Some days just click

Dear Family and Friends,

Up at 6:30 this morning, upload my license to some clients now that I have the new one, good for the next two years, then leave for Kaiser and Logina, my very special diabetes nurse.  I arrived with 3 minutes to spare and was called in a couple minutes later.  She just could not have been nicer to me.  I had some numbers taken over the last couple weeks and she plugged my meter into her computer and could chart when I had taken my blood and what the numbers said.  I was in the wrong side of normal slightly more than the right side and had an average of 178 when it should be 130 or less.  She carefully laid out where we needed to go in the future, gave me excellent pages she had prepared, showed me how to use my pen filled with short acting insulin and sent me on my way with excellent advice.

Then I went to the lab to have blood drawn for both the Coumadin clinic and to discover my current A1C.  I've not heard back yet.  The guy drawing blood informed me he was new and an intern or whatever, I said go ahead, he has to learn somehow.  While he took awhile to find the right place to stick his actual stick was perfect, painless and successful.

Then it was to Brentwood to shoot photos for a driveway review and home to do a bit of work and leave for Benicia.  Marilyn went with me and using the Civic we made a quick trip.  While I was waiting to see the diabetes nurse Nikki texted me to say Keanna was about to have surgery, my heart lept, then I remembered that she was having several teeth removed and was going to be put under for the procedure.  Later Nikki told me she had done fine but had a lot of bleeding to deal with.  Poor little dear girl, what a thing to go through.

After I checked out the Benicia house, which was perfect by the way, we drove the comps and decided we had time to fit in a driveby appraisal in Castro Valley.  The trip was uneventful and we managed to fit that one quickly.

Then we left for San Ramon where we were seeing a property located in a 55 and over community.  The home turned out to be perfect, updated and very well kept.  The people were great and friendly and soon it was over.

On the way home the traffic was bad so we stopped at Fuddruckers in Dublin and I had a vegeburger and salad.  It was perfect on its whole wheat bun with lettuce and tomato.  During the day I had started using the pen, the Humalog pen by Lilly.  You just dial in the amount of insulin you need for the meal you are about to eat, about 1 unit for each 15 carbs plus a little if you are running high for the day.  I will have to tweak it a bit as I'm still high this evening but I think it was a good start on my first day.

Now I'll take 32 units of long acting insulin for the night and morning and see if I can climb out at 130 or less.

Our weather has been incredible, cool and gentle breezes.  I just sat in the spa.  I found it to be 76 degrees and in less than 40 minutes it was 100 degrees and ready for an occupant.  It is so nice.

Tomorrow will be a very special day.  At 1 pm we are meeting Barb and Gerry Lammerding at a Spaghetti Factory off Highway 80.  I so hope Gerry is having a good day, it will just be wonderful to see them both and affirm that we are praying for them every morning.  Then we are driving to see a house in Citrus Heights at 3 pm before driving back home.

Freddie, my favorite mechanic for the bug has started working on the bug and expects to be through tomorrow.  He will be replacing the injector pump, the heart of a diesel engine with a rebuilt mine because after its 298,000 miles it has started to leak diesel out the side and they are not easily repaired, just replaced.  I'm looking forward to having it leak free as for the last few months I could often smell diesel while I drove and the smell of diesel is NOT pleasant at all.

I'm praying for work to come in but even more for Steve to get some orders.  Its a very dry time after months of being buried with work.  Gradually the bank balance is sinking but at least in August I won't be paying $976 for Kaiser, only about $185 total, that will help.  I'm also very thrilled that the Citi bank card, the one we used for the trips to Boston, the hotels, the airline tickets, the food, well I started paying on it at $40,000 and its now $13,000.  I call that progress for sure and I'm thrilled that its getting reduced.  The Citi bank people froze all interest on the account so my $526 payment each month goes totally to interest.  What a difference that makes when paying off a huge account.

I'm so thankful to a loving God who continues to bless in spite of me being a very weak vessel.  He is good and I'm thankful.

Love to all

Tim