Another busy one but feeling good

Good evening,
On my way to bed now, started at 6, worked and then discovered I had forgotten to make steel cut oats, bummer, had a slice of my incredible bread with avocado and Stripples, talk about good!  Banana.

Went down to see Kallie at 8:30 all dressed in her Alice in Wonderful costume, then drove to Tracy for lab work and then to Mountain House to see a house.

Once that was over I returned to work the rest of the day in the office, Keanna was here but was a quiet as a mouse. This evening they came by to give me a candy bar and show their outfit.  I've included photos of course.

For dinner tonight I mad a mac and cheese dinner but saved 2/3 of it in the frig for another meal and had it with green beans.  I'm hungry now but I'll just wait for morning.

I'm so buried in appraisal work I can't believe it, so far I've not gleaned any helpers but I'm sure ready for some help.  Steve is getting on approved lists so he can get work directly so he will be super busy soon.

Well here are the photos of the girls, love to all

Tim

Wow, its a long day

Good evening,

Its been a long time since I rolled out this morning.

I've been to Dublin, San Ramon, Oakland and then back to Oakley for Keanna's soccer game.  What an exciting game, bad for my heart but sure a lot of fun.  Got to sit with Steve, Kallie and Nikki and watch Keanna scoot all over the field, even though small she does not shy away from wading right in the bunch of players and kicks the ball.

So thankful for work but now the board is full again and there are some tough ones on there.  I turn down more work than I accept right now and am anxious to get people trained and up to speed to help.  Steve is a life saver but he is soon going to be too busy too.

So good night for now,

Love to all

Enjoyable day

Dear Family and Friends,
Up at 6, shower, take blood sugar, check vitals, resting rate 73, blood was 149.  Breakfast of steel cut oats, banana and piece of my own bread with avocado and tomato.

Leave for Rio Vista but encounter PG&E crew installed a new gas line down a city street, that took awhile to get around and then I was on the narrow and very tall Antioch bridge, not my favorite place to be, through quaint little Rio Vista to the Trilogy, the 55 and older development now owned by Shea Homes.  I found friendly owners, beautiful home and enjoyed the cool morning which had just shed the fog.

Then it was onto Highway 12 which is much improved over the old days when it was known as blood alley for very good reasons, it was terrible.  In a little while I arrived in El Cerrito and found an original home, the Cleavers could have lived there but it was clean and sold for $50K over list price with 6 backup offers.

Once I finished shooting all the photos I found a Burger King, had lunch and then restarted the day by going to Martinez to try to located million dollar plus homes which seemed to take forever. During the day someone called to say they could not meet me until later, I had verbally agreed to inspect a home for a private party and the IRS and had totally forgotten it.  So I had to get back to Disco Bay for that one on the golf course.  They had two pugs and I found out they may be homeless soon, oh they were so cute!  House was just so so and the pugs had done a number on the carpet, yikes I don't need that.

Then home to fix a nice dinner  and enjoyed a fresh tomato from the garden.  Of course I had to have a thin slice of my bread with peanut butter, so good.

I've worked the evening away and have just emailed out another appraisal.  At the present time I'm buried with work again and anxious to build a team of workers.  Steve and I can fly at inspecting, just need office support staff and I think its time.

No word on my step brother, Tim who is not expected to live.  So very sad and what a loss for his family especially Sue his loving wife.

My prayer for you is that you will keep searching for your reason for living and that you will pursue it with gusto as long as you can.  I enjoy my lively friends and family.

Love

tim

On such a roll

Good evening,
I was humbled to discover at the reunion that there are some kind friends who read the blog nearly every day, I then think over how many days I've written a terse and discouraged message.  While it was my reality at the time it saddens me that was all I could think to share.

In fact it has been a rather bleak couple of months in some ways but one starts to think in terms of things to be thankful for, well there have been so many, the big ones I'm heading in a new direction health wise and habit wise.  Take today for instance.  I've been confined to these 4 walls all day on purpose.  I had things to accomplish, lots of them, I wanted to apply to a new manamgement company, they have been bugging me to apply as they want to have me do work for them, now is that a bad thing?  Well I remember a time a year ago I would have jumped through hoops to get work so I took time to fill out all the pages and scan them, then email the pdf with samples of my recent work.  Another company wants to pay me directly into my checking account so I took time to deal with that, there were orders to set up, many orders.  I logged 451 today for the year, many more than the 325 I had to do all last year.  installed an update on the lower office computer that had been waiting in the wings for months, it works better now.  On a personal level I did three loads of wash and got to use that blessing of a new dryer, what a machine.  I also learned how to use my new rice cooker / vege steamer and for the first time ever I steamed some carrots and asparagus and then since I was on such a roll I made bread, first time in a long time but the resulting loaf is so tiny and dense, yet very delicious and the house smells so glorious.

This afternoon Art and Connie surprised me with a short visit, it was great to see them.  I've been texting special friends, emailing reports out and just now made some appointments for the week.  It has been an incredible day with so much accomplished, little things and big things.  Yet I've not blown the day food wise.  My indulgence was a slice of the new bread with peanut butter, talk about good.

I'm thinking in the back of my mind about step brother Tim and wondering where he stands tonight.  There was some talk of turning off the support system today or tomorrow, this is all so shocking and fast.  Not more than a week ago he was calling me to encourage me to take care of the blood sugars and diabetes in his own special caring way, now we are losing him, just unbelievable.  Oh this life is so fleeting, yet we feel like it could never happen to use, we are somehow different, well this A-Fib has certainly got my attention, it can happen to us, not just to the other person.

Right now I'm sipping herbal tea, I started thinking a mocha would be nice but the tea has nothing to jam up the blood sugar and its warm and tastes good too.  Nan left a huge box of teas of every description, it was supposed to be a bread box so I've no shortage of tea.

Well tomorrow starts bright and early, in Rio Vista at 9, then on to El Cerrito and then shoot comps for a few appraisals, then come home to start writing them up.

Thank you for your prayers and I've not felt this good in spite of the A-Fib for a very long time.

There are many things to be thankful for.  I was just reading in the Andrews University Magazine that comes once in awhile.  It is a well written missive and one of the teachers was talking about telling his students how lucky they were to be able to be in University as the majority of the worlds young people their age are hoping for a meal, or struggling with poverty while the students in the class were well fed, comfortable and free to learn new things about life and their world.  What an opportunity we have in just education alone.

So in a grateful mood I bid you all good night.  I'm still remembering faces that I met last night for the first time in a long time, it was incredible, so long and some of them looked exactly like they did many years ago.

Love to all

Tim

Reunion

Dear Family and Friends,

Oh what fun!  It was great to see so many people who I've known over the years at tonight's reunion for our little Tracy SDA School.  George and Becky have worked so hard to make this a success and it was huge.  My little kiddos loved playing on the same playground that Nikki and Jason enjoyed so long ago and they played for hours.  The event was carefully planned and everything was incredible, photos on the walls, videos prepared and shown, good food, just great.  I'm so proud of my precious Tracy church family.  They know how to do things right!

This morning Keanna ran her first 5K run around our lake and at the same time Kallie and I left to drive to Tracy for Sabbath School.  What fun to have little kiddos from the Tall family, I can remember when their three children were young and here we are enjoying grandchildren.  It really is one of the nicest parts of life, I'm sure God's heart is also touched when He sees little ones grow up with loving parents and then sees those children in turn start wonderful families.  Oh how special heaven will be when families can enjoy each other for eternity.  Days like today really put the rather mundane other days in perspective, we work hard on those other days so we can enjoy these special days of fellowship and love.

I had lunch today with a dear friend and enjoyed that very much too.  All in all this has been another one for the memory book, people touching people, laughing, remembering, sharing, as Steve Ahn would say, good stuff and speaking of Steve, I know He would have enjoyed seeing Michael in action tonight on the stage, the guy is good, really good in speaking to crowds of people and just happens to have one of the cutest little babies every created!

Well I'm ready to turn in, my heart is full.  A bit of reporting, my Coumadin level is high at 3.1 so they have suggested changes to lower it a bit, probably my delicious salad at lunch will help as well in getting it down a bit.  My resting heart rate for the last few morning at been 72, not much higher than my old "normal".  Blood sugars have been running much lower, had a 169 this morning, 149 yesterday morning, 116 mid day recently and I know it was low this evening before I ate.  I feel great, have energy and am past the terrible slump I was in for so many weeks, I'm grateful that I didn't get hit with a stroke during that time as I had no idea why I felt so terrible, just knew something was very wrong.

In life if we stop and try to think like God thinks for even a few minutes we become very aware that we do have a grace filled life.  We are comfortable, have safe cars, more than enough great food, safe water, excellent communication devices, have excellent medical care available, plenty of work and enough money to keep things going.  Most of all we have plenty of Grace from Jesus, grace to cover our tattered lives, grace and inspiration to do better, to care more, to resist anger.  We really have it made, Jesus wants it that way.

Love to all,

Tim

Friday evening

Dear Family and Friends,
At last it is Friday night and the work week has closed.  Its been an incredible week, I'm feeling well, the work has been flowing, I've driven thousands of miles safely, I've seen several million dollars worth of homes, probably over 10 million this week alone.  Fun stuff.  Some of the homes have been really grand.  So much are put into these homes.

This afternoon I got to take Kallie to a birthday party which was held in Livermore and while she was enjoying the jumpy house event I did a quick appraisal nearby.

I'm down about 11 pounds for the week and so thankful to be in different pants for the first time in awhile.  I'm feeling much better now and working on balance in all things.

So I'm wrapping it up now, heading for bed so much needed sleep.  Sending love to all,

Tim

By this time of day I'm pretty tired.....

It all started at 6 this morning and now its 9:45 pm.  I've written a full report, did research for 4 properties, driven to San Jose, inspected a nice place with challenging owner, then driven to San Leandro with a brief stop at Starbucks, such a good stop, then from San Leandro fought traffic to Berkeley hills where the home was beautiful, the owner a gifted artist with a chain of studios for her art, then after shooting 8 comps I headed to Martinez and had solid traffic the whole way.  That home was stunningly perfect on an acre and when I left there it was getting dark, then traffic again until Antioch where I stopped at Olive Garden for soup and salad, perfect break, then back into less traffic for the trip to Safeway and then home.  How Good God is for his Safety, guidance and opportunities to display kindness to the homeowners.

Now its bed time, so tired, and tomorrow is back at it again until late afternoon when it all stops and I get to take Kallie to a part in Livermore while Keanna is with her mother at BooVille at the school.  Fun stuff to get to be with family so often.

Sending love to all,

Tim

A routine called life

So here we are again, meeting in this special way,  I have interesting things going on in my life, some of which I can share and some are just private.  Today was really a terrific day.

I woke to gentle rain so I resigned myself that I would be measuring in the rain today but it was not to be.  Once I actually got out to the property in San Ramon it was almost warm and with my funny little yellow hard hat that they insist I wear I did my thing in sunshine.  This tract is almost completed and Diane, the sales agent is so incredibly nice, I can see why the buyers love her.  Today I did the actual house that she sits in to sell, its been sold and soon all the homes will be occupied and we will all move on.

I went to Kaiser in Livermore today for labs and this evening I found that I'm not 3.1, above the norm.  I'm sure I'll get cut back a bit on the Coumadin tomorrow, hope so as I don't want to bleed out.

At 1:15 I picked up her highest, Keanna is such a delight.  We made a deposit at the bank, drove to pick up a snack and then went to Brentwood to shoot a comps photo, once the work was done we stopped at Dollar Tree to Keanna's delight.  We found a couple things and I picked up a candy as my blood was making me feel pretty shaky, nice to finally get it down for a change.

Once home Keanna went to work on her homework which she pronounced "easy" and I made her popcorn.  I just kept working trying to catch up.  Eventually Nikki and Kallie came and I got my Kallie rush and hug.

This evening I met with my neighbor who is considering helping me write reports, I'm thrilled and he lives right across the street and has some past experience, could be great.

Well for now I've got to tell you, God is really helping on an hourly basis.  I'm so thankful for so many things.

Love

tim

Working hard, feeling good

Good evening
Well I'm taking a break from a very long day but I'm feeling good at what I've accomplished.  I rolled out at 6 this morning, it was cold and dark.

I started right into my pile of orders that need to be written and after a long process finished one in Brentwood, of course they are already back with conditions but who cares.  Its done.

Then I started another one that was needed in a rush, saw it yesterday and finished it today, and then there was another one and Steve finished one that I could quickly get out the door as well, what a help that was.

You need to understand that work is interrupted often as emails arrive with lender or client instructions or needs, I probably deal with at least 50 emails a day plus some personal ones as well, I welcome those.  I set up orders, call and make appointments, travel to properties in the best logical order I can come up with, inspect them, fight traffic and finally get back home.  When companies pay for appraisals their checks either come in the mail or through direct deposit.  Then those checks have to be logged out so we know which ones are paid for.  The phone rings pretty steady during the day and may be someone looking for help with a bad appraiser, someone responding to a request for an appointment, a lender trying to find out when their order will arrive plus the worthless calls from time share nuts.

Since I work in what was once Jason's bedroom where there are three computers, three printers, book shelves with files, blank paper and supplies I'm only steps from the kitchen, a little frig where the water is kept and the garage door.  Steve loaned me a little space heater that is silent and works by heating oil and then radiating the heat into the room.  I keep it under my desk and keep it low but it sure does take the chill off in the mornings.  I have a 27 inch monitor that does a great job of picturing what I'm doing.  I have direct access to MLS information for many counties and also access to public records.  Orders arrive by email and then I print them out to wait until I get a chance to set them up.

As you know I've been trying to locate someone to do write ups for me, to assist with the process of getting the orders written to a point where I can make the final decisions.  Steve does a super job but has his own work plus the girls to move from place to place so I need additional help.  I've been asking God for His help and I think He answered today.  As I was driving out to make a bank deposit I stopped to say hello to Gary, my long time neighbor.  I asked if he was busy and he said his work was slow this time of the year.  Gary has helped in the past with doing appraisals, years ago and was warm to the idea of writing reports for a reasonable fee.  So we are going to get together soon to work out details. This could really be a huge help for both Steve and Myself as he is about to connect with some of the same companies that send me work, much more than I can handle at the present time.  So he stands to become very busy as well.

I've got to say that God is really good to us when we stop to listen.  Currently I'm battling with blood sugar numbers, this morning it was 149 which is not too bad.  I've stopped eating in the evening, dropped 10 pounds so far and hope to be down more tomorrow.  But getting the blood sugar level down in the afternoon is proving to be tough.  Tomorrow I have to get my blood level checked for Coumadin, I'll do it in Tracy or Livermore when i pass through those places, both are very quick to take care of it.

I'm including a photo for Mr Timothy getting his second belt in his martial arts class.  Just warms my heart to see the little people do their thing.

Sending love to all,

Tim

Great Sunday

Good evening,
I've had such a good day, had some great leftovers from yesterday and made a salad, was able to work for hours without fatigue or heart issues.  My inspection this morning went perfectly, the family was great and had two little kiddos that were so cute. 

I even fitted a trip to CostCo in, water, fruit, soy milk.  I love that place and so did nearly everyone in the county today, parking lot was so full.

Well its bed time now and I've not been this up for a very long time, I've caught a vision and I'm trying to let God figure things out in advance, Hes a pretty good planner.

I've spent most of the day counting blessings instead of counting problems, I sure do have a lot of blessings including a chance to talk to Donna and Jerry this evening up in chilly Weed and Art in Gilroy.  How great to have people who love you and you love them to chat with.  It takes the sting out of being alone.

Good night and sending love to you

Tim

Great Sabbath

Dear Family and Friends,
What a great Sabbath this has been.  First off Kallie and I went to Tracy to Sabbath School.  Kim led out in a great series of activities and songs, there were several children there and even though at times it was a bit wild overall all it was a wonderful experience.  Afterwards Kallie asked if we could make a hot chocolate but when we go there there was tea but no packets of hot chocolate.  Dick Lanza was nearby, heard our conversation and quickly found a packet in a storage room.  Then we worked on it until the temperature was just right, Kallie loved it, thanks Dick for making her day.

We drove home and since her parents were not quite there we went in and I sank into a recliner.  Soon Nikki appeared with Keanna in a soccer outfit and a smile, they had won the game.  Then I headed home to spend a terrific afternoon with a friend, just getting to know someone is such a pleasure so we walked to the park, went out in the paddle boat and shared photos.  I can't remember when I enjoyed myself more, what fun, playing the piano, singing and sharing.

As of now the headache is gone, that is a huge blessing for which I'm very grateful.

And now its time to head to bed once again, I'm ready, relaxed, blessed and at peace.  God is really so good to us and in so many unique ways.

Love to all,

Tim

24 hour headache, Great wedding this afternoon at 4 pm.

Dear Family and Friends,

I'm just back from a really terrific wedding.  It was held in Brentwood at a great facility and the service took place outdoors.  At first it was a little warm but mostly it was just great.  A lot of thought and planning had created a perfect wedding.

Afterwards there was time to sip while they took photos.  Then dinner was served and what a great dinner.  I got to sit with Rod and his wife, Rod ran a copier repair place for years before selling out to a large company.  We knew both he and his wife well as they kept all of our equipment working year after year.  They are Christians, have a blue grass band and are just incredibly nice human beings.  So it was a real pleasure to sit with them and have dinner.  I've been to a lot of weddings but I've not been to a better planned one, they thought of everything.

I've battled a headache yesterday, and then this morning when I woke it was there, its been with me all day, so bad that I've considered going to ER, but didn't.

Tomorrow I'm taking Kallie to Sabbath School and then something very scary, exciting and unusual is happening.  At around noon a friend will arrive, she will be driving from the Napa area, is bringing lunch and is coming to sit on the back deck with me so we can get to know one another.  She is a close friend of Dolly's and Dolly has helped us start talking to each other.  While I am so timid about moving relationships, so concerned I might be misreading things this lady is NOT shy. 

While we were emailing back and forth I mentioned it would be grand to just sit on the back deck and enjoy the lake, well she responded, was I asking her to come, inviting her?  Well once I thought about it I really was wishing it could happen but I'd probably never come right out and ask, well she was not timid, oh I like that a lot.  Now having said all of this part of me is saying, are you crazy?  You are heavy, the house is a mess, the deck is a mess, there are cobwebs everywhere, all of which are true.  So I've done a bit of housework in an effort to try to get it a little more presentable.

So please pray and my headache will go away and that God's will can happen tomorrow.  This is a talented lady, musical, a member of my church, a vegan and a very good communicator.  So I'm frightened and hopeful as the same time.  I have no desire to be alone, I have a lot of love and devotion to share and a lot to learn as well.

Not sure if I shared this, the heart doctor said I could exercise but not to exceed 120 heart beats when doing so.  I think that means gentle walks are ok and I'm looking forward to getting the tennis shoes on once again.

Thank you Lord for the Sabbath hours, may they refresh us all and help us make sense out of our lives.

Love

tim

Just another day

Good evening,

Rolled out this morning to a dark world, the redeeming feature is the warm shower and hitting the scales and seeing it read out less!

I worked for awhile and then went for breakfast, imagine my surprise when I discovered I had forgotten to put on the steel cut oats last night, bummer so I had Wheaties, toast, stripples and a banana.

I was in Rodeo at 10 to see an older home.  The agent turned out to be this very pleasant younger woman who was sharp, compassionate who has an 8 year old girl, one had only to watch her eyes when she talked of her little one to know where her heart is.  What a class act.  The house was so so but will appraiser OK.  This is an older section of town in the shadow of Highway 80 and the refineries.  Probably not a place where I'd want to live but a bargain for the buyers.

Upon leaving I ended up in the drive through of Starbucks where I had a decaf skinny mocha.  It was great and lasted almost until I reached Brentwood.  I got my car washed in Brentwood, had a burrito and was able to shake loose some comps from a track office, just the comps I needed to complete an outstanding appraisal.

Once I got home I went to work on a big one located in Tracy and about 5 pm it went out.  Steve had helped me with one and had emailed it to me, I went over to get the file and sat for a bit with him.  My neck and side of my head was hurting badly and of course I was thinking stroke.  Now hours later it is still hurting badly, hope sleep will solve it.

I'm thinking in about 3 weeks I might be able to have the cardioversion, where they shock my heart in an attempt to restore a normal rhythm.  I can only hope.  Today my cardiologist said I could walk and exercise as long as I did not go past 120 beats per minute so I'm going to dig out the heart monitor that I own and try to figure out how it works, then I can walk and monitor the bests keeping it under the limit.  probably won't be in spin class for a while.  Actually I went by today and put the club on hold for two months, the lady could not have been nicer, she has know about me as an appraiser for over 20 years and was also aware about Nan's struggle.

Its sort of uncanny how much people do observe even when you think you are invisible, just part of the crowd.

Well at this point I'm checking out and going to bed.

Sending a special hug to each of the kiddos and the big kids too.  you keep me going.

Tomorrow afternoon Jeanna, the girl who has lived next door for the entire 25 years I've lived here is getting married.  It will be fun to attend her service at 5 pm tomorrow afternoon.  What great neighbors Ken and LeAnn have been over the years.  They have helped out so many times in so many ways, just the kind of people you'd want living next door.

Love to all

tim

Still on the trail

Good evening family and friends,
I'm still on the trail, sometimes the path goes uphill and sometimes it goes down, slippery, dusty, rock strewn and then there is a place by the trail where one can look out over the valley and see where the path has brought us,  how has your journey been lately, are you hiking to the stars or trying to avoid the garbage dump?  Do you sense the angels faithfully guiding, do you overwork them with your careless habits or do you bore them with your slow pace?

This day has its highlight for me, Keanna came to visit this afternoon, did her homework on her own, announced that math comes easy, then watched her shows, munched on popcorn, drank down a big bottle of water and was ready when her mom came to collect her.  She let me work as I'm deep in the dodo right now, behind to almost everyone.  And since I just paid the IRS I'm broke until someone decides to take pity and pays up.  Actually checks come in almost every day now.

This morning 6 came early and I clicked on the overhead light, the one connected to the new fan I installed in the bedroom, stumbled to the recliner and took my blood vitals, resting was 74, not good but could be worse. Then to the very hot shower, dress and head down to make my decaf coffee with a touch of mocha.  Its great and I have a special cup that I use every day, routines I love.

Then to the desk to do research for the day, I just had two places to see, one in Antioch and one in Rio Vista, yes Sylvia, in that same neighborhood where our mutual friend lives.  The home was huge and beautiful, someone lost it to the bank and now finally it has found a buyer, of course its one of the highest sales in the last 6 months in all of Rio Vista so the challenge is there.

When I went to Antioch to keep an appointment set a couple days ago I was stood up, no one was there, no one answered their phone or the door bell, thats a hard hit when I have so many places I could be, where people are anxious for me to get there and then to get stood up, not nice!

On the way back from Rio Vista I went to the lab and did blood work for the Coumadin, then on to Safeways to make sure I had Keanna popcorn, then to the school to pick her up and home to start the afternoon shift.

I've just finished writing one that is a relo form, much longer and tedious but now its done and shipped away. Thank you Lord.

Tomorrow morning I go to Rodeo and then I'm back home for the day to write things up for the anxious people.

So the path was pretty easy today and I'm thankful that God is allowing me to continue to go forward.  There are interesting people on the edge of my life right now, great possibilities!  Keeps life interesting.

Love to all

Tim

Miles driven/houses seen/traffic terrible

Today was a challenge

First off it was warm, really warm, 90 in Fremont, secondly there was a lot to do. After climbing out at 6 this morning, writing a report, then having a phone call from Kaiser that put me very late, then a drive to Danville where I found a lovely home with pool, 4 year old, grandmother and a quiet neighborhood.

From there I found a Burger King and enjoyed my regular lunch.  Then on to Fremont to find yet another nice home on a tiny lot, home has lots of updating but having just eaten my body was not ready to be out in the heat, sweat just poured off me and I would take a measure, then move to the shade to cool off, that one was no fun at all but the lady was gracious, the home was beautiful.

From there I attempted to drive up 880 to Alameda and reshoot some comps but traffic was so awful that my extra time was slipping away so I changed directions to Pleasant Hill where I had a 5 pm appointment.  Once I reached 680 it became a parking lot, after nearly an hour of stop and go, torture on my left leg with the clutch, finally we found the fender bender which was pulled off to the side but traffic was backed up for miles.  So I arrived at about 5:40 and found a beatiful new home which had just been completed.  The touch up painter was leaving as I pulled in.  What we have is a 1.5 acre property in the middle of a developed area of Pleasant Hill located very near the Conference Office.  They have constructed a 4,000 sf home of highest quality on the site, value is probably 1.5 million if and when I can locate comparables, it won't be easy at all.

So from there I drove home and arrived about 7:30.  Every part of my body is tired and worn out.  I'm in my office with the AC on, the door closed and enjoying a bit of relief.

Tomorrow morning its off to the lab for blood draw, see a house in Antioch, then one in Rio Vista, get back for Keanna at 1:15 from school.  Then work the rest of the afternoon and evening getting some stuff out the door.

There is not much enjoyable about this life on a normal daily basis, work, eat and sleep but I'm glad I can sleep OK, that there is always food available and that I have work to do.  Things could be a lot worse.

The phone call today from the heart specialist in Santa Clara was very disappointing.  She explained that I do not have typical A-Fib but my electrical abnormalities are found in a different part of the heart than what can be treated easily, for me they would have to make a hole in the lining between the chambers of my heart and then go on a fishing expedition trying to find where the electrical signals need correcting.  She said it was challenging, risky and they didn't want to do it if they don't have to.  So she referred me back to my Cardiologist here who has written this evening.  Once the levels are between 2 and 3, a measure of thinned blood, then the clock will start and in a month they will do a cardioversion procedure which is to shock the heart, trying to return it to a normal rhythm, it may work, it may not.  I was very discouraged with what was being reported.  My case has gone from routine to risky and challenging, great.

So I leave you with these happy thoughts tonight.  At this point I'm buried with work, so deep it will take days to dig out, emails are piling up from clients who want it yesterday and I'm to keep my life stress free.

Can I ask for your prayers, mine seem to be having little effect right now.

Love to all,

Here are a couple photos from Jo, I like to share them.

So Tired, going to bed

This has ended up being a very long day.  First to San Francisco, then a rush was phoned in so i drove to San Ramon, then to Pleasanton, then to Alameda and finally to Oakland.

IHOP on the way home and a great apple donut from Apple Hill from Nikki.

More tomorrow, hope my heart can hold out.

Love


Tim

Alone again

Dear Family and Friends,

As many of you know our family friend Marilyn has been visiting and helping me since late July.  She has been doing all manner of things both for the company and for me personally.  She has shopped for groceries, loaded and unloaded the dishwasher, cut up peaches we found at CostCo that have been so good, she has set up orders, done all the filing, kept up when clients paid for appraisals, made deposits, driven me about since my heart acted up, cared for the kiddos and just been a very good friend.  In life lots of times good things have to come to an end and today Marilyn started her journey back to her home in Rhode Island with her adult children.

This morning Nikki and the girls arrived in the van and Marilyn loaded all her bags in. They went to Apple Hill where all had a great day, then on the way home they stopped in Sacramento so Marilyn could visit Diane for a few days.  From there she will fly home sometime this week.

It has felt very strange all day, so quiet, no movement, no offers of help, no runs to Starbucks or to made deposits.  I miss her and I will miss her help as well. Tonight Pooka keeps looking for her couch buddy as they sat together on the love seat and watched TV, read books and did the computer.

I've been able to settle into doing some much needed work and this evening Ray and Lois asked if I wanted to come grill a burger with them.  I took one of my new griller prime patty and Ray grilled it just right.  It was nice to sit and watch the sun set in a blaze of glory and color.  Once we were through Ray came back with me to help me move the dryer to the curb to give away to the first taker.  Once that was out I was able to juggle things in the garage and both cars are put away tonight, for some reason that is sort of an obsession with me and they are both inside.  Of course I can feel it in my chest too, whenever I do much my heart send out these little feelings and I know to slow down.  how glad I will be when it works properly again but that is a month away at the soonest.

Tomorrow I drive to San Francisco to see a house, then back to Alameda and then to Oakland before turning for home.  I hope I'm not overdoing, I do try to stay calm, let the idiot drivers just go where they want to and not get worked up like I used to.

Tomorrow is also the day I have to part with thousands of dollars for taxes.  I'm thankful that I have a few thousand to share. 

So with a quiet house, great memories and a deep appreciation for all her help I say a gentle goodbye to Marilyn.  With a heart of gold, a sharp sense of right and wrong and lots of opinions Marilyn is never dull, its been a blast.

Sending love to all,

Tim

Getting by, Girls spice up the day

Good evening
We picked up Keanna and Kallie this morning, both girls were dressed in cute dresses and were in high spirits.  They played my IPHONE and Keanna's Ipod and chattered as we drove through the country side.

At Sabbath School Keanna went her way and Marilyn and I sat in on Kallie's Sabbath School.  Kim had her hands full today as there were several children and all seemed to be very alive.  It was birthday time and two of the children got to celebrate.  Loren and Emily were there with Jack and Luke, it was great to see them and Loren got a photo of Kallie that is really special.  I'll share it here.

 

After Sabbath School was over we met Nikki for lunch at Olive Garden where we all enjoyed good food and fun.  Then Kallie came home with us and Keanna and Nikki drove to Nutcracker practice.  later I took Kallie home.  I napped a bit and enjoyed the perfect weather this afternoon.

 

This evening we drove to Brentwood, to the Streets of Brentwood and went to BJs for dinner.  It is loud but the food was good and we watched part of a baseball game.

 

Tomorrow Nikki and the girls are going to visit Apple Hill, how I wish I could go but I have lots of work that I need to attend to, Marilyn is going to Apple Hill and then is being delivered to her friend's house in Sacramento.  She will be there to celebrate her friends birthday and then fly home some time later in the week.

 

Will I miss her?  Oh yes, she has helped a great deal with file handling, marking appraisals paid when checks arrive and setting up files in proper boxes.  She had made good meals, driven me about to appointments and put up with my dry humor.  Funny thing is, while she has been away James her grandson has continued to grow, today she found out that his shoe size was 11 or more, she was shocked.

 

Wishing you all a good Sunday, God is good, life is exciting and the IRS is awful, those seem to be truths to live by.

 

Love

 

Tim

Coumadin levels gradually rise, Sabbath arrives

Good evening

We are just back from having dinner at Gratzies, a locally owned restaurant which has excellent food.  I had their soup which is a specialty and a avocado salad which was huge and very good.  Marilyn had a burger which she is raving about, they got it right so she is happy.

Marilyn is almost ready to blow this joint, move on to her friend Diane's in Sacramento and then fly home some time next week.  Her visit has provided so much help especially since I'm having the heart challenges.  She has set up the orders, filed away files and has done an excellent job of everything she touches.  She will be missed, Pooka will be distraught at not having her friend to sit with all day long.

Tomorrow morning I have the high honor of escorting both Keanna and Kallie to Sabbath School.  They have both been here today to visit and brought sunshine to this place.  It was actually chilly enough today that I built my first fire of the season and that sure lifted the temperature.

This morning I inspected a property in Brentwood that sort of amazes.  It was 4700 sf and had perfect landscaping, a Pebblesheen pool with led lighting, two fire tubs filled with rock and from which fire shoots up, an out door kitchen which is much better than most kitchens inside, bedroom and after bedroom, a movie room with its own popcorn maker, drink frig and projection TV system.  What a kick to see a place like this, perfect in every way with space everywhere.  Now finding comps will be a super challenge but of course that is why I make the big bucks!  Kidding.

Well its time to relax a bit and then turn in early tonight.  How thankful I am that God knew we could use a break, a time to reflect, to express thankfulness, to love those around us.

I'm thankful that my heart A-Fib was discovered, that Kaiser has great doctors and nurses to guide me through this process, that my risk of stroke tonight is less than a week ago as the blood thins out and the Crestor kicks in.

Please remember my precious San Jose family.  Jo has suffered with being ill for a long time, Mia and Timothy are better tonight but they are facing real challenges and I know they appreciate our prayers.

Thank you for your many expressions of support, of antidotes regarding A-Fib and for lending your support to my life. So many have expressed kind comments on Facebook, kind of amazing.

So I give love to all,

Tim

A Nice evening

Dear Family and Friends,

Up at 7, to work by 8, cranked things out, made appointments, lunch with Nikki at noon, then back to work.  Keanna was here today and she and Marilyn had a good time reading, making popcorn and drawing pictures.

Then Kallie arrived and she took over the activities, picture this, her little smiling face looking up at me as I worked, Pappa can we go to the park, please.  Who could resist so off to the park we went and she played, climbed to the top of everything in sight, then it back home to meet her mom.

Since Marilyn and I were both hungry we drove to IHOP on a whim and enjoyed a nice meal, now back to head to bed for rest.

Kaiser came through big time today with lots of info about my condition, about what they will do in a month when the blood has been thinned and I'm ready to be tweaked.  Seems it is not so simple.  Procedure can take a couple hours, then there is a 5 to 6 hour period of observation before I'm allowed to leave and today I discover that it will be done in Santa Clara which is where the center for this kind of process is located.  Oh my.  Does not sound fun, they actually burn a spot creating a scar that will then block the errant electrical signals that drive the heart and force them to operate correctly.

Got to say that using the inhaler the last couple days seems to be helping the cough, I've not coughed much today, a very nice change and part of the reason that by tonight I'm feeling pretty well.

Tomorrow morning there will be more appraisal work, then blood draw at the hospital, then off to see properties.  Oh life is interesting right now, I'm behind, Steve is helping and I could use even more help.  It is really hard to be turning down so much good work that is available.

Well for now its rest time,

sending love to all

Tim

Walking on eggshells

Good evening
Just a few lines before I head off to bed.  This was a full in the field day, I first inspected a local property and me a really amazing lady who lives in the home.  It was nice to start the day with something so nearby.  Then at 11 I inspected a great property in Livermore, a kitchen that was so tasefully updated, pretty amazing.  Then it was on to WalMart to try to locate the popcorn popper that can be used in the microwave.  They were out so we grabbed lunch at In and Out and drove to Alamo, shot one comp and then our party in Oakland called to say he could be there in 20 minutes for a quick inspection so we hit the road and Marilyn got the high honor of driving on a part of Oakland that is rough, lots of people die there every month.  Once that was over we once again caught the freeway and that time ended up in Tracy, to see the one where the people were not home yesterday.  We found a happy family of 5 children, huge house, cute puppy and by the time I was through my elbow was hurting, my heart didn't feel right and I was glad Marilyn was driving.  Then we went to the Tracy WalMart and found the popcorn popper. 

We just made some popcorn and it was excellent with no oil and only a bit of seasoning, I call that progress.

All day long I wonder if this cough or that short walk up stairs will trigger a stroke.  They confirmed that my blood is starting to thin but tonight she had me take 8 mg of Coumadin to jump start the process of getting the blood down to the right level, then the clock can start of the 4 weeks to the procedure to get the rhythm back to normal.  Right now I don't know what I should be doing, all I was told was don't exercise.  Any ideas out there?

So for now I'm turning in, had a nice dinner tonight with Nikki and the girls.

Love to all

Tim

Just returned from a rather full day, D-Fib remains

It was such a shock, I thought my heart had returned to a normal rhythm after a couple days of waking to 75 beats per minute.  So I wrote an email to the cardiologist letting him know what was happening, he had asked me to do just that.  He replied that I should get a new EKG done to confirm the improvement.

We were in Tracy to do an appraisal so we sought out the Tracy Kaiser Medical building and had the blood work for the Coumadin then returned later for the EKG.  As soon as the gal finished I knew not all was well, she went to consult with the family practice doctor there, came back took a second EKG and went away for a very long time, finally she returned to ask if I had any symtoms, well not that I know of.  Then she said her doctor had spoken to my cardiologist and I was free to go.  So I walked out totally bummed, the EKG had lots of stuff written, nothing sounded good to me.

Our visit to the Tracy home to do the appraisal was a bust as well.  She had forgotten, she being a tenant so I'll go back tomorrow afternoon at 3, I love wasting time!

We then drove back to the office where I did some quick work that people needed, then we left for San Pablo.  We found a very nice mexican family with cute kids, trashy house, a very talkative parrot and two kids who scrambled into the attic to take the photo I needed.  Then we left for San Ramon and arrived late due to traffic and my poor planning.

The San Ramon home was nearly perfect other than the sons room, not so good!  Once we shot the photos we drove to Alamo a very upscale neighborhood where I saw the last one of the day.  A great family and a great house.

We were both very hungry so we found Red Robin and I had a Gardenburger with just lettuce and tomato, a salad and decaf.  The meal was perfect, our waitress attentive and cute.

Now we are home and both beat.  Marilyn has done all the driving today, reminds me of those days with Loren when he used to come with me.  She is very tired tonight but I think glad she could help out.

I did get test results back from the lab and it appears that I'm well on my way to the correct levels in my blood but the person who was to call me never did today so I took my regular dose of Coumadin tonight in hopes I'm doing it right.

Tomorrow back out into the field to see a few more, lots of new orders came in today, a curse and a blessing.  My life is in God's hands right now.

Love

tim

Evening report

Good evening
I'm just wrapping up after a rather full day, full of appraisal writing that is.  Today I've completed 4 reports and enjoyed having a normal heart rhythm all day.  At the most it climbed to 101 when I carried my laundry basket down to do the laundry and was up rushing around.

I'm go in the morning to get blood drawn, it will have to be early as I'm heading to Tracy for a 10 am appointment, then Livermore around 11, then San Pablo for a 3 pm and back to San Ramon for a 4:30 and then Alamo at 6.  I know, way to much for one day and if it gets too bad I'll call and reschedule things.

I had this really great breakfast, my 1/3 cup of steel cut oats from the slow cooker, my left over cheese omelet from IHOP, some fruit, it was a great breakfast and I had it on the Bistro Table by the water, a perfect morning and I'm one very thankful guy for life.

Son Jason had a tough day, he had to spend it in the city cramming for mid terms which are fast approaching, how he wanted to be with the kiddos and Jo but they did have a good day in nature yesterday.

Nikki is recovering from the twins sale, a huge event that she helps with and it provides an excellent place to pick up needed things for the girls.  Its something she is committed to and does a great job with.

Well at this point I'm leaving the stage and heading for bed.  My elbow is complaining loudly with some pretty strong pain and the coughing never seems to go away but all in all things are OK.  I've heard from so many friends through facebook, its amazing really, wonder if I should write the blog on face book?

Sending love to all,

I need to mention a sad note.  My brother Jerry has lost his daughter Sharon.  She has battled for her life for several weeks now and several organs just could not hand on.  She was about 51 I think and she will be missed by her husband Doug, by Jerry and Donna and by others who knew her.  Her life was not easy but now she is at rest.

Jason has a friend who is just 33 who is suffering after her heart slowed to such a slow beat pattern that she collapsed at a bus stop.  Medical specialists were right there so she received the best care but her life is in the balance right now.  I know Jason would like prayers for Kim.

Good night

tim

75

Rest heart rate this morning at 7 am is 75.  Progress!

A Day of Recovery

Dear Family and Friends,
Today has been a winner and Kallie and Keanna made it so.  We picked them up this morning at 8:50 and enjoyed Sabbath School.  Then we passed by the Dollar Tree where the kids enjoyed a bit of shopping, very interesting to see them at work and watch them make their choices.

Then it was time for Olive Garden and the food was terrific.  Though the meal ran a little long we had fun.  Afterwards the girls came home to watch something Keanna wanted to see that she had taped on the DVR.  They drew pictures, played on my phone and had a nice time this afternoon.  Steve came mid afternoon and took the girls to the track so they could ride the quad and I took a nap.

For dinner tonight we had three kinds of fruits, Strawberries, melon and peaches with a bit of fat free cottage cheese.  It was an excellent meal and we ate it outside on the deck as the sun was moving toward the west.  The breezes were gently blowing, we could hear children playing on the lake in the distance and it was just nice.

This evening we've enjoyed watching some shows on the DVR, Hawaii 5-0 and such.  Now its bed time. Tomorrow will be a long work day and I hope to be mostly caught up by evening.

What a great blessing the Sabbath has been, one downside has been terrible coughing all day, no fun at all.  My sides and chest are sore from the coughing, somehow we have to get that stopped.  Something to pray about.

How I've appreciated hearing from so many people on Facebook today as I left a little message about my heart issues, so good to hear from so many friends and family.

Love to all

Tim

Winding it down

Today was a work in day and tonight I've finished 3 appraisals. sure it should have been 5 and some clients are not happy but I was so tired this evening that I could hardly stand.  My heart just beats away and I get tired.

Keanna came this morning and spent the day. She is a great guest, makes her own popcorn, plays on the laptop, watches TV, has interesting conversations with Marilyn and then her dad arrived to take and Kallie home.

Tomorrow morning we will take her to Sabbath School and then lunch somewhere.  Nikki is deep into her twins sale, she worked there half a day today and will be there all day tomorrow.  I think she has like 450 items tagged to sell in the sale herself.

This evening we went to IHOP in Tracy, picked up a precious tank of gas in the Civic, we scored for only $4.14 a gallon while in Discovery Bay it is $4.45 for regular.  Wow, what a hardship on those commuting to work, well yes even me to as I do have to spend some money for fuel, Diesel is $4.44 right now.

Now its time to rest and I'm so very thankful for the Sabbath hours.  Our loving God knew when He created us that we needed a time to refill, to refresh, to get a chance to love and be loved.  For me its the Sabbath.

So I send each of you a Sabbath Blessing.  I've just taken my second Coumadin dose and as of this morning I had dumped 7 pounds, not that it will all stay off but I'm thankful for each and every breath right now.

Love to all

Tim

The Next Step - Coumadin

Dear Blog Followers,

I can't express how grateful I am to those who have communicated with me, your experiences and advice has been so helpful. 

I've learned that one can be on Coumadin and still live a pretty normal life, that sometimes people are on it, have the heart process done and then eventually stop taking Coumadin, I've learned to the heart procedure is fairly ordinary, I've also learned that coughing and A-Fib are related, some people can even kick their heart back into normal by coughing and holding their hand firmly on their chest, I've learned from the Coumadin clinic that I start with 4 mg which I did tonight, have a blood test done next Monday morning, they will call in the afternoon to advise me as to dosage.

You have been very helpful, the support from both family, friends and even my business clients has been a great lift.

I've worked today, doing an inspection this morning in Brentwood, then working in the office for the rest of the day, I've written two reports, taken Kallie to swimming tonight and watched her wonderful progress, then come back home and done some more work before relaxing with Marilyn watching back episodes of General Hospital, what a kick, she knows all the story lines and characters, boy do they need to go to church, to surrender their messed up lives to the Lord but that would not sell well so they just stumble from one disaster to the next.

Today I've had steel cut oats for breakfast with a banana, for lunch I've had a slice of hearty bread, avocado and fresh tomatoes and this evening Marilyn whipped up a salad that was great.  I was happy to discover this morning that I had dumped 5 pounds already, my friend from the midwest, Karen said I was on the fear diet, she is so right!

For the time being I could be hit with a stroke at any minute so I take it easy, try not to stress and just calmly do my work, the heart meds are already calming my beating heart and as of tonight the Coumadin is starting to thin the blood.  Fun stuff!

So wishing a good night and new day for each of us,

Love

tim

ps This is twins sale weekend for Nikki.  She will work all day tomorrow helping get everything in order, she has the van full of items to sell, hundreds of items all bar coded and ready.  Its an amazing sale held at the Alameda County Fairgrounds where thousands of items for children will be available.

Kaiser comes to the rescue

Good evening
This has been an interesting day.  I had a great night of rest and then rose to face the new day.  I took my blood pressure and found my resting heart rate ranging from 97 to 116.  After working in the office for a bit we drove to a local property located on the golf course.  It was beautiful with a direct setting on the 18th fairway.  Marilyn was nice enough to carry the ladder in so we could inspect the attic.  Once we were through we headed to Danville   I was met at the door by a lovely woman holding two CO detectors in her hands.  She asked, can you help by installing these.  I ended up helping her install the detectors and she was happy, so was I.

Once we were done in Danville we drove to Antioch, went to UNO's and had a salad for lunch.  It was great.  Then we drove to the hospital and I had increasing anxiety.  A lovely young lady took my vitals and found my resting rate ranged from 69 to 129.  Soon I met the cardiologist, a middle aged guy who knew his stuff.  Simply great care.

So now I'm on Coumadin for the rest of my life and after the trough rate is established in about 4 weeks they will put me in a hospital bed, sedate me and shock my heart in a special way.  They say that it will get my heart back on its regular rhythm and stay right afterwards.  So once the Coumadin kicks in and the blood thins I'll be on my way to being able to exercise again.

After picking up the meds we drove directly home to a cool home and some rest.  I've received messages from family and friends which are a huge boost to me.  I've felt pretty lost lately, no energy, sort of no hope, wondering if my next step would be my last.  Now at least there is a plan and I'm committed to doing my best to change the course of my life.

So I'm resting easy and will be hard at work tomorrow but with breaks to cool down the stress.

Love to all

Tim

Bad news

Good evening,
My visit to Kaiser did not go as planned.  Upon checking in after a hurried walk from the front door they found my resting heart rate was 137.  Once the doctor saw that he sent me for a EKG in the same office.  Once that was done it was back to the room to go over the results with Dr. Gee. 

I have a heart beat that is more of a flutter than a heart beat at the present time.  It explains why I've felt so energy low and down for the past few weeks.  My heart does not get a chance to do its normal beat but instead just sort of works in the top part, produces little pressure and is struggling to keep up with my needs.  He immediately went to the computer and asked that the cardiology group set up an appointment with me.  He further instructed me to avoid any exercise until I'm under the care of the heart doctor.  He restarted the generic version of a heart medicine that my old cardiologist had said was great news for a troubled heart.  He suggested I start Comidin (spelled wrong I'm sure) but settled for my upping my daily aspirin to 325 from 81.  Then he sent me to the lab for a series of tests.  My arm, the reason I had gone is, well that is some sort of tennis elbow and will get well on its own, need to rest it but that's a bit of a challenge when I'm seeing 3 properties tomorrow.

So the visit was probably life saving, explains a lot and still really got my attention.  After we left we drove to WinCo and purchased steel cut oats, brown rice, lots of stuff for salads and then Marilyn drove me home.  I've been in sort of a daze since the hospital processing what is taking place.  What is unknown is whether my heart works properly part of the time or is in this fluttering mode all the time.

What I can tell you for sure is this wake up call is being heard loud and clear.

So that is what has been happening around here today.  Earlier in the day I had taken the dog to the park, then tried to get work done but was very slow in getting anything done.  I had taken a nap or two and just had this really awful chest compression, sore neck, sore elbow and sore lower gut.  Oh well we will take things one step at a time.

I would appreciate your prayers that God will continue to guide and protect.  He has been very good to me for 64 years and I trust Him now.

Love to all,

Tim

nice to have Marilyn's help with driving, she will drive tomorrow so I can take it easy as I work.  We had a delicious salad tonight.

A long one today

Good evening

As I type this evening my left elbow is radiating pain up my arm, not sure what is happening but its been pretty awful today as my work is partly physical, have to reset the measuring wheel dozens of times at each property and my left arm was complaining loudly with pain.

I rolled out at 6:30 this morning, enjoyed a nice long hot shower, that made the arm feel good.  Then it was out the door to the garage and an early arrival in Petaluma, great house but I noticed it was hot at 9:45 in the morning, so tempting to fall into their great pool,

Once I left Petaluma I noted that I would be early getting to Alameda so I called but didn't reach anyone.  I took a lunch break at Burger King somewhere in Alameda and by then the owner called to say his wife and mother would be there so I could go early.  That one went well too but by now it was hot, sweaty hot for sure.  Once I was out of Alameda I drove to Dublin and now it was really hot.  This one was a new home of about 3,000 sf with a 180 degree view amenity of the valley and distant hills, its selling for more than any home in the entire 2 mile area, $882,000.  How I appraise that property is beyond me.  I measured the home and my eyes kept filling with salty sweat, really fun! 

After Dublin I then waded into traffic and finally arrived in Brentwood at 6 pm to measure yet another large two story home but once I got inside it was great.  The AC had been left on!  I shot comp photos right into dark and then limped home.  Sore from coughing, left arm in pain, neck hurting, I'm in great shape.

Today Marilyn was nice to care for Keanna as Steve had to see properties and she is out of school for two weeks once again.  Personally I think the amount of time teachers are away from the classroom is a scandal but then what do I know.  At least Keanna is excelling as a student which is very very good.

This evening friend Sylvia called and we had a chance to catch up on your breaking autos, my health challenges and our kids.  It was great to talk to a real friend.

So I send love to all,  most grateful that I made it home.

Tim