Getting to be 70 years of age

I have not particularly been looking forward to being 70 years old. It does seem better than the alternative, even though I think that 70 is OLD. I was telling this to Michelle last night on the phone, and she said, "Grandad, seventy is not old, one hundred is old." I told her she was wonderful and deserved a special place in my heart. She was so excited at Christmas, and she kept saying, "I'm so excited!" It made the day very special to share it with her. I just love her attitude toward life. Thanks, Michelle!

My dad and his father both reached the age of 70 and then died at that age, so you can see why I might view 70 with some consternation. My older brother Maurice reached this milestone and has kept going, so I plan to follow his fine example. Our mom, who is currently 96, commented, "How do you think I feel?" It all depends upon your perspective.

Inside, I think I feel about 35 and try to keep active both mentally and physically. I think as long as your attitude is good and you manage to stay healthy, who knows how it will turn out. I will try to set a good example for all of you younger folks who will get to this milestone quicker than you think.

It has been great fun to celebrate my Valentine birthday and thanks to Jerry and Marlene, we will continue to celebrate it this next week by going to Dallas, TX to see the King Tut exhibition there. Max is going to camp/kennel. I get a vacation in that area, too. Happy travels, and age well everyone!

The dance was fun

We really enjoyed the dance. We shared a table with Linda and Darrell who were work campers here last year. They are very funny people and great to be around. We also sat with Byron and Hollis for awhile, but she had sold many tickets to people in her neighborhood and needed to be with them and later on moved to the next table. HW2 helped set the whole thing up, including cooking and finally serving the dessert. When she could leave, we four went for food. Once that was done, I left for awhile to give Max a break, and then we got into the dance. It was mostly country/western and being a live band seemed to be loud, but we ignored all of that and just had fun.

I am not a good dancer, but I try, and HW2 puts up with my efforts. The best one for me is the slow dance and the box step. We tried some faster dances and doing spins, etc., but mostly ended up just laughing. At one point the floor was quite crowded and it got to be bumper cars more than dancing. At the end of the evening we helped clean up and then went home quite pleased with a good dinner and fun with friends. The other pictures are of Dotti and Duane and Jeanne and Don, the park owner/manager. Happy travels.

Max is getting the idea

I have been trying to get Max to walk on a leash, and that means to walk along with me and/or HW2. He really tries to go in any direction other than the way we want to be going. I keep encouraging him, and he does better now. He has a way to go though before he really gets the idea. It does give him much exercise, if unwanted. Sniffing time and doing his business seem to occupy quite a bit of time, too. He likes to visit with everyone he sees along the way, and that can slow down the process too. It is good for both of us to get out and about. Maybe by the time he is a year old, he will be a good walker. I'll keep you posted. Happy travels.

Valentine's Dance tonight

We are going to a Valentine's dinner and dance tonight here at the park. It was in doubt for awhile, but some of the town folks decided to come, and all of the tickets were finally sold. There will be about 150 of us. The menu includes chicken cordon blue, potatoes, vegetable, salad, rolls, and cake. Then we get to listen to and occasionally dance to a live country western band. I sure wish I had learned the two step or how to do line dances. HW2 had better look out for her feet. We are meeting friends who were work campers here last year and just delightful. Beer and wine is provided and included in the ticket cost. Imagine all of this for a $12.50 per ticket cost.

HW2 has been shopping for appropriate clothes to wear and finally found some things online at Penney's. I went to the cowboy store and will be in black. Johnny Cash, move or roll over! Hardly, since I can barely sing or carry a tune any more. Now should I wear the cowboy boots with high heels or the shorter heels? It will be a fun evening for all who attend. HW2 helped decorate and helped get some of the food ready. We go early so that the other worker bees can get home and cleaned up and dressed for the event. We went to this same event last year and had a ball. Happy travels.

Weight gain and loss

I have been working to lose some weight, and this effort started about Thanksgiving. Some time before then I had topped the scales at 204 pounds and decided that enough fat on the land was enough. I quickly returned to my usual weight of 200 and then decided to make a goal of losing 15 pounds. It took about three months and surviving the holidays without too much weight gain, but I finally managed to get 15 pounds off. Since then it has stayed generally steady with a pound or two up or down. Yesterday imagine my delight when the scale registered 181. Of course, this morning it was back up a pound. So it goes. But the best reward of all is to be able to get into pants that are a size smaller and to really have room in these new pants.

I have had to give up carbohydrates and desserts. The desserts are the hardest part to give up for me. Wanting to be able to stay in my new clothes makes me continue to work at it, though. I think if I can reach the goal of 180, that will be enough and then the goal becomes to maintain my weight at that level. Some days the hunger pains are almost impossible to ignore and then the next day the scale gives me incentive to keep it under control.

Exercise here by walking frequently, or biking has helped in this process. Having the new puppy, Max has helped as well. Now if I could only get those abs of steel going. That really seems unlikely. Happy travels, and eat sparingly.

Max snuggles

Max and I got up about five this morning. I took him out to do his business, and he cooperated quickly. When we got back inside, I could see that Max was hungry, so I fed him. I then sat down, and when he had finished eating, he came by to be picked up. I held Max, and he happily snuggled for the next half hour as I quietly held and pet him. It was a lovely time and made me again appreciate why we had added this puppy to our family a month or so ago. It made me realize why people who have pets live longer. They add a calming dimension to your life, and since they depend upon you for food and caring, they give you an added good responsibility in your lives. Thanks, Max, for joining us in our voyage through life. Happy travels.

Don't lose your sparkle

Today in Church the sermon was given by our Assistant Pastor, Rob. Part of his sermon was on not losing your sparkle. I think we all had to think a bit about what he might mean in the context of the development of his sermon. His primary theme was from Peter, the rock on which Christ was building his church.

I kept thinking about whether or when one might lose your sparkle and how not to do that. I finally decided that when we get depressed that is a significant indicator that we have lost our sparkle. When a close friend or family member dies we grieve and lose our sparkle. In these situations frequently it is the small kindnesses that bring us back and help us regain our sparkle. Puppies and babies do this for us all and put smiles on our faces and in our hearts. The unexpected kindness, the smile, the opened door, politeness, hug of thanks and so many other actions that speak to our hearts. These things renew us and bring back the sparkle.

I thoroughly enjoy getting together with friends or family. This past summer we had a chance to visit with the administrative team of Valley High School and their spouses over dinner. The hours flew by and we agreed to meet again. The event could have only been improved if all the team members could have been present. That gathering would have been quite large. These things keep my sparkle shining.

The next thing that comes to mind is our weekly phone conversations with kids and grands. This way we keep in touch and get to enjoy their joys and their opportunities. How much we love to visit weekly. We do this with close friends as well but maybe not as frequently as we might like. We treasure these moments.

We are finding that our recent membership in our church here has given us much joy. Today we even shared lunch with three other members after the service. It was a joy to be greeted as new members and to be thanked for ushering and for joining a suppers group,
date for Eight and Seekers who try to do their best for others throughout the year. We have many challenges ahead but tremendous church member support here. Our lives have been enriched and our sparkle maintained. Thanks First Presbyterian Church of Kerrville. Happy travels.