Had to say goodbye to my sweet little baby girl today -

http://www.furaffinity.net/view/24154026/

She would have been 14 years old in 12 days, which for a pure Golden is pretty good. Quite the princess, spoiled rotten, and very sweet. Had her since she was nine weeks of age, and there is such a void, this hole in my heart. She was in a lot of pain, and had stopped eating, so it was time, but it is never easy. The vets office was great, the office girls all came in to say goodbye and were almost as upset as I was! She just slowly went to sleep in my arms, so peaceful really. They give us such unconditional love, perhaps that is why it is so difficult when they leave us....

Taking a cue from Budweiser, Chevrolet has decided to go with a commercial that tugs at your heartstrings, like the ones with the Clydesdales. Well, I have two Goldens, and my eleven year old "blondie" looks quite a bit like the one in the commercial. Even though I am supposed to be this big tough guy, needless to say, I watched this, and started sobbing like a big baby......If you have or ever have had Goldens, you will understand.....

http://www.metro.us/newyork/news/na.....7/video-chevy/

Well, first off, a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all. Second, I can not remember a December this nasty cold in a LONG time, if ever! It is 2 degrees (F.) out as I type this (although the 8 year old Cherry Port I am drinking is warming me up nicely!), and everything is covered in snow and ice. The Great Lakes are already starting to freeze over even! I am just lucky to have power, as there are many a few miles south of me who do not....so HO-HO-HO to all, and everyone try and stay warm!

This video is proof positive that felines were where the NOM-NOM-NOM "thing" came from -


http://now.msn.com/cats-appear-to-s.....supercut-video


Need I NOM more?

At 2:45 PM yesterday, the area I live in was hit by a large, very fast moving thunderstorm, with very powerful hurricane force straight line winds. I was at Physical Therapy at the time (herniated discs), but on the ride home I saw trees were down all along the road I live on. One landed on the neighbors barn, doing a lot of damage, just 30 feet from mine! The only major damage I had was it broke off the TV antenna, and blew out a chunk of fence. The yard is a huge mess, there is debris all over the place! I am without power, and have been, and I don't think it will be back on anytime soon (running on generator though for the second night!), there are lines and poles down all over the place! Don't think power will be on anytime soon! Well, there goes any weekend plans....

As midnight approaches and the jolly old fat man gets ready to descend upon us yet once again, I would like to extend my wishes to you and yours for a most happy of holiday season.

Those that follow my last post may be interested in knowing that in that last 7 weeks I have lost 25 pounds, or 10% of my body weight! And really, that was the easy part. The next 40-50 pounds will be MUCH harder to lose! I am in no rush though, so time is on my side.

I do feel better - not as short of breathe on exertion, I am down a pants and shirt size, and all my belts are running out of holes. A good feelilng in and of itself. I guess that is my Christmas present to myself.....

Has it been eight months since I updated this?? Wow, tempis fugis and all.....

It is not a lot of fun getting older. Trust me!! (Don't laugh all you "youngsters", your time is coming!) I had noticed some swelling in my lower legs over the last three months, and went to the doctor about it. They decided to run a barrage of tests. And while most were OK, it did show some issues. My heart and lungs are in good shape, so that is a load off my mind. But I do have gallstones. They are not causing any problems, so the doctor said we will just watch them, kind of the let sleeping dogs lie kind of thing....

I have a decreased testosterone level as well. Nothing drastic, just caused some issues with, well, you know, the "male" bits.....I could go on supplements, BUT, they can have side affects worse then the low levels cause. There are herbal remedies that may help, and losing weight and exercising can help as well.

And I have what is called "Fatty Liver Disease". This is common in those who are overweight, and those that drink too much alcohol. The liver is basically storing fat in itself instead of the body. And yes, I am overweight, but I only have a couple of glasses of wine with dinner. Once again, this is not anything life threatening, BUT, it can lead to worse things if not corrected. The good thing is that it can be corrected with diet and weight loss.

So, I guess this is my wake-up call. I have GOT to lose some weight. I did some internet research about all of this, and have spent the last week on a "liver detoxification" diet. No fats, no sugars, no artificial sweeteners, little protein or carbs, no alcohol, no coffee, basically eating only vegetables and some fruits. I am taking an herbal supplement from the milk thistle plant that is supposed to help with liver issues. I am getting a little tired of cabbage, carrots, and celery, but it has to be done. Now that the first week is over, I will expand my diet out, mainly just avoiding fats, artificial stuff, and high sugar items. I will stick with more natural foods in their natural states. Since I garden, this is not a huge problem for me.

I will have the occasional "splurge", I am NOT giving up my wine, just gutting back to a small glass every other day or so with dinner. Actually, what I really missed was the occasional soda and meat more than anything. The coffee and wine was no problem.

Anyway, it has been a week, and I have lost 11 pounds, so that is a good start. I would like to lose at least 50-60 MORE pounds, at around 3-5 pounds a week rate or so. I know I can do this, as I did it back in 2000, losing 65 pounds over a year. Of course, I gained it all back in the following three years, so maintaining it will be the REAL issue for me, not losing it.

So in 6 months to a year, the doctor is going to re-run the tests, and see if the problems still exist, or they have improved, based on my actions. Wish me luck!

So I have had journals over years complaining about the nasty winters here...but this year it was "What winter?" If we had 15 inches of snow all year it was a lot! And very warm most of the snow melted with in a couple days of arriving. And this last week has been unreal! When it would be 40 degrees out, it has been over 80 for the last 5 days, and hit 90 today!! Supposed to continue on for a few days yet was well! In my over 50 plus years on this sphere, I can never remember this occurring for this extended time period. All the flowers and trees have bloomed, mother nature is as confused as we hairless apes are.......so what will it get to this summer - 120 degrees?!?! Can you say "Global Warming" kiddies?? I knew you could!

I had quite a full past couple of days. On Friday I went to see John Waite (formerly of the Babies) and Wilson Phillips in concert. Great show, the girls harmonies are unbelievable. Best of all, I had third row center seats! And they sang some of their parents (Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys and Michelle and John Phillips from the Mommas and the Papas) songs as well. I got chills when they sang California Dreaming. You could hear them without the mikes even I was so close! And John Waite can still belt it out for an old rock and roller as well.

Then yesterday, I went to the down to the park in town and saw Styx. Once again, a fantastic show, and I had 5th row center seats! Great sound, lots of fun, great weather. I was able to get some really nice photos of the Styx concert, I will have to post some. So much fun! I go to see Steely Dan next month at the Fox Theater in Detroit…..

If you go and get one of McDonalds's frozen strawberry lemonades, and add a healthy dose of Tequila to it, its makes a more than acceptable Margarita!! YAH-YAH-YAH-YAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am so hoping that is true! Over the last month, the circulating pump on the hot tub has been grinding, until it finally stopped altogether. Better now then in the dead of winter! Repair guy made it out today - $500 for that item! Last weekend, while mowing the lawn, I noticed some leaking around the engine of the tractor. Stopped and looked, and it was spewing oil from under the engine! Luckily (if you can use that at this point) I have a German neighbor down the road who is a small engine repair guy. He does great work at very reasonable prices. The lower engine gasket was blown and the engine would have to be removed, and have a new gasket and oil seal installed. $150 later, and that is repaired. Today, it finally breaks 80 degrees here in mid-Michigan, so I decide to put a new filter in the air conditioner and check it out. Turn the switch, and it just hums. So the A/C guys are coming out tomorrow to fix THAT! I can only guess what that is going to run! I can only hope that this is the third and last thing to break and need fixing for a while!!

The best part about Sangria is eating the fruit that has soaked in the wine - YUMMM!

50/90 - two numbers.....Two numbers that had a lot of significance to me this year. I remember as a child thinking to myself - "WOW! I will be 40 in the year 2000!! That is amazing!" And it was. But this year came the dreaded big 50! Half a century! Quite a landmark in my youth, not so much now. The latest longevity programs I run suggest that I should make it to age 80. Considering that both my parents, and my grandmother, who turned 90 this year (How many 50 year olds do you know that still have a grandmother?), are all alive and well, that increases my odds quite a bit. Still, I am on the downhill side of things. I have less ahead of me than behind me. Each day I seem to waken to less hair and more aches and pains. I have been lucky, in that my relative health is good, while I watch those around me having more and more problems. Three family members, two younger than I were in the hospital this month alone!

And now we have yet another New Year upon us. Filled with hope, and joy, and yearning. I am very lucky. I am healthy, I have a very nice home, I have family, I want for little, and I have a good job.

So some might wonder - what the hell are you doing here? Why would someone so OLD be involved in a site with all these young "kids"? Well, I have always enjoyed fantasy, and this site helps to fulfill that side of me. Life can get very overwhelming at times. One needs an outlet or an escape from the realities of life that can be so powerful, a place where the mind and the imagination can roam unfettered. Some have a creative outlet - the artists here for example. I am not so inclined, but yet, through their collective work, I can let my mind free to go to these worlds and places that do not exist, except for here, and in our minds. Yes, this place provides a very valuable service, helping me maintain my sanity in the face of life's relative insanity.

And so this New Year, I would suggest that all who read this also take a moment to reflect - reflect on both the good and the bad that has occurred, because it is all of life's experiences that total up to make you what you are today. We have all made many turns in the forks of life's road to get to this point, and it is the journey here that has shaped us, and it is that very journey that (trust me on this you young ones!) as we age, we will look back on ever more frequently with both happiness and regret. Hopefully in at least equal measure, and maybe more towards happiness.

And remember - no matter how old you get, there will always be a place for a little fantasy!

Happy New Year!

I lease vehicles - just works better for me. I have had trucks for the last 12 years or so. With the price of gas going through the roof, I decided it was time to downsize. While I likes the trucks, I could not afford the gas at 14 MPG anymore! So, I got a 2011 Subaru Outback (http://www.furaffinity.net/view/4810771), after looking since spring for what to replace the Chevy Silverado truck (http://www.furaffinity.net/view/2394812) with. It get 9-11 MPG more than the truck, and the payments are about $30 less a month, so I will be saving around $90 a month or so - I can deal with that! And it will tow up to 2,800 pounds, so I got a hitch installed, and will buy a trailer to replace the lost pickup bed for hauling large items. So far, so good, I have had it about two weeks or so. And I have to say, though skeptical at first, I just LOVE the heated seats!!

Yeah that's right, you can see me here most every night
You'll always see me staring at the walls and at the lights
Funny I remember oh it's years ago I'd say
I'd stand at that bar with my friends who've passed away
And drink three times the beer that I can drink today
Yes I know how it feels to grow old

I know what they're saying son
There goes old man Joe again
Well I may be mad at that I've seen enough
To make a man go out his brains
Well do they know what it's like
To have a graveyard as a friend
`Cause that's where they are boy, all of them
Don't seem likely I'll get friends like that again

Well it's time I moved off
But it's been great just listening to you
And I might even see you next time I'm passing through
You're right there's so much going on
No one seems to want to know
So keep well, keep well old friend
And have another drink on me
Just ignore all the others you got your memories
You got your memories

When I was younger, so much younger than today,
I never needed anybody's help in any way.
But now these days are gone, I'm not so self assured,
Now I find I've changed my mind and opened up the doors.

Help me if you can, I'm feeling down
And I do appreciate you being round.
Help me, get my feet back on the ground,
Won't you please, please help me.

And now my life has changed in oh so many ways,
My independence seems to vanish in the haze.
But every now and then I feel so insecure,
I know that I just need you like I've never done before.


(Anyone detecting a theme yet?)

Every time that I look in the mirror
All these lines on my face getting clearer
The past is gone
It went by, like dusk to dawn
Isn't that the way
Everybody's got their dues in life to pay

Yeah, I know nobody knows
Where it comes and where it goes
I know it's everybody's sin
You got to lose to know how to win

Half my life
Is in books' written pages
Lived and learned from fools and
From sages
You know it's true
All the things come back to you

It has been 47 days since I planted the garden. I am harvesting Zucchini, summer (yellow) squash, and pickles/cucumbers already. The crops are the best they have been in probably 5 years or more. This has been an "old fashioned" summer - hot and wet, just what the crops love! The vines crops are going crazy, and the sweet corn is chest high!

On another note the wine cellar is done, and turned out great! I impressed even myself! It is just about full in fact, though it will not stay that way too long if I have anything to say about it! (I am drinking a nice 2007 Pinot Noir/Riesling blend as I type this!)

Mentally though, I am feeling a tad stressed. The garden and orchard need constant upkeep, I just went through re-financing the house, and am still dealing with the bureaucracy involved in that whole mess, and there is a lot of personal issues that are swirling about , as well as more responsibility at work. Throw in the stagnant stock market, and my wilting portfolio, and lets just say I am a tad stressed out these days. And since I tend to "internalize" everything, which is not good.

Fall can not arrive fast enough.....

Everyone loves spring time it seems! Except me! Too damn much work to do! Have to stay on top of the apple trees and keep them sprayed, as well as the rose bushes. And get the garden planted. And why does it always seem to be the hottest day of the year the day I choose to plant it?? This year, just to make matters even more entertaining, I am racing against time to finish building my new wine cellar.

Of course, I am doing all this myself, with a little help from my nephew, who has no job, and helps out around the place for a few dollars. Money well spent as far as I (and my back!) am concerned!

But because of that, there is this perverse sense of pride that I have, having battled the elements, and bringing a crop to fruition. And to build something on my own, doing the carpentry, the electric, and even the flooring and trim work.

I am almost there - the garden is in and it rained today, hopefully setting the seeds. I have to just finish painting the door on the cellar, install the floor tiles, install the molding, and the shelves, and it is done.

I so look forward to moving all that wine into it! And hanging the sign on the door that read's "Wine Cellar"...

When I got up today, it was snowing, with about a half inch on the ground. Had to go to the foot doctor, and THAT resulted in some exquisite torture! Never had her do this to me - she injected the TOP of my foot, right between the tendons and veins, trying to get into the joint spaces! Moments of really interesting pain! Now it is just VERY sore! (This is due to the arthritis I have in my foot, which has probably been compounded by the vitamin D deficiency, as joint pain is one of the effects.) Tomorrow should be interesting walking around work all day!

Then it was off to the Chiropractor. Due to all my pruning this week (I spent the last three days pruning the apple orchard in the snow and cold), my right shoulder was acting up. So adjustment time - crack my neck, back, and shoulders!. All this time the snow is getting harder, and the winds are picking up - I have the truck in 4 WD the whole time. Then I go back home, clean the fireplace glass, and build a fire (but not light it YET!), and then take off to the dentist, as I just did not have enough pain in my life YET at this point, and felt the need to experience sharp metal objects scraping against my teeth and digging into my gums! Luckily, no cavities, Mom!!

So then I come home, start the fire, check e-mail, and then go out and plow, snowblow, and shovel until after dark. I am sure I will feel THAT tomorrow as well! Wind was blowing, and I think we ended up with 4-5 inches of snow, but hard to tell with all the blowing and drifting. And as the sun dropped, everything started to flash freeze....And to think I was basking in the (35 degree Fahrenheit) sun the last two days! Well, I paid for that "fling with spring" today!

Its a bitch to get old!

Everyone seems to be busy doing a New Year's journal, so I felt compelled to join in and add my two cents...

99.8% of those doing so are going on about what a terrible year 2009 was, and how it sucked royally, etc. I feel almost ashamed in admitting it was not that bad for me, and was almost a good year. While everyone around me seemed to be having a terrible time, divorce, disease, and death on all sides of family and friends, I was doing fine. While others lost their jobs, I started to play around in the stock market and saw a 75% increase in the small new portfolio I started up. The weather here was quite nice for most of the year. About the worst thing that happened to me was that the chiller in my wine cellar broke, but that just pushed me to start to gather the components to build a new one (which I hoped to start this week, but best laid plans you know...)

So, while everyone hopes and prays that 2010 will be better for them, and I do hope it is, I am more concerned that the pendulum will start to swing the other way for me! I keep my fingers crossed that my good luck continues on unabated as it has been....

Fall in the north means preparing for winter. Freezing or otherwise preserving this years crops, and getting things squared away for the nasty weather.

I have added double cell cellular shades to all the bedrooms/bathrooms in the house, as they are nearly an R-6 value insulation wise. They are already making a big difference, and though expensive, will pay for themselves in energy savings rather shortly. I have also replaced the old insert in the fireplace, with a new 77% efficient wood-burning insert. Though it is taking some getting used to, it only burns about half the wood that I was burning, and the fireplace is sealed up so much tighter that I am losing much less heat up the fireplace chimney than before. I have also purchased a new snow-blower, as the one it replaced was over 20 years old! Time for a larger, newer one. I also bought a little plastic enclosure/cab for it, as I am getting FAR too old to have all that ice and snow blowing back in my face! I still have to get it attached to the machine, but that will not take too long, maybe this weekend.

About all I have left to do outside is finish picking the apples up off the ground and the trees, vacuum up the fallen leaves a couple more times, and if I have time, till up the garden. I am going to try and get one of the farmers to do a deep plow, but they still have not finished harvest the beans from behind me yet. It has been pretty wet, as we have had a lot of rain this fall.

I hear it is supposed to be a mild winter. After the last two, I would be happy for that!

Has it been 6 months since the last entry? Time really does fly.

Been rather busy. Working on the flower beds, the yard, the garden, and the orchard. Weather has NOT been co-operative! Cold/heat cycles have spawned all kind of fungal diseases and insects on the apples and roses. And the weeds in the garden make it look like a lush green lawn right now! It is times like this that I get close to just giving up on the concept of gardening! But, I will preserver on and see what I can make of it all.

Also been busy preparing for my parents 50th wedding anniversary. Hosting the party here, so that means LOTS of work, even if it is only around 50 people attending. Get to spend today cleaning out the garage - and we all know how fun THAT is!

December brought snow, and LOTS of it. We were just a few inches from setting a new record for total snowfall for the month. It seemed that all I did was plow, snowblow, bring in wood, tend the fire, and work. The Holidays were just a blur, blending into the white-out that was December!

One heavy snow about a week before Christmas was so bad, that the lower driveway that leads to the pole barn drifted shut, and was four feet deep at the edge! Well, there was no way I was getting that cleared, as it was deeper than the blower even. Well, the neighbor behind me, in a wonderful act of kindness, had a friend of his, who was using a MASSIVE front end loader to clean out his drive and barn, use it to clean out my drive as well! The scoop was 5 feet deep, and it took him a few runs to clear it out, even with that large payload!

The day after Christmas brought the manic side to Michigan Winters, and it hit 60 degrees and rained all day! Needless to say, we went from massive piles of snow to flooding. The entire garden was under 6-8 inches of water at this point. Well, that only lasted a day, as Saturday night, the temp inverted by 40 degrees, and dropped to 20 degrees F. What was bad though, was that night, the winds came - 50-75 MPH winds that tore off neighbors roofs, and toppled trees! I was lucky, no damage except for a puddle of water in the basement.

Now it is January, and though the snows have paused a little, the cold temps have hit hard, as they did all across the Northern U.S. (See photos of the Hoarfrost in my gallery) It has been below freezing since December 27th, and has not gotten above 15 for the last 5 days. The last three mornings have been in negative double digits, and that is NOT the chill factor! Minus 14 two days ago!

So, winter has hit us with almost everything in its arsenal it could. We have a solid two months of it to go, but I have to hope that the worst is over. Because if it is not, I can only tremble in fear at what might yet occur.....

I have recently been preparing for my upcoming battle with the demon that is known as "Winter". He is a mighty one, and I can only do my best to battle him to a standstill, as I never have any real hope of winning the battle as a whole! I spent the last two weekends "girding my loins", so to speak.

I have prepared the two snowblowing machines, and put the snow blade and chains on the garden tractor. I have vacuumed up all the fallen leaves, and put up reflectors along the drive and road, and erected snow fences in strategic locations, based on last year's battles. The barn is stacked high with wood and kindling, and the garage is as well, to feed the fireplace, and help to fend off the cold that has already descended upon us! In fact, the nearby ponds, cuts, and ditches are already frozen over with a layer of ice, something that has NEVER happened prior to the local Thanksgiving festivities!

Even as I type this, the snow is falling at an ever increasing rate, over an inch already, and more on the way! Yet I remain steadfast. The outlook is grim and dire, but I know, that if I can but preservere, and use delaying tactics, that time is on my side, and that Spring will eventually come to my aide and rescue!

I ask only that you wish my luck, and think of me, and my valiant struggle, when you yourself venture outside.....