Try this cure!

My blower looks a lot like this

Wednesday morning I was buzzing along, doing just fine. After my assistant left at 12 noon, I went outside and played with my new blower, blowing leaves from the sidewalks in front of my house as well as from the drive way.

About an hour later I was hit with a pain that sent me screaming to the floor. It was in my back, on the right side where I used to think my kidneys are located. Every move hurt, but if I didn’t move, the pain went away. I sat down and tried to do some work with the computer. As long as I was perfectly still, no pain. Even sedentary work involves moving, so I gave up, crept upstairs and took a hydrocone pill left over from a previous ailment.

It took me about ten minutes to stretch out on the couch upstairs, but I did get there and fell sleep as soon as the narcotic took over. Four hours later I woke up and took another one. Managed to handle a phone call without sounding drunk.

I slept all night. Thursday morning I tried to get some work done, but I was too sleepy, so went back to bed. After spending most of the day and last night sleeping, I woke up this morning with no more pain! Gone!I feel great!

Not mine, but same make and model except rear decoration

Ed from United Muffler came by yesterday and got my car and brought it back this afternoon. He replaced the fuel pressure regulator, which had gone bad and was causing my ‘01 Olds to stall every time I slowed down or stopped. Then he noticed the brakes were wearing badly, so he put new ceramic pads in place. And changed the oil and checked the antifreeze, to top things off.

Today’s bill plus the one a week ago totaled just about $1,000, but my bro Dave looked at the list of things I had done and says it was a good choice. My car should be fine for quite a while in the future. At least it will start, run, and (when I put the brakes on) stop.

November 4 will soon be over…

I’ve had a little bit of fun this week learning more about WordPress. I still don’t have a clue what some of the deeds we’re supposed to do are good for, but I’m catching on slowly.

Sad news about the sweet wife of our senior pastor. Seems she has melanoma, the worst kind of skin cancer one can have. They’re cutting, then they’ll be burning, and then poisoning, but the picture doesn’t look good at all. She couldn’t get to an appropriate surgeon for a month. That is disgusting. Who is responsible for the death of a person who could have been cured if there had been a surgeon available? She will probably be feeling pretty good until it spreads.

I really don’t care who wins the national election a week from Tuesday. Both candidates for President are decent men. I even like Palin, but not as much as I need to like her to be a supporter. I’ll just be glad when November 4 is here so I can watch something besides the Dow on TV. Every morning I guess which direction it will go, and usually I’m wrong. Tomorrow, I’m guessing, the DJIA will go up 100 to 200 points.

I’m watching the first game of the World Series. We’re in the 9th inning. The Phillies are at bat and ahead in the game by one point, 3 for Tampa Bay and 2 for Philadelphia. I don’t have strong feelings for or against either team in the series. Am I turning into a don’t-care person?

Ah…The Phillies now have a runner on second base. And they’re ahead by 1. Now we have runners on first and second. What happened? Must have been a walk…I’ll set my no-win wager that the Phillies will walk away with the first game of the Series but not until they get 2 more runs across the plate.

Can’t wait until summer…

The last leaves of summer are clinging to the trees, but I’m already looking forward to next summer.

My pal Donna says “C’mon over” for a visit to her mansion in the mountains of central California next summer. I said, “You bet!” This time I won’t have a broken wrist.

Dave says they’ve been invited to daughter Deanna’s home in San Francisco for Thanksgiving Dinner, so I’ll probably be inviting myself to Lora’s or Arline’s for that holiday. Or I’ll buy half a gallon of Tillamook ice cream and stay home. Ooops. Wrong holiday. I need a pumpkin pie to feel like Thanksgiving.

Some people feel sorry for me living alone in a big house. Most are a bit envious but don’t think they could handle the loneliness. Nobody was made to be alone. If it falls your lot, enjoy what is good about it and carry on, one day at a time. Here are the advantages I enjoy to a solitary life:

• I can watch TV, sing, play the piano, or fall sleep any time of the day or night I choose
• No meal preparing based on other people’s preferences and time table
• I can carry on a conversation with my Lord without being judged as crazy

Church, family, the computer and the telephone are my links to the outside world. My bro Dave is a good friend of mine and so is his wife. I’m at the west end and they’re at the east end of this 20-acre plot, so I see them a lot. My nieces are hospitable and friendly. I have a lot of friends at church. Don’t feel sorry for me!

Up for air

Every now and then it seems everybody who’s ever owed me money is sending me checks, and I am drowning. I’m glad it’s happening because it looks like I’ll be able to pay off two years of income taxes soon. I have so many hopes for fixing my house and making it truly livable. It can happen if business keeps on doing as well as it is now.

A year ago I was visiting my friend Donna near Angwin, California. Such fun. Made me realize how little I want to live in the mountains of that state! I wouldn’t mind handling the slopes of the city in Los Angeles, but I don’t think I’d like a remote cottage in the forest at the end of a winding road.

This is the year I took an 8-day tour offered by the city’s recreation department. I’m not keen on their trip for next year, to Bryce and other canyons. Just as I imagined, too much group stuff. Everybody at the same place at the same time doing the same thing. I need a choke chain and a muzzle, and Rusty and I can go anywhere!

I do need to socialize more. I don’t have many friends here in Caldwell, and the ones I have are all married gals in the church! Except my bro, and he’s a married man. Same thing. I wonder if Dorothy Solomon would like a visit from me. Maybe I’ll ask her, or just pop in. Then there’s Sarah Taylor, but she has family around a lot. Joyce runs community services, works full-time as a nurse, and has a boyfriend. She’s not much of a prospect! And Judy Loop. She’s a lot of fun, really. So is Carol Shultz, but three hours away. I’m going to look around at church tomorrow and see if I can identify anyone who’s female, single, about my age, and not attached to a family.