Thursday, seems nice so far...

Up early and down to McDonald's for coffee... Ralph is already there. Counters were dirty when I got there and the blonde behind the counter didn’t seem particularly interested in cleaning them so I took out the camera and took some pictures... the counters got cleaned quick after that. Sometimes, people just need a little incentive to do the right thing, in this case, her job. 20 clients today with 1 no show. Back home, picked up the envelope with Dr. Stevens address and the info and headed to Philomath to meet with Melissa for lunch. We went to a little diner, she says she always comes there. I had a little salad and she had this huge hamburger/bacon/everything with a monster order of tots... Now I know why. Left there at about 1pm and headed back to Wells Fargo to drop her off then over to Corvallis and my appt. with Dr. Stevens. Surgery that would remove some of the back of the tongue and the uuvulva and tonsils seems the option surgically, I told him I am going to try the weight loss approach which he said could make the difference. Headed back home now... assholes are burning the fields and plowing dust today... the sky looks like crap.

Today is Wednesday and it's supposed to be another record-breaking hot day.

Usual routine this morning, got up, dressed and down McDonald’s for coffee. I was back home by about 8:15 AM and is a raised the garage door I looked at the Mini Cooper and decided today is the day, drove it out of the wash but build up the bucket gave it a good wash job it’s all dried off now and sitting out there looking pretty. If I don’t do that the only thing I probably will do is try to stay cool inside. I got pretty warm just during the time it took to wash the Mini Cooper.

Dear Leann, yes, she did love them, I was amazed when she sent pictures of how large the bouquet actually was... she wasn't there when they called to deliver it so she had it delivered the next day... Needless to say, it had a monstrous "WoW" factor. Thanks for your comment darlin...

What a beautiful Tuesday and it will be a scorcher...

I woke up before 6 AM this morning but didn’t actually get up until about 6:15 AM and after getting dressed I went down to McDonald’s for coffee. The routine very rarely varies much except possibly in a time that I leave the house. When Murray took a break for breakfast I showed her the pictures of the flowers and pictures of Nora that I received. She thought they both look very nice. After deliveries I stopped at LinnCo and cash the Apple rebate check and from there went to Bi-Mart and checked my membership number which once again managed to be a loser. And then I stopped at Dollar tree to see if they had gotten in any of the atomic fireballs and of course they have not. Back home and trying to stay cool now I may do a load of laundry today.

It's Monday beginning of the week and a beautiful day

While I was out this morning at about 6:15 AM got dressed and went to McDonald’s for coffee. Believe it or not my left foot was back to feeling pretty bad again so there I was like Chester on Gunsmoke limping along. Went down to the senior center and got my deliveries done that I stopped down at the Lebanon dog and had an order of biscuits and gravy before going over to visit with Wayne, Maria’s husband. Chatted with him for a little while and now I’m home and it’s 1:10 PM.

Well here it is Sunday and a beautiful Sunday too...

I was a lazybones this morning I didn’t get out of bed until about 7:30 AM and then I went down to McDonald’s for coffee. Ralph was there and one other person and a little bit later Dell came in and Gary and his wife and then just before I got ready to leave a couple a gentleman from Australia sat down and I chatted with them for a few moments and then I left to come home. I was able to hobble into the McDonald’s restaurant without benefit of my crutches this morning that’s not to say that my left Achilles tendon was being any nicer to me, I just refused to use the crutches. Vanity or just plain stubbornness I don’t know which prevailed. Once I got home I cleaned up the kitchen I’m amazed at times how much dust is generated in this house and I am positive that it comes from the ductwork because the house is never left open. I will have to address that situation. I instant messaged with Nora for over four hours again last night, it’s amazing how much one can learn about another during the course of gentle conversation. Nora has not had a particularly easy life and I have developed a very deep appreciation for what she has experienced. It does make me appreciate what we have here in the United States as American citizens and also the things that we take for granted. We are a very opulent society very self-centered and self serving in comparison to many other cultures. Not everything about Americans is bad obviously I think as a society we have a lot of very positive intentions unfortunately many of them are wrapped in a cloak of graft. Okay, I will step down off the soapbox now. And let me wish you all a wonderful Sunday do something nice for yourself and your family and whatever that is approach life with a positive attitude and be appreciative for the things you have. Later dudes

Saturday morning is overcast but projected to be warm

I woke up this morning, and my left foot is bothering me quite a bit the Achilles tendon is very tender and makes walking very difficult however I did get out of bed get dressed and go down to McDonald’s for coffee, it would seem that old habits are hard to break. Got back home about 8:30 AM and after using the restroom decided I wanted to take a shower so now I am clean and sitting here in my pajamas with absolutely no intention on leaving the house I even had to dig up the crutches. I cannot understand this. The left foot started exactly the same way as my right foot did about a year ago, pain across the front top of the foot and then migrated back to the Achilles tendon with great tenderness but absolutely no outward signs of any trauma or any swelling or anything its just weird. If it follows the path of the right but it will go away in about a week. I just wish I knew what caused it. And don’t anyone say it’s “Old Age” *grin*. Anyway have a great day I will in spite of this. Later...

Friday thank God it's Friday...

Woke up this morning and I was a little bit cooler over cast and looked like it may have rained just a little bit overnight. I appreciate rain now and then as it helps to settle the dust and cleanse the air. Got up about 6:10 AM got dressed and went down to McDonald’s for coffee. As you can imagine the usual suspects showed up it’s amazing the things that I don’t learn by going down there. Today the big topic of discussion was whether or not the floor tile or clean in a certain area. I had 20 clients I showed up at the senior center but by the time I left I was down to 19. I stopped at LinnCo after deliveries to cash a little bitty rebate check. One thing I noticed on 2nd St. they have eliminated the stop signs by the post office or what was the post office so we no longer have a stop there. It’s nice to know the city keeps up with changing traffic patterns. I have no pressing issues and no particular plans for the day but I believe that tomorrow morning after I get back from Jack’s place I will wash the Mini and possibly the Toyota they both need it especially after the field burning and dirt plowing that took place. Anyway my hope is that each and every one of you enjoy this lovely weekend the weather is supposed to be quite toasty tomorrow so hopefully that will play into your favor for any plans that you might have.

It's cool and Thursday... how good is that??

I was up about 6:15 AM this morning and then went down to McDonald’s for coffee and chatted with Marie for a little bit and then went down to the senior center to deliver meals that place was a zoo this morning. The weather is cooler it’s a little overcast but starting to clear now. I called Tracy at Rhodes Warden insurance and need to change where my insurance payment for the vehicles is deducted from LinnCo to Wells Fargo. I will talk to Julie the banker at Wells Fargo and ask her about international money transfers to the Philippines, I did see that they have an international funds transfer option that you can sign up for but I’m not sure at what cost. I started to talk with Lollie on MSN but she was just getting ready to fix breakfast and of course for foo foo coffee.

Wednesday my day off it did rain last night...

When I walk this morning and got up and got dressed and got ready to leave for coffee I noticed that it had rained last night I never heard it rain but it was evident when you look outside the street was wet and I was a little bit of water in the bird bath. Coffee was good and I had good conversation with Maria, back home now and it’s 10 minutes after 9 AM. I put the dryers on fluff, when it clicks off I will fold the clothes and put them away. Nothing much is scheduled for today I will watch the movie “Taken” and then later on take it back to the red box. I almost forgot on the way home I stopped at the post office and mailed the first letter to Nora and bought stamps for an additional 10, paper trails are important in the whole process.

Another nice day but it's going to be warm one

I woke up early this morning probably about five and decided to lay in bed for a while and I ended up getting up about 6:30 AM. I got dressed and went down to McDonald’s for coffee. Ralphie’s giving me the cold shoulder, I guess our little confrontation yesterday is still under his skin. Oh well, he’ll get over it. After delivering meals I stopped at Wells Fargo to check and see what time automatic bill pay would be deducting money from my account and have decided that I would discontinue paying on the first and the 15th as all companies have a grace period of at least 10 days. I stopped at Nancy’s florist to see Rhonda, but she is in Portland with her mom since they moved her up there to be under Kaiser coverage. It’s all about money folks never think that personal care enters the situation at all. Have a great day this is the beginning of my day off which will culminate Thursday morning when I go back to work.

Sunshine and beautiful Monday

Woke up about 6:30 AM this morning got up and got dressed went down to McDonald’s for some coffee. Ralph was there already. About 8:30 AM I left to go to the senior center and deliver meals today, I had 20 clients today. After the deliveries were over I stopped at Wells Fargo to check on automatic bill pay and I think I will be pretty simple to set up and after that I went to Lebanon water and sewer to see if they would do a yearly average payment like Northwest natural gas does, but they do not offer that service and so I asked him what would happen if I overpaid the bill that was due and they inform me that that goes into an overage account in my account and that’s the first place that my payments come from should they need to be made so that’s another way to skin the cat. The fact of the matter is once I set up Bill pay through Wells Fargo I will have access to it from anywhere in the world so it’s really not an issue. I did get a short e-mail from Nora this morning she seems tired from A combination of the weather and the work she does or stress or what. Anyway I will send her a letter back and we’ll see where that goes. Have a beautiful day enjoy yourself and do something constructive.

Yet another Sunday, overcast and cooler.

well is up about 6:15 AM got dressed and headed down to McDonald’s for coffee, Ralph was already there and then the rest of the usual suspects came in shortly thereafter we sat around and chatted for a while then I got ready to leave it was about 9:00 AM and I decided to stop by at the dollar store and see if my atomic balls came in yet, they hadn’t, it’s only been two months now. I just finished a nice e-mail to Nora, I spoke to her last night for an hour and 28 minutes I couldn’t believe it when I looked at my phone and saw the amount of time. It’s difficult to communicate across cultural lines when the other person doesn’t have a complete comprehension of English and I have literally no comprehension of Tagalog. Communications for me are best accomplished via e-mail which also gives Nora the opportunity to have her sister who is conversant in English to look at it and make sure that it is understood the way it is written. I am excited about the budding relationship and also the trip to Korea. Hopefully my passport will arrive by the end of this month. Life has thrown me out another curve, it has put me in a place where new opportunities abound perhaps happiness lurks around the next corner. I have always disliked being alone and it was never my plan. With God’s help I believe that something good and permanent can arise from this relationship. At least I hope so. I certainly hope y’all have a wonderful day it is cooler today the potential for rain is there which we certainly could use a little bit. I hope happiness floods into your day today and brings a smile to your face.

Today is Saturday and it looks be a nice day...

I didn’t sleep too terribly bad last night woke up a little up her 6:30 AM then after getting cleaned up and dressed I went down to McDonald’s for coffee and Ralph and I pulled in at the same time The instant messaging between Nora and I last night was very interesting and very informative I think on both sides. Her ability to converse in English is much different than mine and thus there are small misunderstandings that occur, but on the whole we managed quite well. Nora did ask me to have Marie call her and I did tell Marie and when I spoke with Marie this morning she told me that she had tried to call Nora five times but nobody picked up the line. It becomes an interesting situation when one crosses cultural lines and tries to understand the other culture based on your culture and your cultural experiences. One must maintain an open mind and be very curious about what is meant in the other culture. I find it to be an intriguing experience and in many ways very rewarding. I have no particular plans for this day, but tomorrow will likely bring laundry and a few other sundry items that need to be attended to. I hope you who read this blog have a wonderful and rewarding day.

Overcast gray and wet it's Friday!

Sleep last night was interrupted numerous times trying to get comfortable. I awoke just after daylight and then later in bed until about 6:10 AM at which time I got up got dressed and went to McDonald’s. At about 8:35 AM I left to go to the senior center to deliver meals for the last day this week. Tori had added one more so I had a total of 18 clients today. A few rain drops here and there but nothing to worry about however if the sky is any indication we will see more before the sun sets. I really believe that going to physical therapy for the issue of my neck has created more pain and less relief than I had before. The hardest part remains waiting for that are all just appointment in his evaluation and then whatever the eventual proposed solution is maybe they will prescribe some type of pain medication I rather hope so. And then, if you can believe it, my stupid right foot started hurting like the left one did about eight months ago almost coinciding with the change of weather. Anyhow, my my optimism remains high and I know that this will eventually pass I just wish there were less pebbles on the path that I travel barefoot on.

It's Thursday morning and fairly chilly

I woke up this morning about 4:30 AM or so and then went to sleep I got up at 6:10 AM got dressed and went down to McDonald’s to have coffee. From there I came back home for a little bit to take care of a personal matter and then went down to the senior center to deliver meals, I had 17 clients today. Today is overcast and it was chilly enough to require and over shirt. When I finish deliveries I decided that I would have my lunch at the senior center, it wasn’t too bad, but I passed on the desert. Once home I decided to have a brownie and some milk as my desert. I think the rest of the day will be pretty quiet.

Wednesday overcast and much cooler...

When I went to bed last night it was very difficult to get to sleep it seemed that the neck pain was much more pronounced and I couldn’t seem to find a position that relieved it. Eventually though, I did fall off to sleep but it was not a restful sleep. Up this morning at 630 then down to McDonald’s for coffee. I left there a little after 8 AM after having visited with Maria for a few moments. She will be helpful in my relationship building with Nora. Nora does not have a strong command of the English language nor does she have the ability to express herself thoroughly in English. I can only imagine the difficulty she must experience. For those of you uninformed, Nora is a lady actually it’s Maria’s niece and she lists in the city of Daet in the Philippines. She is currently in Seoul Korea working as there are no jobs in the province that she lives in. We are developing a friendship which could turn into a romance and who knows what the eventual outcome may be. Sometimes life provides surprises that we don’t expect, this friendship has resulted in my applying for a passport and potentially looking at a trip to Korea yet this year. Two years ago you couldn’t have convinced me that this might be possible. One must approach life with an open mind and open heart put the past away and look forward to the future our past experiences may make us walk more gingerly as we tread the future, but it should not keep us from experiencing new things and new opportunities. The past should certainly be a well of experience but it should not be a shackling experience. Move forward albeit cautiously. On to another dismal subject, that being the current weather even though I’m sure we all appreciate the cooler temperatures. There is just something about blue sky and light fluffy clouds that invigorates the soul. I hope you all have a lovely day and that you do something that makes you feel good about yourself see you later...

Well, I'm pretty happy that it's Tuesday and I have tomorrow off...

I woke to a cooler lower temperature and morning the time was about 6:30 AM last night was not a good nights sleep wise but I’m becoming used to it. Off to McDonald’s for coffee and after that meal delivery. Two new clients on the route today one is brand-new and the other one is a renew. I really like most of my clients they are nice people, John Harner gave me a honey dew melon today, that was nice. After deliveries I went down to Bi—Mart to check my numbers and none of them came up and from there I walked down to RadioShack which will now be known as the shack and there was nothing there to interest me either. Back home now, I’ve stripped the bed to launder the sheets and I folded and put away laundry from a load I did yesterday afternoon. Doesn’t my life sound exciting? Hmmmmm, I thought so. Dear Leann, this is just for you if you have started your new blog would you be opposed to me reading it? If so I understand if you wouldn’t mind, why don’t you e-mail me a link to it. Thanks kiddo, hope you have a great day!.

Week began this day and warm it is...

I got a little bit later this morning was about 7 AM, had down for coffee at McDonald’s and got there the same time Ralph did. He was wearing a new T-shirt that Johnny had brought him from Alaska. Left about 8:10 AM to come home and print out a message for the UPS delivery guy then off to the senior center to deliver meals. 14 total clients today, Tori told me she will be increasing my route as there are other routes who are heavier than mine. On the way back in after deliveries I stopped and made a deposit at LinnCo. Back home now, having some toast and orange juice as a belated breakfast. Hope everyone has a great day myself included.

Well here it is Sunday the end of the week and quite a bit cooler...

I got up about 7 AM this morning went down to McDonald’s, Ralph was already there. He was in a particularly argumentative mood today so when he left to go home I was not particularly sad to see him go. In speaking to my friend Del, I’ve concluded that should Ralph end up wrecking this car, I will not help him find a replacement again. I think that it would be enabling him and I fear not so much for him but for those around him. I would have compassion in my heart for the fact that he would no longer be mobile in the sense of having his own transportation, but I would feel better knowing that the rest of the population would be safer in the long run.

There comes a time when friends must intervene in the behalf of those who choose not to make sensible decisions on their own. I know he would never pass a driving test. Del and I went out for breakfast had apple trees restaurant and we both had a half order of biscuits and gravy. I’m not sure what today will hold as far as activities go, but will make the best of it either way.

Saturday morning and all is well and even the weather is nice.

Woke up this morning to a beautiful day, got dressed and went down to McDonald’s for coffee and there sat Ralph’s new car... well new to him anyway. Enjoyed coffee and afterwards I decided to go down to the Saturday market. Nothing really new down there but I did buy a bag of peanut butter cookies. They are small cookies and that’s really all I wanted. On the way home I investigated a couple garage sales, at one, I bought a couple of plaques for Sun plaque and a Moon plaque to which I will attach hangers and hang them on the wall probably in the dining room. At another sale I bought three wire clamps (for what I have no idea) and a very small bone statue of a Buddha. All for $.50. You do realize I am a big spender! I don’t have any particular plans for today, I may do a load of laundry this afternoon and if it’s not too hot I may wash the Toyota pickup. I don’t like to wash it if the temperature is too hot because the soapy water dries on it before I can rinse it off. Ralph seems pretty happy with his little Subaru, he paid $1000 for it and in all honesty it’s worth about $300. But as they say to each his own, at least now he’s once again mobile. My hope is that each and every one of you enjoyed today with the nicer weather perhaps you’ll be able to do some of the things outside that you had to forego last week. In any case, have a great day!