Patty's Garden
FEBRUARY 28, 2023
02/27/23 11:50 AM
Well, Patty's garden is the topic du jour. We just made a run to Walmart for the grocery pickup which was loaded by Ed in the back seat of the car. I also purchased and loaded six 80-pound bags of garden soil in the trunk.
It's sort of a wet day so I suspect there won't be any yard work going on. Plus, I'm still recovering just a bit from yesterday's battle with the wet leaves. With Patty's excellent assistance, we were able to finish that job.
The forecast for tomorrow looks good so with Patty's help I may be able to get the garden soil placed in another raised bed. That would be number four out of seven beds completed.
The garden soil is definitely a higher quality product than the topsoil. I may use the topsoil for some of the gullies and swap out the garden soil that I purchased for those gullies and put it in the raised beds. I still need to purchase more garden soil and to cut the landscape cloth for the raised bed bottoms.
I've also got some landscaping cloth that needs to be laid out against the fence and some bushes that need holes in the ground and planting.
And there's still that pesky erosion problem to deal with too, but that will be a slow-go and more long-term kind of thing.
Taco Salad
FEBRUARY 27, 2023
02/26/23 05:15 PM
We worked hard in the yard today and my sweet wife made a wonderful Taco Salad for supper. She added her usual homemade killer salsa and homemade chips on the side. Tonight, she added an extra treat with some homemade guacamole.
I'm still recovering from the hard work, but the supper went a long way toward alleviating any pain.
I'm a blessed man!
Bible Study Cat
FEBRUARY 26, 2023
02/04/23 09:35 AM
We started off our day with our bible study and it looks like Lily wanted to get involved. She's a smart cat, but not that smart.
Patty and I also took a ride over to the local? Walmart to pick up some landscape fabric and a lot of topsoil. One cubic foot of topsoil weighs forty pounds, so two cubic feet times the twelve bags we purchased means we loaded down the Cadillac CTS with just short of a thousand pounds of topsoil.
Half was in the trunk the other half was in the back seat. I'm glad I didn't know that weight or I might have changed my mind and cut the load in half.
The green bags of 'Garden Soil' in the back of the picture are the bags we picked up today. I think 'Garden Soil' is just one level higher in terms of the quality of the dirt. Top soil bags, which are much cheaper, have been known to have bits of wood and even plastic in them. We'll see.
I guess we'll be picking up some more early next week on our grocery run.
Bible Study
FEBRUARY 25, 2023
02/23/23 06:30 PM
As I mentioned in a previous post, Patty and I are doing a morning bible study in the book of Acts. It's been really good in both the reading and the discussion.
I must admit, I've already come across some things with which I struggle due in part to unfortunate church experiences. I think seeking answers to tough questions is going to be a healthy exercise for me in this bible study.
I've also mentioned before, and need to revisit again, my belief that faith plays such a critical role in my walk. In fact, I'm a firm believer that without faith, there can be no Christian religion. That's a long way from what I used to believe.
I used to be a guy who needed answers for everything, but have since realized that needing answers leaves no room for faith. It provides a false sense of security that I am in charge and in control. It also tends to offer answers where they don't actually exist. That's incredibly unfortunate and most certainly indefensible. That's where faith must make an entrance.
I like what William Lane Craig has claimed in his website URL. Faith needs to be reasonable. In my study of cults and other religions I've found calls to faith that go well beyond anything that is reasonable. I truly feel for those who find themselves trapped in those belief systems. I've been there.
Epoch Times
FEBRUARY 24, 2023
02/22/23 09:10 AM
I purchased a digital subscription to the Epoch Times a few days ago. It's a right-leaning and highly conservative website and publication consisting of articles, videos, and documentaries.
I've watched several documentaries already including one about the so-called January 6th insurrection. My eyes were opened to a very different story than has been presented by the liberal press. It's amazing how we can be misled to a point where we no longer know who or what to believe. That's how I feel after watching that documentary.
I've consumed a number of other articles and videos including a production that featured a trip to the Holy Land by Kevin Sorbo, his wife and four kids, and a dozen or more families. The story went deep as did all of their experiences.
It seems the trip came about in response to the ever-changing world around us and the apparent move away from the Christian Faith by so many. They went on the trip with the hope of discovering a deeper faith and it's clear to me, after watching the production, that they found the depth for which they were looking.
I approached the video with some hesitation, knowing that it could be a very hollow production featuring a lot of Kevin Sorbo. It turned out to be anything but that and instead brought depth and historical perspective to the forefront. I shared in the experience by viewing the production, even if I did not go on the trip with them.
I've done my homework on the background and ownership of the Epoch Times and appreciate what I'm finding. I look forward to all that is still ahead.
Bye, Bye, Winter
FEBRUARY 23, 2023
02/20/23 10:00 AM
Winter doesn't officially end until March 20th so I'm offering this post in faith. Faith that the freezing and sub-freezing weather are behind us. No one ever knows for sure if there is going to be a late season freeze and I'm sure more than one garden has been impacted by late season freezes and anxious gardeners.
We took a long look at the future forecasts today and even the one day of winter that seemed to be left on the ten-day forecast had moved up a couple of degrees and only one degree short of 40°F. That's encouraging.
We've got the yard guys coming by Wednesday (on a very mild day) to pick up 12 large bags of leaves and the small and now dead pine trees that they cut down. Not much of a list for them but that's all we have left for them until they start cutting our grass in a few weeks.
The only thing I have left in the yard is to place some dirt in some low areas, both below the concrete on the back of the house and in the troughs that were formed from the down-spouts on the rain gutters. I've connected some large hoses to the down-spouts in those areas to channel the rain away from those trough-prone areas.
We've still got a lot of work to do in Patty's garden area and with this milder weather moving in (fingers crossed, LOL!) we're going to start knocking things out over there too.
Photographing Lightning
FEBRUARY 22, 2023
02/19/23 11:10 AM
I came across this picture on a weather report today. It caught my attention because of my love for lightning photography and all of the time and effort I have invested in that direction.
My wife saw me looking at the picture and mentioned that I should blog about it. I thought it was a great idea and took her up on her suggestion.
I discovered that there are a lot of pictures of lightning striking the Christ the Redeemer statue and this is a shot captured by Fernando Braga on February 10, 2023.
The statue sits atop a 2,400 perch above Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. One report suggests it was built to withstand 124 mph winds and has been through a lot of storms.
That same report indicates that there are lightning rods in the head and arms to direct frequent strikes to the ground and that despite this precaution lightning has still caused significant damage on more than one occasion.
By the way, if you want to get a pretty decent lightning shot, take a cell phone with a good camera and shoot a video of some lightening as it's happening. Then when you get a video with a good lightning bolt in it, pause the video over the shot and screen print it.
Voila!
That's all there is to it.
Movie Title Search
FEBRUARY 21, 2023
02/19/23 06:55 AM
I went to imdb.com looking for the correct title to the movie I watched a couple of nights ago and once again since then. I was immediately confronted with 105 reviews and decided to see what everyone else thought about this movie.
I was pleasantly surprised to see the first review was written by a guy in his 60's like me and that he felt exactly like I did about the movie. Clearly, we both enjoyed it a lot. He referred to the film as a little gem. I agree!
The title might tend to scare some viewers away, but it actually grabbed my attention. Not Cinderella's Type is admittedly an unusual title for a movie, but then again, it's an unusual story. And, as I've indicated, one that I greatly enjoyed.
I sort of feel for the people who gave this movie a negative review. I don't think they understand why the rest of us liked it so much. I thought the high school twist on the retelling of the Cinerella story was a great idea! I'm relatively diverse in my tastes for films, but this is a genre I would always welcome. It sort of reminds me of a John Hughes film.
Leaves
FEBRUARY 20, 2023
02/18/23 03:30 PM
I went up to the local hardware store early this morning and purchased some very large leaf bags. It looked like it was going to be a very slow job, until Patty arrived and assisted.
Holding those bags and holding them open so I could pour in the leaves was an incredibly helpful thing. The two of us were able to knock out the job much faster than I could have ever hoped for if I were doing it alone.
Next year we hope to have our yard guy blow the leaves down to the bottom of the back lot before the rain arrives. That should be much easier than using the leaf bags.
We took a break and Patty made us a wonderful lunch. Then we were back at it for the early part of the afternoon. Everything is now done except Patty's garden area and the slope we share with a neighbor.
I can't wait for our yard guy to come by and pick up the old pine trees we had cut down and the large leaf bags. The place is already taking shape, but will look even better very soon.
Patty's got big plans for her garden area, and as spring weather is just around the corner, we're going to dive in and make it look good out there. I've also got some gullies to fill with topsoil, now that I have taken care of my drainage problems and I've got some raised beds to build for Patty and a lot of dirt to bring in.
Reading the Bible Together
FEBRUARY 19, 2023
02/17/23 05:05 PM
Patty and I are going to start reading the bible together each morning. We did it a long time ago and it just seems right and fresh to do it again.
I watched a movie recently and most all of it was taken from a specific section in the New Testament book of Acts. When Patty kindly asked if I had a particular book I wanted to start with, I suggested Acts since I had felt led to read it anyway in response to that movie.
We plan to read aloud and to share the reading responsibilities. We also plan to read a bit each day and share our thoughts with one another based on what we've read.
Patty runs deep and always has good take-aways from what she reads. It will be a pleasure to hear her thoughts and to tap into her wisdom.
Written by Dr. Luke, Acts is such a rich and pivotal book. I'm really looking forward to getting back into it.
More Weather
FEBRUARY 18, 2023
02/16/23 11:15 AM
As I write it's Thursday, February 16th, despite the February 18th publication date. We're supposed to have some bad weather on the way. But as we've grown to understand around here, weather forecasts are a crap-shoot.
On a side note, the game is 'craps' and should probably be craps-shoot. However, it's been incorrectly stated for so long that people might think I've lost it if I tried to use 'craps-shoot' in my post. Sorry, I digress.
As long as I digress, I remember going to work one time with my grandfather on my dad's side. He was a foreman at a construction site in Atlanta, GA.
Before the day started, they rolled the dice. Grandpa (as I called him) had me take his roll to see if I could bring him some 'luck' and I remember rolling a pair of ones.
I didn't know it but I had rolled 'snake eyes', which for those who don't know is an automatic loss of one's bet in the game of craps. I didn't know how I did with my roll, but the groans and laughter told me what I did wasn't good.
Needless to say, I didn't roll the dice anymore that morning.
So, back to my comments regarding the weather. We're due for something and it's supposed to be nasty. In fact, Jonathan's school is taking a virtual day just in case. Of course, that means the weather will skip us entirely. If they hadn't gone to a virtual day, the weather would have probably slammed us, LOL!
Anyway, by the time this post gets published any storms will most likely be a distant memory. I hope so anyway. We don't need or want anything memorable.
By the way, and speaking of weather, we've got another night in the 20's coming up this weekend. I think we're about ready to be done with those sub-freezing temperatures.
Come on Spring!
Waiting on a Radio
FEBRUARY 17, 2023
02/15/23 11:00 AM
It would be nice if I received an email from Icom that my radio is on the way but I'm not going to hold my breath. As I type it's February 15th, the day after a very nice Valentine's Day celebration. As I publish, it's February 17th and if things go like I'm not expecting, perhaps I received an email between the two aforementioned dates. But again, I'm not holding my breath.
I sent my radio to Icom Repair via UPS. It was shipped on Friday, January 20th and arrived at the Icom loading dock on Friday January 27th at 1:20 PM their time. I was notified on Friday February 3rd that the radio was packed and ready to return, but would probably not ship until the following week due to an 'emergency' they had going on there at the shop. They did not tell me what the emergency was and I had no idea what it could possibly be.
I tried to call Icom but by this time their repair desk calls were all going to voicemail. I struggled with the idea, but decided to provide a Twitter tweet about the situation and another ham operator tagged my tweet to the primary Icom account.
That must have lit a fire because the next thing I know I'm able to talk to a support person (Mary) and am informed that the president of the company is now involved. I'm told by Mary that they are testing some new software and don't know when my radio will be released to be shipped back to me.
I'm supposed to receive notification when my radio has been shipped.
I'm still waiting...
My Prayer List
FEBRUARY 16, 2023
02/14/23 07:35 AM
My calendar is available on both my phone and my computer, but I suspect I do most of my calendar stuff on my phone. I'm pretty serious about keeping up with my to-do list on my phone and one of the things I have as a daily item is praying over my prayer list.
The actual list of things to pray about is included in the notes section of each day's 'prayer list' entry. That way it's all together and easy to access, no matter when I look at it and where I might be. I've learned that I can be just about anywhere and still take time to offer up a prayer for the things on the list.
It's a pretty lengthy prayer list and includes a lot of family members and even a few close friends. Most of the things on it are more focused on long-term items instead of short-term items. It's interesting to me that I could see some of the items as short-term items, but that all depends upon the design of God's timeline. As such, things stay on the list as long as the need is still there.
It's also interesting how God places challenges in our lives to help us and they often require a long-term focus. Even Paul had a thorn in his side, but I suspect God knew what He was doing when he allowed Paul to face that particular challenge over the long-term. Were it not for those long-term items, we might lose our focus upon God and lose sight of the way in which He wants to always be present in our day-to-day activities.
That seems an odd way to turn a negative into a positive, specifically thinking that God places challenges in our lives to help us. But I don't have to go much further than my weight training to appreciate just how much a challenge can add strength.
That God uses challenges to make us stronger has become such a truism for me and in my life. I only hope I can remember that God uses those long-term tests to retain our focus. And I especially hope God's long-term plan comes to mind anytime I'm struggling with one of those challenges.
Search: A Case Study
FEBRUARY 15, 2023
02/07/23 04:40 PM
I built a search routine with PHP for this blog and really enjoyed it. I used a form to collect the search string and used the stripos PHP function to perform all of the hard work. I could have used the strpos function instead, but I liked the additional benefit of making the search case insensitive.
I'm a lazy typist and tester. I'll bet I'm not alone on that one! So, asking the system to find a string that anyone might miss due to matters of case sensitivity just seems like too much trouble. Ergo, the stripos function instead of strpos.
I had to organize the feature in such a way that it could tell me what it found (ensuring the searcher could verify the search string) and where it was found among all of the posts on the blog (ensuring the searcher was presented with enough information to find the post(s) where the search string was found.)
In order to take it that far, I have to dump each post to my search file and use the stripos function to search the post for the search string. The search file also contains the PHP code and each blog post is nested neatly inside an easily duplicated set of code that is changed slightly (date) to make it unique to that post, so that the PHP can relay back to me where it found the search string.
The code also contains a counter that is incremented to keep up with the number of posts in the system and another counter to keep up with the number of posts that contain the search string. There's also some more simple code to calculate the percentages between those two counters.
Additionally, there's a flag with each post that is used to indicate whether or not that post contains the search string. I sum up the number of flags that have been set in order to get the total number of posts that contain the search string.
So, when I want to make a post searchable, I simply make a copy of the most recent post in the search file (with the search code wrapped around it) and erase the previous post in my copy and replace it with the current post.
As of this post, I'm at 630 posts in my search file. And when you add in the code, I've got over 1.23 meg (1,233,442 bytes) of data in my search file. And still, all of that can be searched by the PHP routine in far less than one second. Actually, .0061 seconds on my most recent search.
That machine speed is pretty impressive!
Three Things About Valentine's Day
FEBRUARY 14, 2023
02/12/23 07:45 AM
Three things came to mind when I thought about my Valentine's Day experiences.
It's clear that opinions vary as to when blogging first came about. However there seems to be agreement that it was some time in the mid to late 1990's.
My entrance to the world of blogging came about in September of 2005. I created a homemade blog and soon thereafter graduated to a WordPress site where things were much faster and easier. Sometime later, I decided to revert back to a homemade blog where I could code and better control things.
I had been married for decades and each Valentine Day was an opportunity to celebrate my love for my Soulmate. So that's the first of my three things.
Number two was my love for all things with heavy sugar which included candy conversation hearts. I had a small bag of them this year but am finding success in kicking the sugar habit.
That doesn't mean I'm giving up on sugar completely, but I'm limiting my intake and seeking to avoid all things related to diabetes. Seems like a wise thing to do here in my senior years.
And speaking of my senior years, I'm really surprised at how many habits I'm trading in with the hope of additional years of life. God makes no promises in that arena, so it seems up to me to do the best I can, and then leave the rest in His good hands.
For number three, and going back quite a bit further, my elementary school Valentine's Day experiences came to mind. My mom used to buy the bags of kids cards for me to hand out at school. Not anything like they do today with candy attached (as seen above) but for this kid it was still a very serious matter.
I had more kids in my school class than there were cards in a single bag, so mom very kindly purchased two bags of the cards. Each card came with a small white envelope (since the cards were very small) and I went through the very serious process of deciding who received which cards.
I remember that the pretty cards went to the pretty girls and the rest of the cards went to the rest of the people. Since I had two bags of cards, there were always some left over and I made sure that the left-overs were the crummy cards that no one would want anyway. Sorry to admit it but sometimes I would save a crummy card or two for the mean guys in my class (and wasn't there always one or two in each of our classes?)
I don't think I ever handed out those cards after my first year or two of elementary school. I suppose I was thinking I was far too cool to be doing anything like that.
Water
FEBRUARY 13, 2023
02/07/23 12:45 PM
I made a radio contact with 7Q7EMH who was located at the Embangweni Mission Hospital in the African country of Malawi. It was through this contact that Patty and I were introduced to the Marion Medical Mission and their outreach program to build wells providing life-saving fresh water to communities all across Malawi, Tanzania, Zambia, and beyond.
It was a real honor to donate the well in memory of Patty's mom (Martha) and in honor of Junior, who facilitated the radio contact with 7Q7EMH for me.
We are so excited to be a part of this outreach and will be praying for more success to follow.
Peace of Mind
FEBRUARY 12, 2023
02/07/23 08:00 AM
I like the peace of mind that comes with having several posts written ahead of time and ready (on time) for publication. However, I don't like the idea that posts are not published on or close to the date they were written.
A big gap between the date a post is written and the date it is published is confusing even to me, so I'm confident it must be confusing to any readers out there. That's especially true when a new post comes across like old news.
Still, I'm not ready to put the blog at risk where nothing is published on any given day. Perhaps I've let my intention to publish something each and every day get in the way of a meaningful blog where posts are published on the date they are written.
I like having a post on each day and suspect I am going to have to be comfortable with the idea that a reader can always see the date a post was written, even if it was a few days off from the publication date.
After all, I think the quality of each post is higher when written without the added pressure of a tight deadline. That's one thing I would really like to avoid here in the blogosphere.
Addendum:
02/12/23 11:15 AM
It's Sunday (a non-weight training day) and I just got in another three miler and did it at the faster pace (8:34 and a treadmill setting of 7.0).
As such, I'm confident that I'll at least do the faster pace on non-weight training days. As for the weight training days, I'll have to wait and see how I'm feeling.
I sure hope a solution is forthcoming to my wonkyness. I would truly love to get in the 5K race world and make a senior level entrance at 100%. Like I've said so many times before, we'll see.
Paul: Apostle of Christ
FEBRUARY 11, 2023
02/10/23 10:10 AM
Once again, I came across a good movie on Pureflix. It looked like a low budget production on the surface and the only reason I gave it a serious look was because the cast included Jim Caviezel.
Turns out it was a great film! Caviezel played Luke and Paul was played by James Faulkner, with whom I am not familiar but who did a great job and played a very convincing Paul.
The film was released in 2018 and covers the last days of Paul up to and including his execution. I was quite impressed with the quality of the film including the acting and production values, not to mention the storyline.
Wonky Running
FEBRUARY 10, 2023
02/09/23 01:10 PM
Until (and only when) I am able to get to the bottom of my balance challenges am I going to be able to safely enter running events. And with the prices that I'm seeing, I decided to see what the virtual events calendar had to offer.
I think the biggest part of my problem is deciding what I'm up for and what I'm unable to do. I can't afford to enter events with specific dates and locations and discover I'm having a real bad wonky day the same day as the event.
Yesterday was the third day in a row where I ran 3 miles at an 8:30 pace. When I finished the run and stepped off the treadmill I was spent and very wonky. And the rest of the day went from bad to worse. I have nothing but the speed and distance of the recent runs on which to blame that bad day. Eveything else was pretty much the same.
The virtual calendar seems more fitting for my situation, but I'm still not sure I want to go in that direction. Virtual events just don't hold the same level of attraction that an actual race event holds for me.
It's nice to know I can indeed run a pretty good pace on a 5K but I'm not sure it's wise for me to push that hard until I have answers for the issues with my wonky balance. Otherwise, there will always be enough concern or fear to limit the fun associated with any given race event.
There! Decision made! No races until I get to the bottom of my issue. Treadmill it is! Daily 2 mile training runs at a 9 minute or slower pace will be the max that I will take on until I have a suitable answer.
I should add that I really like my new neurologist. She's trying three different things in an attempt to find the answer to my balance issue. If the answer can be found, I believe she is up for the task. If not, then it is something I will have to learn how to manage and that will give pause to any dreams I have for running in real race events.
Upside
FEBRUARY 09, 2023
02/06/23 06:05 PM
I'm really getting my money's worth from this new 9th generation iPad. I spent some time today watching Fox News and some additional time watching a movie or two.
The movie I watched late this afternoon was called, Upside. It was another Pureflix movie and truly touched me. The story involved a Lacross player who experienced a serious injury during a game and how that experience, and the things it led to, changed his life.
I really like the type of story where an individual experiences hardship and overcomes it with God's help. And that's a reasonable summary for how the story went. Of course, there was a lot more to it than that but the writer weaved a wonderful tale and took me down a thought-provoking road with it.
I suppose in addition to my new iPad, I'm also really enjoying my money's worth from our wonderful Pureflix subscription. I've been very fortunate to find quite a number of excellent and life changing stories with great acting and awesome production values.
A New Week
FEBRUARY 08, 2023
02/06/23 07:35 AM
I know. It's actually Wednesday. But, as can be seen below the picture, I wrote this on Monday despite the Wednesday publication date.
Patty and I speak often of how fast the days pass by. Hard to believe we've lived in our new home a couple of days short of seven months.
I'm so grateful that we've been able to bank some $ with the previous sale of our homes. Hard to believe that our health insurance is so affordable and that we have qualified for the homestead exemption in our new home. You have to be at least 65 and can't make over a certain, and relatively small, amount in order to qualify.
Since they don't count social security in that 'amount', we qualify and that is a wonderful thing. Patty and I got a real kick out of the woman at the tax office who wanted to see proof that I'm 68. Nice problem to have!
We moved after less that one year in our previous home and had already used our exemption, so had to pay some capital gains tax on the sale of our Spanish Fort home. Still, not a bad deal for all that we managed to put in the bank.
Not sure if I'll get to race or not, but feeling good about bumping up my treadmill running distance from 2 to 3 miles daily. Oh, and today is our Monday morning grocery pickup day at the Walmart in Attalla, AL, exactly 17.5 miles north of us.
Hoping that they ship my ham radio today and that I get it in sometime this week or the first of next week. We'll see.
Addendum:
02/07/23 07:10 AM
Well, with respect to that last item in the post, I got some crazy information from the lady at the admin desk at Icom Repair. She said they experienced some type of emergency in the area where the repairs are performed and it's put everything way behind.
The same lady told me last Friday that my radio was ready to be shipped but probably wouldn't go out on Friday. I was hoping for Monday but it apparently was not to be. She said I should get back in touch with her if I don't hear something by Friday of this week.
That doesn't sound very encouraging.
1883
FEBRUARY 07, 2023
02/05/23 03:35 PM
Patty and I spent some of yesterday and today binge-watching the series entitled, 1883. Wow, it was a great series and an emotional roller coaster ride for both of us.
The cast included Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Sam Elliot, and Isabel May and a host of other excellent actors and actresses. The story is a prequel to Yellowstone and provides the backstory on how the Dutton family traveled to and arrived in Yellowstone.
The Mini Series was created by Taylor Sheridan, who also served as a co-creator for Yellowstone. It includes Billy Bob Thornton and a cameo by Tom Hanks, whose wife also has a role in the series.
I would rate the entire production very highly and gladly recommend it to anyone looking for a great series.
Sacred Vow
FEBRUARY 06, 2023
02/04/23 11:55 AM
I watched another Pureflix movie last night bearing the title, Sacred Vow. The movie brought with it some Pureflix warnings but the write-up sounded interesting and so I gave it a shot.
There were a few instances where I almost turned it off, but for some unknown reason I stayed with it. I'm glad I did! The story had a nice twist at the end that I had not anticipated, although looking back it fit in very well with all that was going on.
The thing I like about the story is that God used it as a reminder of my deep and abiding love for my sweet wife. With that reminder I went searching for a piece of paper that Patty had prepared at my request with 10 things that she likes.
After the movie was over, I went to Patty with paper in hand and suggested we follow-up on some of those ten items. In other words, I wanted to do for her what she always does for me and ensure we set out to do the things that are important to her and that she likes.
It's something that I think God served up in a very clear manner and a message that I should not ignore. Thank you, Lord for bringing this clear message and reminder to me, of Patty's importance in my life, by way of Sacred Vow.
The Mystery of Her
FEBRUARY 05, 2023
02/03/23 07:50 AM
I watched a Pureflix movie last night that had a very intriguing story line and that was in fact based on a true story. I wish all stories went this deep and were this good.
Of course, while I thought the production values and acting were strong, it was far from a mainstream type story. It took me down an artsy road, but it was one that I was very willing and even interested to travel.
I truly related to the story and the characters although it was a far cry from anything I ever experienced in my own life. I liked the honesty that they had to deal with in their lives and I liked the idea that they had to accept and adapt to whatever consequences came along with being honest about their lives.
I don't usually care for a story that sort of hides things from me up front, but I was okay with that approach in this instance. It made the story that much more interesting and added to the mystique in the way that the story unfolded.
I'm not sure I could recommend the film to anyone and everyone due to the artsy approach that it took, but if you find that kind of thing as interesting as I do, I think you'll really enjoy the movie.
Addendum:
02/05/23 05:35 PM
With the new charger cord for my iPod Nano, I'm once again enjoying an ad free playlist with some of my favorite songs and artists. It carried me through another 3 miler today at the same pace (9:14) that I ran yesterday. I think I'm going to stay with the 3 milers for a while with the hope of getting back to a few 5K's.
I also went searching for a local running club and calendar and was surprised to find a great calendar belonging to the Anniston Runner's Club. If I'm ever able to find a rememdy for my wonky balance, or perhaps find the courage to race with it, I'm going to get back at it. I miss outdoor running so much and would like to get away from the dreaded treadmill or dreadmill. Maybe the upcoming warmer weather will help me turn that corner.
Until then, treadmill it is.
Donald Trump
FEBRUARY 04, 2023
02/02/23 03:50 PM
I watched a video of South Carolina, U.S. Senator, Lindsey Graham, who was a guest on Fox News Channel's Sean Hannity Show. Mr. Graham expressed my thoughts exactly when it comes to Donald Trump.
Senator Graham indicated that he fully supports Donald Trump for President. He indicated that if we want Trump's policies, the only way to get them is with Donald Trump.
He went on to talk about all that Trump has accomplished and that other candidates may have had similar policies, but few if any have been able to implement those policies and deliver on their own promises. He was quick to offer that only Trump has been able to deliver consistently on his promises.
In other words, if we want Trump's policies the only way we are going to get them is if we put Trump in the president's seat and take the whole package.
I don't mind going on the record and saying that I agree with Senator Graham. I'm all in on what he said, and I combine that with my belief that Donald Trump has been the consistent victim of a highly biased press and a dirty Democratic Party.
I'm not ready to declare that the election was stolen from Trump, like so many, but I'm not ready to blame him for January 6th or call it an insurrection either.
I do believe there are those who have indeed acted illegally and it wouldn't surprise me to discover that illegal actions took place on both sides. That seems to be the new America in which we live.
Addendum:
02/04/23 01:30 PM
Changed up the running routine today and added an extra mile to the run. Saw a movie the other day with a runner who was running outside (instead of on the treadmill with which I'm stuck) and had a bout with runner's envy.
I decided the best way I could simulate a longer run was to do one! Instead of the 7.0 speed setting I normally use for my two mile runs I set the machine on 6.5 (a bit slower) and did three miles. Turns out I moved my pace from roughly an 8:34 per mile pace to a 9:14 per mile pace.
Now to decide if I want to push up that distance on a daily basis or just an every now and then approach, like once a week.
Walmart
FEBRUARY 03, 2023
02/02/23 07:30 AM
We made our 17.4 mile trip to the Attalla, Alabama Walmart Supercenter yesterday for Patty to pick up some groceries that we missed out on our regular grocery run and for me to pick up a charger cord for my 7th generation iPod Nano so that I have some ad free music on my runs. We also made our way by Wow (a small and highly discounted grocery store) on the way home for Patty to pick up a few more grocery items.
While at Walmart I also picked up some ONN Grove wireless earbuds and a new 9th generation iPad so that I can enjoy our subscriptions to Sling Blue, the Hallmark channel, and Pureflix. My old (2nd generation) iPad does not support those items. I will also continue to enjoy my free subscription to YouTube and the other free feature subscriptions if offers, such as Frontline.
Funny thing is that the charger cord for my iPod Nano did not make it to the Walmart checkout for some strange reason. But, as it turns out, the type of cable that I needed was the same one that was provided to charge the iPad. So all is well in that department.
Rainy day today so it will be good to stay tucked in. We've got a chance for a wintry mix tonight so that will be interesting. And speaking of nights, we looked for the green comet last night but the cloud cover prevented any viewing.
Variety
FEBRUARY 02, 2023
02/01/23 08:15 AM
A variety of things going on today.
I know Patty can't wait for good weather to finally arrive so that she can get serious about her garden. Until then, she's been finding good deals at Lowes and Walmart for plants and buying seeds and storing and starting them all in our garage where it's not quite as cold.
Speaking of cold weather, our outdoor thermometer registered 40°F to start the morning. Online has us at 41°F but we've still got lows coming in the 30's and one in the 20's this coming Friday night.
Looks like we've got some more waiting to do in order to get to that warmer weather. Having lived here far less than a year, we're still observing and learning when the seasons come and go. We're watching for the first signs of spring and haven't seen anything quite this early in the new year.
Highs are in the 40's, 50's, and 60's but those lows and the mixed in rain are not showing any signs of letting up. I guess we're into a hurry up and wait game when it comes to that spring season.
I was down a pound today which puts me 6/10ths below my range. It's a good place to be and keeps me in the weight maintenance mode instead of the weight loss mode. I can live with that!
Still haven't heard from Icom Repair about my radio. Hoping to hear something today. I did a bit of rearranging yesterday in preparation for receiving a repaired radio. I still need to figure out my antenna situation but can't do much until the buyer comes by and takes down the current antenna. That will free up the mast and rotor if I decide to place them over by the back stairs where I can more readily make any necessary changes and/or repairs.
Last night, I watched one of the movies I purchased recently during Patty's birthday shopping spree. However, I'm really enjoying my subscription to Frontline on YouTube and have been watching a lot of the episodes. Patty and I talked about paying for YouTube premium to get rid of the ads but the price just doesn't work for us so no plans to take that idea any further anytime soon.
One other interesting factoid. With the purchase of this home, we received a storm shelter downstairs. It seems the recent tornados have made these shelters a necessity in the minds of the builders and the buyers. We also use ours as a part-time gym and Patty plans to apply some paint to the bare concrete walls. That should provide a nice change to the room.
Addendum:
02/01/23 11:55 AM
Just finished my Wednesday workout and run. That tricep workout is a tough one! However the run was great as usual. I'm enjoying my Peter Cetera run list. Some days I don't use it when I'm feeling strong. On those days when I am not feeling so strong and need some distaction, I bring in Mr. Cetera.
I need to order a charging cord for my iPod so I don't have to use my phone and endure the ads that YouTube likes to display. Perhaps I can pick one up next time we're at Walmart.
Update
FEBRUARY 01, 2023
01/31/23 01:45 PM
Well, the big deal for today (January 31st) is putting together the new changes for the website. That's what I'm working on.
We also had a wonderful day yesterday celebrating Patty's birthday. She even enjoyed some of her left-over food for lunch today. Seeing her eat anything that's left over is unusual. It's usually me attacking the leftovers.
I'm real pleased with my weight management and this morning checked in at only four tenths of a pound above the bottom of my 5 pound range. I'm quite good with that and hope to keep things down for a while.
Staying away from snacking and sweets always makes the difference. Also, and when I must snack, snacking on things like radishes instead of pecan pie makes a huge difference LOL!
Who knew that getting older meant I would have to change some life-long habits (like snacking often and on anything I feel like eating.) Believe me when I say those changes to old habits don't come easy!
I'm down about 30 pounds from my all time high and want to keep it there. I can't believe I ran all of those distance races carrying about 20 extra pounds. When I think about a 20 pound dumbell and how much weight that is, I'm amazed! I wonder how much better my times would have been running at my present weight instead of carrying those additional 20 or 25 pounds.
Copyright © 2024 Hutch DeLoach