounded that muscle has been removed so the sensation one has is totally different and the brain and that muscle have to be trained to work together.  The doctors say it could take up to a year but the more dedicated I am to doing my exercises, the faster I will improve.
  It's like our relationship to our heavenly father.  The more we talk to each other the closer we grow.  Any relationship takes work, including a spiritual one.  

One Step forward, two steps back

   We have all had days in which we feel we are making no progress and somethings feel as if we are going backwards.  Well, that is me this week.  I was excited Monday when the tubing in my body was removed even though I am unable to exercise full control of my bladder, I have learned how to dress to minimize the effects and am doing my exercises to strengthen the necessary muscles to regain control.
  I took my first shower Tuesday Morning and it felt so good to be clean from top to bottom. Things were fine that first day.  Wednesday  after I got dressed I noticed a wet spot on my shirt.  I couldn't remember splashing water on myself but thought that must have been what happened so I continued with putting on my socks and shoes.  Once I was fully dressed I noticed the wet spot had grown larger.  I pulled up my shirt and noticed that a stream of liquid was squirting from one of the incisions on my left side so I grabbed a change of clothes and headed to the Emergency Department at the Salisbury VA.
  It was 8 am when I left home and I was released from the ED at 3:30, catheter back in place in addition to another bag attached to my side.  If that wasn't miserable enough, I  arrived home just in time to change into my church clothes.  I was leading the services.  It had been my plans to spent part of the day putting the finishing details on my message. Even though the main body of my message was one of the best of my life, I realized I had not had sufficient time to work out the close so I just had to stop.
  Even though I had made notes,    I looked at them only once and decided I was fine without them.  Although my message was briefer than normal and without a sufficient closing statement, I do believer it was a powerful message and the small congregation was visually moved, some to tears.   God has a way of taking the inadequate and making something significant from it and He did so with that message Wednesday.
  Today I am heading to the Salisbury VA again to have what was installed Wednesday removed so maybe, I can start the healing process in earnest today.

One Week After Surgery

  Everyone was surprised to see me at church Wednesday night but I figured if I had to get up and walk the hospital hallways the day of surgery and again the following morning then there was no legitimate excuse  for not walking the shorter distance from the car to the church. It really bugs me the excuses people use to stay home from church. I.e., a lady sprained her ankle Saturday night and her husband stayed home from church both services to take care of her.
  Anyway, I didn't go  to church to show off or to find things to criticize but to worship my savior and it was a really good service.
   Friday I had my first bowel moment and I feel like Hunter from Hill Street Blues.  I had one Saturday that was more water than mud.  The one this morning was more solid.
   I took one pain pill yesterday before heading to the morning services and haven't taken one since.  Everything went as planned yesterday and I had no unpleasant incidences until after I retired.  Somewhere around midnight one of my tubes became disconnected and I woke up a soggy mess.  I stripped my bed, fixed the problem, cleaned myself up, and slept on the recliner until breakfast.
   I was fortunate that when I purchase my new mattress I bought along with it several layers of mattress protection.  There is a 90 guarantee on the mattress but only if it is stain free so I wanted to insure the guarantee stayed in force.
   It is really surprising how quickly most of the pain has gone away.  My blood sugar is settling back towards normal and my appetite has finally begun to return.  My pancakes tasted a little too sweet yesterday morning but we went for Mexican at lunch and I enjoyed evert bit of it, including a heavy dose of my Texas Pete.  I skipped supper.
   The biggest thing I notice is that I tire easily and want to sleep more than usual.

Surviving Cancer

   It wasn't until I woke up in the recovery room that the gravity of the situation really began to sink it.  When I was first told I had cancer it didn't come as a surprise or shock to me.  I had known for years that there was something wrong but doctors always said my problems were due to an enlarged prostate but never made any recommendations for treatment.
   A PSA test is an indicator that cancer is present in the prostate but because of the nature of prostate cancer PSA tests are seldom given to those of us over the age of 70 unless we have been diagnosed with cancer then it becomes part of our regular treatment.  The idea is that after 70 you are more likely to die of something other than the cancer and the cure is often worse than the disease.
  My situation isn't any different except that I did have a doctor give me a PSA test who, based on the results, sent me for a biopsy.  Asa result of the biopsy I was scheduled for an MRI which informed me of the gravity of the situation.
    I consider myself to be in good shape, especially for a 71 year old, but I had an extraordinary large prostate.  The average prostate of a healthy male is 7 to 16 grams with the average size at 11.  An enlarged prostate is normally measured at around 40 grams.  Mine was measured at 100 grams.  Not only was it large but it was cancerous, considered to be in the intermediate stage.  That meant I had options.
  Option number one is radiation seeding.  In this procedure around 80 isotopes are implanted into a prostate and as they dissolve the cancer is killed off.  It is a one time procedure.
   Option number two is radiation treatments.  One makes 40 trips to the doctor for a shot of radiation.  Each treatment takes about 15 minutes, 10 of which is changing clothes.
   Option number three is surgery.
   In most cases, doctors like to take and wait and see approach or wait and observe, in which a patient come in every three months for a PSA test to see if there has been any change.   Sometimes the PSA scores will drop.  Often nothing ever needs to be done.  The patient is most often better off skipping the options as often the cure is worse than the disease.  What the biggest danger is if the cancer spreads outside of the prostate then things can get rapidly worse for the patient.
   When a person has an enlarged prostate,  the radiation seeding option can be taken off the table because the area to be treated is just too large.  In that case, hormone shots are given for one to two years to shrink the prostate.
  In my case, it would have taken a two year program of hormone treatments ( I could grow man boobs)  before my prostate would shrink enough to treat.  Considering my state (intermediate) and the fact that my MRI showed that the cancer was at the walls of the prostate, I thought that if I waited two years for my prostate to shrink the cancer might not be contained to just the prostate.
    I decided the best option for me was surgery.

Death at the Asheboro Y

  One of the long time members, Walter. passed away from a heart attack.  Walter was a simple fellow liked by everyone,  and suffered from arthritis in his hip.  He had a special shoe made that he hoped would limit his pronounced limp but he didn't much care for it.  His best option was hip replacement which he had done.  Two or three days later he died of an heat attack.
  As far as I understand it, the two events were not related.  He is missed.

Prostate Surgery

  In todays way of thinking prostate surgery is considered the last option.  There can be so many complications and cancer of the prostate is considered a slow growing cancer.  A man can live for  a decade or more with no treatment.  Often, seeding and/or radiation can take care of the problem. Even so, prostate cancer is one of the leading causes of death among men.
  Doctors us a test for PSA which is an indicator that things aren't as they should be.  An exam can also help determine the size of the prostate.  As men get older their prostate gets larger.  The prostate is a small organ, about the size of a walnut and in normal healthy males weighs around 11 grams but can vary from 7 to 16 grams.
   I knew my prostate was large and was causing me problems.  I had never has a PSA test before and once a man reaches my age they are rarely given but my doctor decided to give me one anyway.  It came back high (6.4) so I was sent to have a biopsy.  The biopsy showed that I had an unusually large prostate, weighing 97 to 100 grams and certain parts of it was hard and proved to be cancerous.  The doctors discussed treatment options with me.  First option was surgery to remove the prostate.  The second was radiation and the third was radiation seeding.
  Due to the size of my prostate the radiation seeding was off the table.  That procedure entails the surgeon depositing around 80 radiation seeds in the prostate and the long lasting isotopes will destroy the cancer.  The second option was radiation and that required hormone treatments to shrink the size of my prostate and then 40 visits to the radiologist for 40 quick radiation treatments.  In my case, the hormone shots would take a year to two years to be effective.  My testosterone would fall to zero and I would likely experience other changes to my appearance.  There was also the danger that while attempting to shrink my prostate the cancer could spread outside of the prostate.  If it did then surgery would not be an effective treatment.
   After much prayer and weighing all my options I chose surgery which was performed on my sons birthday, July 23rd.  Recovery is painful and inconvenient but progressing well.  

Kidnap victims with diabetes in Hollywood verus real life

   I suppose the pre surgery getters with the complications from being diabetic has me thinking about this but it always seems that people kidnapped on TV programs or in the movies who were diabetic always faced the same problem:  the kidnappers didn't bring their insulin and the police had to find the kidnap victim within a certain time frame or the victim will go into a diabetic coma and die.
In real life that is not true.
   There is no set time that one goes without insulin before they go comatose and die.  None of these programs ever distinguish between type 1 or type 2 diabetes and all of these programs end with the rescuers   shoving a bar of candy in the victims face to save her life   (as almost always the victim is a female).  The problem with the story line is that insulin helps lower blood sugar but most likely it is the long acting type which gentle lowers blood sugar over a 24 hour period.  For immediate lowering of blood sugar one needs to take a fast acting insulin which probable isn't one of the medications the victim was taking anyway.
    A diabetic can control blood sugar highs and lows through diet which is difficult enough but would seem to be a taunting task for a kidnap victim.  Diabetic friendly diets are hard to come by outside the home.  If one is offered a hamburger, a diabetic should eat only a small portion and none of the bun.
The biggest danger here is the added sugar to the condiments and the added salt to the burger.
  The point is about these shows is that going a long time without food will drop ones glucose levels and insulin is the last thing the patient/victim needs.  A candy bar will raise ones blood sugar levels too fast and will result in a serious "crash" a short time later.  In other words, these shows do not reflect the reality of the situation because reality doesn't add the dramatic effects the producers feel the show needs to get and keep your interest.

surgery countdown

  In about 24 hours I will be out of surgery, alive I hope, and on my way to recovery.  I have a few concerns before then though.
   The instructions for most patients is a clear diet the day before surgery and nothing after midnight but my instructions are different because I am a diabetic.  I can have a normal breakfast and a light lunch.  What I am expected to pull off is to have my blood sugar high enough that I do not have complications from low blood sugar but low enough so the diabetes does not interfere with the healing process.  
  For most people this is no problem but for me this is really tricky.  Not eating will lower my blood sugar to dangerously low levels.  if I do eat I have to forgo my diabetic medication.  It doesn't make sense to eat to raise my blood sugar while taking medication to lower it.  But at a certain point I will have to forgo eating in order for my digestive tract to be clean enough for surgery.
  A problem I experienced a few years ago was that often my readings were higher in the morning than they were the night before.  I asked my doctor why and she explained that if my blood sugar drops at night my body can convert stored fat into glucose ,causing my blood sugar levels to rise.  But that doesn't always happen and sometimes a reading will just continue to get lower during the night.  If levels get too low it can be life threatening.  
  I suppose most people would be worrying about the surgery but I don't because it is necessary and worrying won't change a thing.  But planning how to work out my blood sugar levels is a bit tricky and very concerning.
  Wish me luck or better yet say a prayer for me.  

Jims Kids and Vintage Church

 I attended the benefit concert for Jims Kids at Academy Street Baptist Church last night and meet a lady who attends Vintage Church,  She said they teach and preach from the bible.  I'm sure they do.    One has to be careful.  Using the correct book does not insure the lessons being taught are correct.
   I am not at all implying that a member of Vintage church is no less a Christian than I am for I have no way of knowing.  In fact, I have attended some traditional churches that swear by the King James Bible and believe they are  teaching and preaching the whole of scripture and doing it correctly yet when expounding on the old testament they always interpret it as if it was written for modern man and the church.  Often the Old Testament is ignored and sometimes scripture is misquoted or misunderstood.  So being in an old fashioned/traditional church does not make one right anymore than being from a church like Vintage make one wrong.
    My biggest concern about any church is that you are being equipped with enough truth to help you deal with everyday problems and to be able to rely upon God and not try to handle everyday situations from ones own perspective.  I find that even in well grounded churches most Christians do not have a deep abiding and trusting faith nor do they really understand how to fully embrace the Christian life yet many believe they are exactly what Christ wants them to be.  I know that I have a long way to go myself.  Even the Apostle Paul admitted his weaknesses and if he hadn't reached sinless perfection  I doubt seriously that any of the rest of us have either.
   My biggest concern is that the less you understand the expectations of Christ the easier it is for you to be lead astray.   We must not forget that Satan knows scriptures and quotes it often, misquoting it to manipulate us or misapplying it to get us to do his bidding.  As the sergeant used to say on "hill Street Bkues"  be careful out there.

Superhero Vacation Bible School Acdemey Street Baptost Church

 Larissa Green, the pastor's wife, did an awesome job as organizer and director, and announcer at VBS at Academy Street Baptist.  She dressed as Wonder Woman and her husband, Pastor Anthony Green played Bible Man.  Al Davis was Lex Liar.  The kids had fun, learned some scripture, and made their own super hero costumes.   My role was simple to sit there.  I believe my official title was monitor and I did have to get involved the first nighty at the bouncy house but for all the rest of VBS I got to sit in the air conditioned sanctuary and talk with the registrar (who is my wife) when she wasn't busy.
   Normally this isn't a role I take to easily as I like to be involved and active but the church is getting a new playground set for the kids and the old one needed to be gone before the new one could be installed.  I volunteered to do that job.  It was really hot outside,  Tuesday I couldn't get started until noon because I had a doctors appointment that morning.  I did get an early jump Wednesday but after a couple of hours things were starting to heat up quickly.
  Being able to sit quietly in the air conditioned sanctuary was a real pleasure.    From Sunday night on the first night of VBS when I watched the bouncy house until the last 5 minutes of VBS  I had nothing to do.  But what a joy those last few minutes were.  One of the kids wanted to know more about Christ so I took him aside and a few minutes later he accepted Christ as his savior.  I later learned that two of the girls became Christians also.
  The kid I talked with, Noah, is a smart kid and there was no doubt that he fully understood the decision he was making.  Being aware of the presence of God and to watch Him work is amazing.  Studies have proven that people who are prayed for, whether believers or not, recovery from surgery and serious illnesses faster and better than those who are not prayed for.,  As scripture points out, you see not because you believe not.   These are not ordinary circumstances that happen to ordinary people who interpret things in a supernatural way  but extraordinary things that happen to ordinary people because they believed in and trusted God.
   It is among my greatest joys in this life to be part of the life altering experience of this young boy during VBS.  Praise be to God Almighty.

Making plans without real purpose July 8, 2018

Ingraditude

  Meet this poor fellow who has no job and has no car whoso much wanted to go fishing.  The state gave him his license for free because he is on Medicaid but I had to take him to get it.  When we went fishing I furnished him with a rod and reel, purchased his bait, and paid his fee,  I caught the fish and put them on my stringer.  All I asked of the man was that he return my stringer.
  I saw him a few days later and when I asked him how he enjoyed the fish, he said he threw them away because he didn't like that kind.    He joined the church men on our fishing trip and he showed up again with no rod and reel, no bait, and no money to pay his fee with so I helped him out that time also.
   I saw him the following week and asked if he was ready to go fishing again, he said yes but he didn't want to go to Randleman Lake.  He wanted to go to Baden Lake.  I'm sorry but I'm not driving that far, paying for the entire trip, catching fish just for him,  he hasn't even given me back my stringer.

July 1, 2018

Trouble at church: whose fault is it anyway?

   To have a well functioning church under the best of circumstances is not an easy task and in this day and age of electronic communications and unbelieving public, is harder than ever.  When I began attending my former church there were very few of us but there were already tensions.   I went out of my way to make everyone feel welcomed and after the two warring parties left the church we became a loving church.  The members came early and stayed late because we got along so well.
  Of course there was the occasional oddball that popped in who thought the church should cater to their whims; like the lady who wanted the attendance board placed ion the wall although all 17 members were at ever service.  Then there was a lady who wouldn't come because we took the old broken pews out and replaced them with comfortable chairs.
  But even then, the preacher would say or do something to offend someone.  One lady complained that the church was too cold so the preacher cut the air conditioning off completely and we all suffered as a result.  The worse part was when he announced that he had done so to be accommodating  to one member.  Of course she knew it was her and neither her nor her husband ever came back.
  Then there was the time the four ladies who were best friends started coming and they always seemed to be having a good time.  The preacher started referring to them as the "fun girls" which some of them found offensive.  Instead of doing the proper thing they did the convenient thing and just quit coming.  Maybe if they had talked to the preacher many problems done the road could have been solved.
    In spite of the preacher occasional lapses in judgement the church grew and we moved into a new building.  The pastor had a charismatic personality and people were drawn to him likes moths to a light bulb but he also had an ego as big as Texas and a stubborn streak two miles wide.  A neighbor got upset with the church and her and the pastor disagreed over the incident.  She said she was going to hire someone to fix the problem and was sending the bill to him.  He said he would go to jail before giving her one red penny.  I know he would have.
   I purchased the new building for the church after the preacher said he would sign a document acknowledging the church's debt to me but after I handed over the deed he refused to do so.  One time he became upset and thought he had the right to close the church down and sell off the property.
It is his ego  and not his short sightedness or stubborn streak that keeps the church from really growing.
   One day a man decided to join the church.  He brought along his wife and two grown children, his brother-in-law and his wife and their three children.  From that day forward it was like we had two churches.  The older more faithful members were cast aside in favor of this new group.  One was made the youth pastor and the other a deacon.  As time went on the preachers insensitive remarks offended people and his stubborn streak and ego made him refuse to admit his error.  One family could do no wrong and the rest of us could do no right.
  Many of the things I did around the church were taken away from me and my position as deacon was being disrespected and I began to feel like an outsider.  After about three years I was finally forced out as Sunday School teacher and informed I was no longer a deacon.
   I am not one to go to church and do nothing so I left and reunited with another church. There I am again teaching Sunday School, am the assistant treasurer, the church videographer, and take care of the outside message board.  We have a loving church, are growing, have  meek pastor who welcomes input from the members.
  Meanwhile my former church just had a big split caused by the pastors insensitivity.  His granddaughter and her fiancé just started attending the church.  The couple are living together yet said God called him to preach and the pastor allows him that privilege.  His former   can do no wrong youth pastor has left the church along with a group of other members (not together but about the same time).
    One lady that had been a long time member left also but she has decided not to attend church anywhere.  She made the statement "All churches are the same."  What is sad is her brother got his feeling hurt in church and at her request we visited him numerous times to no avail and now she has the same attitude he does.
    No, not all churches are the same.  All church members are human and all pastors are human and people make mistakes and sometimes people make things, even church, about themselves instead of about God.  I go to church to worship my savior and my God and I look for opportunities to spread the gospel to others.  I don't look at the faults of others.  The only reason I left the other church is because it became about the preacher and not about Jesus and if I talk to someone about Jesus but don't feel comfortable inviting a new Christian to the church I am attending then it is time to change churches.
  Never, ever, have I ever considered not attending church.  No one could ever offend me enough to turn my back on my Lord and savior.  He died for me and I am going to live for him.

Miising spouse

  Just received my new disability rating for my service connected disabilities but I'm listed as single when I am indeed married.  A website is provided to correct this but it doesn't work so I went to the VA center in Asheboro but had to make an appointment for two weeks out.
   It really shouldn't be this hard.

My VideoJune 24, 2018 James 3:13

Spiders and secirity cameras

  My house is surrounded by security cameras and one camera in particular is loved by spiders.  The camera shows my two cars parked under the carport, the driveway and the mailbox.  This is an important area.  I once has someone back over my mailbox and some one else pushed by neighbors ATM down into the creek bed that runs beside the drive.  This camera, had I had it in place, would have captured these incidences.
   For years spiders have been building webs around this camera but the spider in residence this year has out done all of the predecessors.  The web now is directly over the lens inside the lens cover and effectively blocks the view.  I sprayed poison yesterday and cleaned the lens with a broom but to now avail.  I will make another attempt to encourage the spider to move on later today.

Fishing at City Lake

  Randleman Lake is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays so I usually go to City Lake on Tuesdays.   When Mom was alive I seldom got to go fishing because her hair dresser didn't work on Tuesdays either so I took her on Thursday.   Mom passed away the end of October 2017 so now I can go fishing more often.  I still prefer Tuesdays but Randleman Lake is still closed then so I still have to go elsewhere.
    The church is having a fellowship fishing trip this Saturday, the 23rd, and I wanted to try out some new bait.  The catfish bait stayed on the hook but drew no interest from the fish.  Plastic worms were ignored, and only the small fry were interested in night crawlers.  But the crap/catfish bait (strawberry flavored) drew a lot of interest from the fish.
   I brought my saltwater pole with me this time and rigged up a large hook with this bait and my first hit was a big one, perhaps the largest fish I had ever hooked.  but it will forever have to remain in the category of "the big one that got away" since my line snapped.  I supposed the filament was old since it has many in the reel for many a year.  

MRI cancelled

My cancer doctor is new and when he wrote the order for me to receive an MRI so he can more accurately know exactly where my cancer is he inadvertently left a phrase out of the order and the Imaging department kicked my appointment time out.
    My wife has been working hard to get me another appointment and despite the repeated run arounds she finally succeeded only to discover I'm supposed to be in two different cities at almost the same time so she had to reschedule my MRI and succeeded in getting one two days earlier.  She said she deserves a raise. (I call her my secretary since she does much of my phone calling for me due to my hearing impairment).
   My wife also got my next appointment with my cancer doctor set up so I'm good to go for now.

Garden Pictures

Tiger lilies

 

Lamb's ear in bloom

 Duplicate

 strange flower from the NC Zoo

  Husky Cherry Tomato

 Jalapeno peppers

 Butterfly Garden

 Roma tomatoes

 Celebrity

 Hibiscus Tree

 Lemon Boys

 

Catawba Pink grapes

 

Blackberries

Hostas

 

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The Sorrows of Sin June 13, 2018

  Pastor Anthony Green of Academy Street Baptist Church.

tyreatment more complicated than I thought

  Prostate cancers treatment is more complicated than I thought it would be.  First of all, there are too many choices, or options , if you will.  After the initial counseling session during which a doctor lays out your treatment options and answers questions.  Next I will need an MRI.  Not every patient receives an MRI.  In early stage MRI are not given.  In fact doctors may do nothing but watch for years before a choice has to be made.  also, if a patients life expectancy is less than 10 years chances are there will be no treatment.
  In my case, the MRI will determine exactly where the cancer is in my body and if it has spread.  Based on the results, I will make my final choice of treatment options.  Then I will begin a series of hormone shots to help reduce the size of the prostrate thereby making the radiations treatment more effective if my preference for treatment is used.
  In any case this procedure is going to take awhile, is going to bring about so undesired changes, at least for awhile,  and will require many treatments.  It could involve up to a years worth of shots and then 40 radiation treatments and tests every three months.
  If the cancer has not spread outside of the prostate I have a chance.  If it has then my odds  are greatly reduced.
   When I was young I always thought that healthy habits were only for older folks and that I had plenty of time to live healthier once I got older.  I have learned that eating and living healthy lifestyles begins  when one is young.  We are all going to die but what we do throughout our lives has a big impact on how well we function when we get older and what we suffer from.   I know a few people in their nineties that do better physically than many people in their sixties and seventies.
  There are some decisions we think we can make later:  exercising, healthy diets and  living for Christ.  Often times by the time we really need to exercise our knees are bad, our back hurts or we are just too fat to do much of anything.  I have seen many people with diabetes eating stacks of deserts are buffets and who are way overweight.  Don't complain that your diabetes is out of control while stuffing your face.
  Putting off making that positive decision for Christ is one of the worst things we can do.  None of knows how or when we will die.  I know of some that thought they would put off living for Christ until they got old but when that time came they had dementia and could no longer make any kind of decision.  50,000 people and more die in automobile accidents each year.  For those that had not accepted Christ, it is now too late.   That thought they had many more years to live, much more time before they had to accept Christ.  Just like avoiding heart disease, diabetes, and some forms of cancer, the process begins when we are young.  Waiting too long can be deadly.  

Brick and mortar versus on-line

  For the most part, brick and mortar stores can no longer compete against online retailers.  In order to shop traditional retailers, one has to get dressed (some just wear their bed clothes but most people do put on clothes) drive to a store, look around and if one doesn't find what they are looking for, then on to the next store, or the next town in many cases.  Often it is a return trip home empty handed because one could not find what one was looking for, found the price to high, or the quality lacking.  Or one can sit at their computer, search for an item, compare prices among different competitors, place an order, and wait a day or two (at most three in most cases) and the item will be delivered to ones doorstep.
   There are notably exceptions:  when an item in known to be in stock locally at a good price, when one is unsure how an item looks, feels, or fits, when an item is needed now, when an item is perishable (and this is changing) , and as an excuse to get out of the house.
   Shopping  by not going to stores is not a new concept.  Sears and Roebuck built a big business through catalogue sales.  JC Penny did also.  Big retailers often make fatal mistakes.  WT Grant
closed down after their credit card fiasco.  Montgomery Wards was well on their way out by the time I reached adulthood (I can't remember why).  K-mart and Sears were both hurt by poor customer service.  Roses was did in by not having adequate in stock conditions, especially of sale items.
  I don't like Walmart.  They have come to small town America and changed the face and character of the towns  that they locate in.  I'm leery of buying certain items there because they are only sold at Walmart.  Often the items are good items are a good price but if something (or rather when) goes wrong, no one has the parts to fix the item.  If it's broke it is no bargain.
  Sears should have been the one to jump into online sale with both feet but they were too busy figuring out how to make their customers shopping experience a big hassle.  No, retailers have waited on Amazon.com to get too large to be able to compete with them.  Customers still need to be careful though.  I love Amazon but not everything is a bargain.    I recently ordered an item that locally sold for $110.00 and Amazon wanted $69.99 for for only $29.99.  It was the exact same item, same mfg..  It was not one of those to good to be true buys.
   No one can be the cheapest on everything.  Not Walmart and not Amazon.    And yes, there are people who will figure out how to rip you off.  A company has to learn how to deal with them without making life harder for all the honest folks.  I'm rather tired of the minority dictating to the most of us how we live and shop and think and feel.
   If many of our traditional stores are to survive, they need to adapt their way of doing business.
For example, I'm in need of a new mower.  Their is a dealer I pass often and I looked on line to see their selection and prices but they only show their bigger mowers.   I know they sell lawn tractors
as well as zero turn but the lawn tractors are not featured on their website.  How convenient for me if I could survey their entire selection , be able to compare quality and price, order the product and arrange delivery without actually driving to the store, writing down the model numbers and prices, then coming back home, doing the research, then driving back to the store to make my purchase.  it would be doubly frustrating if I returned to the store and my selection was no longer available.  
   Companies, big and small, have to learn that in order to survive, they have to learn to do business the customers way and quit trying to force the customer to do business their way.

Agent Orange

  For those Veterans who served boots on the ground in Vietnam, you are fully aware of Agent Orange.  For those of you who do not know what Agent Orange is, or was, just be glad you didn't have to deal with it.  Agent Orange was a chemical compound used to defoliate the forest and fields in Vietnam.  Jungles were thick which made fighting difficult and gave the enemy many places to hide.
  But Agent Orange did more than defoliate Vietnam:  It affected the troops there and caused health problems and continues to do so.  I had one and now I have been diagnosed with another.  My civilian doctor discovered the potential problem and referred me to a specialist who confirmed my doctors suspicions.  When setting up a treatment schedule I informed them that I may prefer to be seen by the VA (mainly for financial reasons).. I asked for an estimate of my out of pocket expenses if they did the procedure.
  When I hadn't heard in a week I called and they had not done the analysis yet because the doctor forget to ask for one.  Then I was told they couldn't give me one because the VA had not sent an authorization yet.  I don't think the woman understood I was trying to make a decision as to whom was going to treat m:  them because of convenience or the VA based on cost.  An authorization means that   the private sector provider does the work at VA expense.  
    I then sent an e-mail to the civilian provider explaining the situation.  I think they understand now.  I just wanted a simple answer to a simple question.
  I will have to make 40 trips to the hospital in 8 weeks regardless of who treats me.  I can go to Randolph County Hospital 10 minutes from the house or make the trip to Winston-Salem every day.
The trip to W-S will only cost me car expenses and time.  To be treated at Randolph County Hospital will cost me some cash. I just need to know if the amount is small enough to offset free care and the drive to W-S on a daily bases.
   In the mean time, I'm not getting any healthier, except for the AMD in my right eye.  The blood buildup is now gone.    

managing diabetes

   Diabetes seems to be a common ailment and so many of us struggle to control this disease.  It isn't a disease on gets by being fat but being overweight does increase ones risk of getting and treating this disease.  The worse part of the disease is the "spikes" in blood sugar levels after eating.

    A person's A1c should be 5.0 or less (that is an average of ones glucose level over a 90 period.  The daily glucose reading should remain between 90 to 110.  Ones blood sugar should be in the high 70's to low 80's just before a meal and should not rise above 160 during the two hours after eating.

   If ones blood sugar is to low or to high one can go into a coma and their life can be endangered.

  There are several things one can do.
     1.  Exercise every day.
     2.  Monitor your blood sugar levels and adjust your medication as necessary
     3.  Follow a proper diet.

 Exercising is not for weight loss per se but to build your muscles thereby stimulating your immune system.
      Without    knowing ones current condition it is impossible to handle the situation.  When ones blood sugar drops a person gets shaky and hungry.  When ones blood sugar gets too high, one can feel tired, light headed and hungry.  Sometimes it is difficult to know whether ones hunger is due to high or low blood sugar.  One certainly does not want to eat when the blood sugar is high.
  Following a proper diet can help control fluctuations in glucose levels.  Eating at the same time each day, avoiding starch foods, not adding salt or butter, and eating proper portion sizes and portion numbers.
   Work with your doctor to get the proper medication and use it like it is supposed to be used.

   My A1c had been averaging between 8.8 and 9.6, way to high for anyone and I seemed to be gaining weight every month.  I finally decided to take control  and follow the same advise I just gave you.  For the past month my average glucose reading in the morning before breakfast has been in the eighties.  My spikes after eating has been to 125 except for once when it reached 172.  ( I know what I did that day I should not have done).

    By proper eating my weight has come down and so far I have lost 20 pounds.
   My exercise program consists of  doing water aerobics for an hour and a half M-W-F and walking at a brisk pace for 30 minutes T-T-S.

  It isn't easy but the results makes it worth while.