Production day

Kallie was my guest last night and she was a blast.  She (we) watched Netflix children's movies, we went to pizza, we played with the kitty cats, we watched the fire burn and we had fun.  She went to bed without a whimper surrounded by dozens of her little creatures that she brought from home.  She woke about 7 this morning and as I was awake she knocked and said good morning, we made Belgium Waffles and she had two, I had two and then the rest went home with her for future breakfasts.  Her mom came at about 9:45 and collected Kallies three suitcases and two American Girl dolls.  Kallie told me this morning that it was a very special experience to get to do things with me, just the two of us, then she recounted all the times we have driven to see the cousins after church, gone to UNO's and other things where it was just her and me.  I had no idea she remembered those events so well and its sobering to realize how much time spent can mean to little ones.

Once Kallie left I was really low mentally, it was sad to see her leave and go back to a silent house, always the same, no fun, just me.  But I was determined to not let the day pass.  This was a rare day when I had no appraisals to write, nothing pressing work wise as my first appointment tomorrow is noon in Concord.  For months, many months part of the deck by the spa has been torn out, I mean just a gaping hole which is very dangerous and very  ugly.  I've purchased the new 2 x 6s that were needed, pressure treated, expensive but just sitting and twisting on the main deck.  So I forced myself to go out, find the power tools that would be needed, cords, screws, hammers, pry bars etc, load the wheel barrow and start to work.  First I had to unload the wheel barrow as it was piled high with wood scraps that Steve had brought for firewood, well that took some time and got me limbered up a bit.  Then with a free wheel barrow I loaded it with the tools, took a quick trip to town for some metal pieces that Ken said I needed to do the job around the spa right and then started working.  I had to tear the old rotted pieces of wood out and dispose of them, that took a long time, then with the way cleared I put the last supporting piece of wood under the spa and added a 2 x 4 by the spa.  Then I started installing the new 2 x 6 which the deck pieces would attach to.  It took an amazing amount of time to measure, screw in place, then measure the next one and put it into place.  Somewhere in the afternoon Ray came over and got stuck helping until dark.  Bet he will think twice about coming over again, his help was great and saved me a lot of steps.  I have good tools and the chop saw, a safe saw and a very accurate one, really came in handy.

As the sun set we had the foundational pieces all in place, the cross blocks too and begin to lay the prior redwood deck pieces into place.  Well darkness fell and I was so very tired that I finally put away the tools and quit but the hard part is over.  I'll have to purchase a few pieces of redwood 2 x 6 lumber to complete the deck but the whole process is now nearly done.  Yes I have a huge mess to clean up but huge progress was made today and right now the spa is heating, waiting for me to come jump in and let the water sooth the aching spots, oh for a massage tonight, but oh can't do that as I'm alone! Bummer.

During the day at one point my blood sugar was 106, another time 116, for me those are amazing numbers and in spite of the hard hard work and I mean getting up and down, reaching for boards, using the drill screw driver to put in screws, its all hard work and especially when I don't ever do anything like this.

But an amazing things has happened.  In spite of eating much less food and drinking lots of water I have energy on a level that I've not had for many years.  I do have a personal inspiration that I might be able to share later but having the weight loss of 15.5 pounds, eating so much less and almost no dairy, learning to say yes to the right choice no matter where I do, pizza parlor, just have salad, piles of salad, Red Robin, have the garden burger in a wrap of lettuce and a side salad, Burger King, throw the buns away, have a side salad, drink water.  Right now I'm eating very carefully and with little variety, a lesson I learned at Weight Watchers, they mentioned that if you find something that works and satisfies without adding fat then stick with it.  That's why I have Oatmeal in the mornings, its great, carries me through lunch time and my high fiber tortillas, I just have one and put a few Pinto beans and some non fat cheese and heat it in a pan.  Tastes great and has very little carbs and great taste and is satisfying due to the high fiber content.

I'm thrilled with my new life, my shirts don't hang open at the buttons now, the neck is not too tight, my pants fit well and soon I'll be in the 36s that I almost gave to good will.  I've cut back on my long acting insulin and my morning numbers are the best in years.  I've replaced the mocha that my brother and I like so much with herbal tea, not quite as tasty but pretty good and it helps the blood sugar, does not explode it super high.

It took a night in ER to get my attention and the love of my kids to help me realize that I needed to get ahold of this body or die early.  I never eat during the evening now, I only drink water and I don't miss it, I no longer go to bed feeling guilty and trapped in the out of control ways.

I'm not preaching as I have nothing to urge other than to find a reason to get control, listen to the reason, be inspired by the reason and then act on the urging.  You will not be sorry.

Sending love to all,  thinking of Bernice and the family as they begin the adjustments needed to the new reality without Lloyd.  Take a guy like that out of the picture and it is never quite the same.  It can be good again but different.  He added humor and genuine love to those around him.  When I heard his long time neighbors talk about him, first the wife and then the husband, Hispanic people and what they remember, the woodcraft things Lloyd did for their kids, treasures they still hold onto, the genuine friendship that lasted over the years.  Now that is a testimony of a life.

Tim