Improving

Dear Family and Friends,
I've just come in from a few minutes of total peace. I happened to be in the back by the lake and the sun was preparing to set over the palm trees on the island, Lois was feeding ducks and my dogs were watching, my cats were also out there. We chatted about owning pets and younger years. I sat down in a chair that used to have a cushion 10 years ago but the cushion has failed yet the plastic chair is remarkable comfortable on its own.
Ken was not able to walk this morning, it is tax season and he is working very long days and nights. I have been listening to this marvelous book, Younger Next Year. It really puts it all together for those of us who are getting a little older, just outstanding science, advice, inspiring stories and the bottom line is 1 hour of exercise 6 days a week for the rest of your life, on days when there is no exercise the body stores fat, becomes inflamed in the cells and makes us older, exercise changes all of that. Well in light of what I'm learning I decided to dust off the Nordic Treadmill. I've never enjoyed it more. As I watched the tragic news conference for the missing miners I walked, never letting my heart rate get much more than 110. I managed to select a program that changed the pace of the machine and also elevated the angle so part of the time the working was harder. I only went 30 minutes but it felt great.
I had a breakfast that included something produced by Kashi, sort of a combo of weeds, puffed rice and who knows what else. The package says it is a great healthy breakfast so I ate it. Its OK.
After breakfast I left to inspect the head quarters of EAS, the windpower company located in the Altamont Pass area. Knowing the manager from last time we caught up a bit on the business and I learned the government is messing with them also. Their 10% of the total wind machines in the area are aging fast and within 3 years will need to be re powered, that is all new machines need to be installed at a cost of nearly a million dollars for each new windmill. So they have the company on the market but he expects no buyers. The industry is waiting year by year to see what congress is going to do about tax breaks for investors and such. But the congress is only dealing with one year at a time, far too short for possible investors who want to know what is happening in the next 10 years. He showed me the machine shop where they create many of the parts that wear out, they create them using lathes, presses and other machines. It was totally fascinating to see up close.
The last time I did this same appraisal they were being offered money by the golf course that is adjacent to their property. The principal owner turns out to be a crook. The golf course is worth about 6 million dollars and this guy has investors money close to 22 million dollars for the golf course. He just kept selling to willing investors with nothing to back it up. So the golf course is locked up solid and will sold at a court house sale soon. Greed is not very pretty and it hurts so many trusting people wiping out life savings or retirement funds. Malof over and over.
After finishing the inspection I drove back home and started a relocation appraisal. Then at 12:45 I picked up Keanna. She was full of ideas and comments. She was bummed that she was not able to have a cupcake like all the other kids due to possible allergies.
We went to McDonalds and this time she had both fresh fries and apple pieces, it was Nikki's suggestion and it turned out to be a very good one. She ate the apple pieces and the dogs at the fries. We went by her house so she could change into cooler clothes, the day had turned warmer than expected. We got to see Steve for a minute, he was painting cabinets for his master bathroom remodel project. Then we hit Blockbusters, she rented a movie, the post office to mail an appraisal and then we headed home.
Upon arrival she needed a jello, crackers, strawberries and water. She settled in watching the movie she had rented and I went back to work. I felt so weak and frail for most of the afternoon but I stayed with the plan to head to the club after I dropped her off. While the machines were a challenge and my muscles burned as I neared the end of the 3rd rep of 12 I felt better as I moved from machine to machine. Once I left I felt like a human being again.
Once I arrived home I decided to fire up the little weed eater / rototiller machine and I worked in a flower bed in the front yard for a bit. It works really great, that was fun as soon there will be some color there, I love flowers blooming, to me it says life. Steve and Jason both love to plant things and see them grow and I usually just dream of it, not make it happen, maybe this time I can follow through.
I feel the best I have felt in a long time this evening and that is encouraging.
I just can't recommend the book, Younger Next Year enough. Yes you need to prepare yourself for some talk about evolution yet even in that there are things to learn. Such as, in nature other animals do not overeat even when there is plenty of food. When a modern human being eats too much the body thinks there must be a famine coming and quickly stores the extra food to head off the crisis. When day after day the person eats too much the fat is stored. On the other hand when someone exercises the body responds by sending help to repair the slight damage that the exertion has done and ends up repairing the muscle to make it a tiny bit stronger than it was before the exercise. There is a web site, Younger Next Year.com, at least the book says that. I've not looked yet. This book is inspiring, hard to refute and lays out a pathway so even people in their 50s and 60s can be younger next year. For me I see myself behind the boat on my water ski and coming up out of the water to enjoy jumping the waves and being back. I can see myself heading down the mountain on snow skis laughing and loving the show and nature all around. Or in spin class without being concerned about still being alive at the end of the 40 minutes of hell.
Can I ask you, have you given thought to where you are heading with the habits you are promulgating? Is there life after this year? Better life!
My purpose in writing this blog is to be as transparent as possible while preserving some items of a personal nature. You've been with me in the pit of gloom and depression, with me when all seemed lost, you've been along for the ride when I've questioned my faith or fragments of my faith, when I've complained about the bland experience of being alone, alone, alone. And now I'm urging you to find inspiration to examine yourself, don't lie, don't promise that you'll do something about inactivity later, don't say well this is just the way it is, I'm destined to be heavy or I can't change at this age. Calmly conjure up an image of yourself doing what you would really like to do, it can happen, there are amazing stories of people starting to move again, to walk, swim, bike, ski in their 50s or 60s and then continuing to do so until they are 90. Only 10% of men exercise after age 50, that is appalling and has been totally true for me for years.
My low point came slightly after Nan had passed away and thanks to Steve and Sylvia's kindness with miles for a ticket I found myself in Kona with the kids for a few days. We even had Christmas there at the timeshare. One evening we decided on a luau and we walked downhill to the setting by the water. Afterwards thinking the car was still in the same place I climbed back up the hill to the car only to find the car was missing, Steve had gone for it and was waiting for me by the luau so I wouldn't have to make the climb. Once I saw the car I lumbered up and sat down. I was wet with sweat and my heart was beating hard. I actually thought I might die on the spot.
Time magazine did an article several months ago taking a hard look at health and fitness of people here in America. After examining all the diet plans, the fitness books, the latest studies on primary point emerged on why some people are carrying extra weight and why others don't gain extra pounds. The overriding difference was whether people moved or not, whether a way of life they found ways to be stingy with their movements or enjoyed moving about. For years I found having to walk a ways after parking the car a big pain, about having to carry something heavy as torture instead of celebrating movement.
I hope we can all bring fitness to the forefront of our minds as we move into the spring season.
For me I used to weigh 236 or 237 on a bad day. Now I'm running about 221. The new medicine I'm taking has dramatically reduced my constant craving to be eating something, that was just the break I needed, I've often prayed about it, asking the Lord to help me find a trigger to break habits and move in a new healthy way.
If any of these ideas prompt you to consider how precious your life is, how much your kidos love and need you, how nice it would be if you could keep up with them, how impressive it would be to drop some pounds and puff less when moving then go for it. Our bodies rapidly respond to change, muscles quickly adapt and grow, pounds melt away when we get rid of junk out of our diet. Make oatmeal or steel cut oats your friend again, find free foods, like pinto beans or tomatoes, or mushrooms, or celery (which I can't stand), Romaine hearts are great and packed full of goodness. And the starting point is find a way to drink water all the time. For me it was seeing a sports bottle of water in Nikki's car and thinking, well thats a good idea. I buy them by the case at Costco, little blue lid, opens easily, seals perfectly for no leaking, easy to hold and so so good.
We are here, lets make it as good as it can be while we are here, join me in choosing life.

love

tim

Strange

Hi
Once again I've managed to get a late start to going to bed. But its been so nice to talk with friends this evening.
This has been a strange day for me. I've encountered a new experience. Probably due to the new medicine I've been having a confusing array of emotions and physical symptoms. Today it was like I had downed a gallon of coffee. I could not stop the sensation of needing to keep moving all the time, nerves were on edge and I could not concentrate on work or anything else. Finally I decided to wade through a deep stack of papers that needed to be filed or put away, then I discovered that the business line was dead, no wonder the calls were not coming through. About an hour later and thanks to the second tech the digital line was working again. While he was at it he also called me on my video phone and the picture was perfect, he there in his office in N. Carolina and me sitting at my desk in California. Once the phone line began to work again I tried to settle down and get a report written. I finally finished the report and decided to go to the gym but then doubt clouded that, I would be alone and what if my body did not react to exercise well and I passed out or something.
I had taken my blood at around 5 and it was down to 106 which for me is low. Now two hours later I finally decided to eat so I made a small baked potato, sauteed some mushrooms and added cottage cheese. I drank a class of V8 juice and after the meal was over my inner world of the jitters finally started to calm down a bit. Dr. Jim thought perhaps it was due to the new medicine and getting used to it. So now I'm heading to bed.
The antibiotic has slammed the illness I was having on Sunday and I'm feeling pretty well on that front, little coughing, less stuffy head.
I'm also suffering from a chronic lack of new orders. I'm writing up orders I have already seen but unless something changes soon I'll be out of work soon. Can we pray for work for all who need it.
So I'm going to say goodnight now. Its been a strange day for sure.

Love

tim

Feeling Better

Dear Family and Friends,
My last night was pretty awful, heavily congested, coughing, trying to use the cpap mask, awake and finally the alarm at 5:45. How I wished at that point that I had never agreed to walk but having made the commitment I walked. It turned out very good. Although most of the walk was sort of a shuffle I made my three miles and stumbled in the house, to my work chair, fell asleep for a few minutes with the little heater blasting my cold feet.
Finally the smell of steel cut oats lured me to the kitchen and along with a slice of bread that is backed with about 10 kinds of grain and some excellent jam made by a friend I had breakfast. Then it was off to the shower where I steamed off a layer of walking sweat, unstuck my eyes which had been totally crusted over when I woke.
I came down and prepared for an appointment of a wonderful Italian Villa on 11 acres. You just would not believe how special this home really is, so tastefully created, decorated, it is joy to photograph. Pizza oven by the pool in the outside kitchen, Grecian reflecting pools, professional kitchen with huge stainless steel frigs, theatre room with cushy chairs, every bedroom perfectly decorated, wow. After seeing this spectacular property once again I came back home and began to write on two appraisals that were due tomorrow. I wanted to be a day ahead of schedule.
This evening I was so ready for weight watchers, I just knew I had lost a bunch of weight but when I arrived there was no one there, oh now I remember, no meeting this week due to Easter. Bummer.
Good news for Ray and Lois. Today their heard a kitty crying and discovered to their joy that Cassie had returned. Of course catching her will be a bit more difficult as she is very frightened so at this point they still do not have her captured but at least they know she is alive. Great news.
The mail has been good to me lately so now I can restore the savings account until the next crisis.
As the day progressed today I gradually felt better and better. I keep water close by and drink a lot now which seems to help so much. At about 1 pm I was feeling pretty weak, this new medicine, Victoza seems to really be working to drive down my blood sugar levels. I decided to check it out on the web and found out interesting things like it helps one lose weight, individuals who had written comments all mentioned dropping 4 or more pounds right away. It seems to inhibit appetite as well as drive down the sugar level. When I had my salad ready with tomatoes, pinto beans, romaine hearts, small cheese pieces and 0 fat dressing I paused to check the blood level. It was 85, the lowest in over a year. It is hard for me to get used to how ones feels at 85 when one is used to it being 140 or so. Yet this is huge progress and I am gratified. Now to get the insurance company to pay for it in the future when the samples run out. This morning when I weighed I saw a 221 instead of the old 236. That is encouraging.
I'm listening to an audio book Lois was kind enough to put on CDs for me. It is called younger next year and it the most amazing book. It not only lays out solid reasons for aerobic exercise at least 6 days a week but explains what is taking place inside the body and how if we don't exercise than the body is breaking down. Its an every day struggle, exercise and be younger or stagnate and be older, sicker, sluggish and defeated. Roxanna and Rick gave me the book several years ago and I read it as I was flying home from Boston after visiting Nan who was in a trial program. The book is amazing, I mean really amazing and I can't recommend it highly enough.
So in contrast to the last few days which have been pretty much downers today was a good turning point. Someone suggested a new tooth brush after illness, great great idea and since I use a sonacare I'll just put a new head on it. I now use wipes that kill germs on my mask each morning when I rise. Got to fight back against illness. I don't get to see my kidos when I'm sick and I don't get my work done either.
So on this upbeat note I'll sign off.
Exercise 6 days a week for the rest of your life, don't push your heart rate above 110 if you are my age, just get your body up to that rate and keep going.
Love to all,

Tim

Bleak Easter

Dear Family and Friends,
This has just been a chilly rainy day. Anyone searching for eggs today needed a rain coat. I woke up feeling very ill and have spent the majority of the day sleeping, drinking water, making little meals and just trying to stay warm. Mid day I built a fire with piece of wood I had borrowed from Lois and Ray weeks ago. It made a perfect fire and it heated things up for hours. For lunch due to a severe ache in my mid section I decided to try to put some good things in for a change. I prepared some mushrooms and asparagus in a fry pan with olive oil, headed half a can of pinto beans and then had that for lunch. It tasted wonder. For breakfast I once again had steel cut oats. I've not been eating very much since I've been feeling so rough. I have kept water beside me all day long and drank several large bottles. I started on antibiotics again today to try to head off this increasingly ugly illness. I hope it can turn things around. I also located a large container of special bug killing wipes. From now on I'll wipe out the mask each morning with a wipe, try to kill the bugs and no reinfect myself.
Late this afternoon I decided I needed to get some work out so a while ago I emailed a report and I'm working on another one now. As I work I can hear the rain really coming down outside. At least the tomato plants will get a nice soaking by nature.
I'm heading to bed even though it is only 9:10. I hope and pray that I'll feel better soon. This is very depressing.
Hope your Easter was a bit more exciting than mine but it felt good to stay in, stay warm and get lots of rest.
Sending love to all,

Tim

The girls hunt easter eggs

Dear Family and Friends,

As I write I am so tired I can hardly move. I honestly don't think I've recovered yet from the spinner class plus hay fever and chest congestion and low blood sugar.

Ken and I walked this morning at 7, it was cold and we were glad to get home. Then at 9:30 Nikki, Steve and girls parked in my driveway and we all ended up at the nearby park where the Lions Club hosted a huge Easter egg hunt. The search areas were divided into three age groups and hundreds of kidos appeared. The easter bunny was there for photos. I've included a few photos from the exciting time we had. Kallie did a new behavior that was so cute. All throughout the Easter egg hunt she kept asking if we could go to the slides. So when we got a minute I took her to the slides. She learned how to climb the stairs safely and slid down several times. When her parents arrived on the scene she walked to the top of the slide and reached up to get a hand hold on little bars that are above the slide, then she lifted her feet up and began to make money sounds. She was laughing and swinging back and forth by her arms and saying monkey. It was so cute.

This year Keanna was not shy and raced onto the collection field when it was time and she collected a lot of eggs, more even than her friends, later I heard her say she was going to go share some of them with a little girl who didn't find very many.

After we walked back the kids loaded and left and I went in to take a rest and get warm. I built a fire using the last piece of wood I had brought back from Jerry and Donna's house last summer. The fire was nice and I rested. I woke and turned on Loma Linda broadcasting. They were showing the worship hour at the Loma Linda church, sort of a high church. Randy Roberts was preaching and he delivered an outstanding sermon, really moving and the moment he concluded brass and the orchestra began, they were joined a few seconds later by the pipe organ and then the choir. Each verse was more exciting with more bombastic music. By the time they finished I was in tears, it was just so beautiful. Thank you Donna and Shawn for the satellite dish, it is still wonderful.

Eventually I woke enough mess around outside, knocked down some weeds, talked to Lois and then Ray arrived from San Jose. This evening I planted some tomato plants in the planters on the back deck. Steve had all the old stuff pulled out.

This evening I'm feeling very rough, I think I might need more antibiotics again as I'm being hit by the same mess as before. Also the new medicine is driving my blood sugar levels down so much that I'm feeling different than usual.

Anyway it was a very special day, seeing the kids have so much fun and just getting to spend time with them, its very special and I appreciate it.

Love to all

Tim

At last its Friday evening

Dear Family and Friends,
As days go this is a gray day, misty rain, overcast skies, windy weather. Mid day I measured a big house in Vallejo, some of the belongings of the former owner were still there including a computer and monitor in the living room. Once I was through with that house I found Olive Garden and had a bit of lunch. Then it was on to Concord to do a driveby of a condo that is being foreclosed.
Upon arriving at home I rested a bit, since the spinning class and the start of the new diabetes medicine I've felt pretty wasted and catching some rest is great.
After the nap I took time to clean the van as a friend is using it this weekend. I even had it washed but of course the rain will quickly make that a mute point. Lois has returned from her time in San Jose and was willing to help me deliver the van to where it needed to be. As we drove back in the bug I noticed that the fuel was very low. By the time we pulled into the driveway here in Discovery Bay the mileage shows 600 miles on this tank. Wow that is the most I've ever driven on a tank.
I had a nice surprise when I opened the email this evening. Capital One is depositing money for more appraisals I have completed. What a great way to begin the Sabbath.
Good night friends and family, may you have a meaningful Easter weekend and take time to remember the most important reason, He is risen.

love to all

Tim

Aftermath

Dear Family and Friends,
I woke this morning to discover that I was not feeling well at all. Gradually as the warm shower and moving about kicked in I started to feel somewhat better. After breakfast I took my pills as I normally do but this time I also included the new shot. This time I decided to do it in my lower tummy and the reaction was swift, pain lingered for minutes afterwards. Yesterday when I gave it in the upper arm there was no reaction. Today for several hours I felt strange in the area of the shot. Did I hit a nerve or what? Couple that with the fact that I felt a Mack truck had hit me. The 35 minutes of spinning class really did a number on me. So it has been a very strange day. I worked this morning and got one out, then I went to a Brentwood property to do a relocation appraisal. This property was really nice, excellent landscaping, side hill mounted pebble tec pool with spa and waterfall.
By the time I got through with the inspection I was feeling pretty rough so I went to Diggers, a funky little diner located nearby and had a vegetarian sandwich on rye. It was great. I then drove home and collapsed into the recliner where I slept until 5:30. Nikki called to let me know they were just going into the gym for Keanna's class. So I roused myself and drove in to witness her lively activities and to help with Kallie.
Now I've just arrived home from having dinner at La Villa, a place we all love. Kallie has learned to dig her chip into the beans so that was her entire meal and at times she had a fully loaded chip to me.
At this point I'm heading to bed. Tomorrow I hope to feel much better, recovered from the spinning class enough to do an appraisal in Concord and another in Vallejo.
Good night to all,

love

tim