Bad news at Safeway, good news in the Laundry Room

Dear Friends and Family,
What a day of contrasts! Ken and I walked this morning and then I sat to work in the office but was accomplishing little as I was so sleepy and worn out. Ray and Lois came over complaining that the side gate was locked. Well it does not lock but was jammed. So we tweaked that until it works well again. Then Ray suggested that we fix the leaking line behind the washer. So we waded into the project. Ray seems to know how to deal with most anything but what we found when we got the sheetrock off was nothing short of amazing. No mold and the 2 inch drain was broken in three places, it takes a lot of force to break 2 inch abs pipe. We figured out what needed to be done, decided on needed parts and went to Ace in town. Knowing I had no money left in any account I decided to break the $100 I keep for absolute backup. The parts came to less than $25. We drove home and after a while the drain was repaired and we ran water down it with no obvious leaks. So we moved the washer back into place and Ray went home. I loaded it up with a messy load of clothes, put in the soap, pushed the button to begin and nothing, just a faint hum. Oh boy that wasn't good so I shook it, wiggled it and then remembered I had not turned the water supply lines back on. Once the machine had water pressure it started fine. So now I'm on my 4th load, no leaks and the dryer is working great too, once the dryer completes its cycle the clothes are dry and the washer is finished with its work. What a blessing this is to have functioning washer and dryer again. Better than its been for as long as I can remember.
This afternoon I inspected a house located right here in Discovery Bay. This is a house that might have gone for $750 or $800K two years ago and its going for $425. On the water and beautiful in every way.
I drove home and then remembered my doggies were out of food. I called PetCo but they were closed for the day, well I decided to head to Safeway for some get by dog food. I confined myself to just buying dog food and then went to the car. Upon arrive at home I could not locate my wallet and realized I had left it in the grocery cart in the parking lot! So I headed back praying as I went and there were no carts in the holding area but the manager inside handed me the wallet, I was so thankful to have all the credit cards and info it contained. There was just the little matter that the change from the $100 I had broken this morning was not gone. It really hit hard. That's the last money I have available to me and its gone. Mostly I was upset with myself for forgetting the wallet in the cart.
The brightest spot in the day came this afternoon when Nikki brought the girls for a minute. Kallie had just woken up and she was in good spirits smiling and sipping at her bottle. Keanna was wrestling with mixed emotions as she had just left a birthday party and she didn't want to leave when her mom came.
So I face an unknown week. Will any work come through? Can I wade through what I've already seen? will I find enough money to buy a tank of diesel for tomorrow's trip to Morgan Hill to see a property? Good questions that at this point I don't have answers to.
Good night to all,

love

tim
ps thanks Ray for your tremendous help today. It works.

Rested and ready

Good evening
9:05 and I'm heading to bed. Last night I stayed up to see the bread finish and it turned out OK. The bread maker had not failed after all. I have decided that my frequent trips to the machine where I open it for a minute to see if everything is OK is causing the rising bread to fall. So next time I'll just let it rise. The bread tastes great but has a collapsed top.
Ken and I walked this morning and then I picked up Keanna who was ready in a nice black dress and matching boots. Sabbath School was wild today. Sometimes it just seems everyone is on edge and today the kids could not settle down at all. Keanna got to select a birthday gift from the magic box and Kim did her best to hold it all together but it was a wild time. Then after saying good morning to Sylvia we drove home to Discovery Bay. Keanna had a new video game to try in the Vsmile learning video machine here at the house. She played for hours and then we went to McDonalds for a happy meal. Lois came along and we enjoyed eating our lunch. While there Keanna took a nasty fall since her tennis shoes had wet soles and she slid out while running. Then we delivered her to her parents and I came home to rest in the recliner and enjoy some really good music first from Loma Linda and then on 3ABN. Good stuff. This evening I made brown rice and some toast with light peanut butter and freshly cut tomato. I had planned to cut a whole in the wall tonight behind the washer but instead I've been lazy.

I've certainly rested up this afternoon and even sweet tea from McDonalds could not keep me awake once I settled with Starr in the recliner.

Tomorrow I have to see something local and do a driveby report locally too. I'll try to get to work and produce some income instead of busy work.

It was good to see Zach today, he is one of Jason's special friends and he and his wife have precious little children. He is a young man who did a stint in Iraq but recently he has been having some heart issues. Now I think the medical team has found a solution and he is feeling much stronger and like his old self again. His malady is a reminder to me that none of us have a corner on health, things can happen so suddenly. I believe we need to do the very best we can to reach our present potential rather than let things slide. I know I really need to take control and go back to basics, no food after 6 pm, drink lots of fluids, mostly water during the day, take my blood sugar levels, take blood pressure from time to time. I'm assuming a lot and not being prudent. Its time to get it together, work smart, play smart, take care of basics and reach for the stars again.

So I'm sending you good vibes tonight. No matter what your situation or limits I urge you to consider your bank of blessings, your opportunities, your contacts, your abilities and then get up and do something about life. State the obvious to your loved ones, hug them, kiss them, speak kindly to them, be proud of them and make their lives better for you being there.

Love to all

Tim

Mixed emotions

Good evening, its 11:30 and I have bread baking but at this point I think the bread maker may have died. A while back I heard it start to knead and then it quit. The red light is still on but I think this may be the end of the line for Mr. Bread maker. I had planned to go to bed and get up in the middle of the night to take the finished loaf out, lets hope it starts to work again. Oh well.

Today was stormy, chilly and rainy. I worked in this morning and then drove to San Francisco this afternoon for a 3 pm appointment. Considering all the traffic I encountered it was a wonder I made it by 3:45. Then it was over to a much nicer home for the second appraisal. Newly remodeled in every room the house was near perfect. Yet I was glad to leave the neighborhood and head home. As I drove thanks to bluetooth devices I was able to have conversations with Art, my brother Jerry and Sylvia. Earlier in the afternoon I reached Sharon and found her to be in good spirits but very tired. I called others but they were not there. It helps a great deal to have someone to talk to while driving, sort of calms the nerves. I never cross the Bay Bridge without thinking of the shock the people got so long ago when they were crossing it and the earthquake hit breaking the bridge. I guess in life we just have to put aside our concerns and do what seems God is leading us to do.

Often as I am traveling I remember times when Nan and were traveling together. She was a pleasant fellow traveler, usually had a book going on the system or was reading one herself. She was good at directions and kept an eye on the gas gauge, the speed limit and always was on the watch for police.

Traveling is like life, we turn, we back up, we change directions, we speed up, we slow down, life is like that. This week for me as been sort of lived in denial, denial that starting today all the working relationships I've encouraged over the last 22 years will mean nothing. Now all orders must come through an impersonal panel that takes their cut in the process. They are much like leaches, they draw blood out of the system and perform no helpful service. Today an order came in from a management company, it asked that I drive 2 hours each way, perform an appraisal and they were willing to pay a whole $200. That is half the going rate so after doing some basic research I said NO.

So I wonder what will happen in the near future. I need to just take control of my fears, stop procrastinating and submit packages to various lenders and management companies in hopes I can find some work to do. Your prayers about all of this would be appreciated.

In the morning I get to take 6 year old Keanna to Sabbath School. Its been a bit since we could go and I'm looking forward to it. Ken wants to walk at 7. My back has been really giving me fits today, lots of pain, enough to make changing sox's almost impossible. I wondered how it would be to drive for so many hours today but I was actually better tonight than when I left early afternoon.

Thank you for being a part of my circle. May God bless your weekend with peace and meaning.

love

tim
t

Keanna turns the big 6!

Dear Family and Friends,

9:50, its been a big day. This morning Ken and I walked our 3 miles and when I returned Donna and Ruth were up and in the kitchen. How nice to come home to someone here. The dogs were loving having friendly ladies to beg from. We had some toast and I let them sample Stripples, fake bacon and they were kind in their comments. After breakfast they loaded up and left for Weed, a 4 hour drive. I showered and prepared myself for an appraisal over in San Bruno. I arrived to find lovely people, a brother and sister caring for their parents house. The father died in January and now they have to deal with the house and its belongings. I was so impressed with the kind way they dealt with each other. So many times when there is an estate everyone becomes evil and selfish, not a pretty sight at all. Today was different.

I drove back to the office and did some light work, found new orders, took calls and prepared to go with Keanna, Nikki, Steve and Kallie to a birthday dinner at the Old Spaghetti Factory in stockton, Keanna's choice. They sang to her and we all had a great time. When she got home there were balloons in the front yard from Lois and Ray. She was so surprised and delighted.

I've included a few photos taken tonight. Keanna actually took most of them with my camera.

Now I'm home nursing a very sore spot in my back. I just got out of the jetted tub hoping that would ease the pain and I suppose it did a bit.

Life is so different now than it used to be. There is less joy, more stress, more alone time, lots of alone time and so much time to think about my life. How I wish I would have lived it in a less selfish manner. Not that I dwell on my faults all the time but when you are alone and have time to think a lot it is easy to wish that you had done better on all scores.

For now I'm saying good night to all,

love

tim

Living with a grateful heart

Dear Family and Friends,
This evening as I write Donna and Ruth are sleeping upstairs. They have had a big day and have experienced something Nan and I often had to face as well. The physicians at UCSF are not always able to be on time for appointments. I remember sitting with Nan who was confined to her wheel chair for several hours before finally getting to see the doctor we had come to see. Today a 10 am appointment ended up taking 5 and 1/2 hours. The surgeon had to do some unexpected but needed surgery and simply was not available. But when they finally did get to see him things turned out well. Suzie will have surgery on the 12th of May and they expect the surgery to last 6 to 10 hours. They are in hopes they can remove the tumor and in the process remove the cancer. They see no signs of it spreading so Suzie has a very good chance of recovery.
They fought traffic to Bay Point where Suzie is staying and then came on home to my place. We had pizza and lots of fun conversation. Lois and Ray let me in on a secret. Background: this morning I decided to make bread, I pulled the machine out and looked inside to discover that the mixing part was missing. I emailed or called Sylvia to check at the church to see if it was there since I had taken bread to the church for potluck. What I had forgotten was I had given Ray half a loaf of bread and the mixer piece was in the bread. They decided to just wait and see if I would miss the little part and today I finally discovered it was missing. Tonight they showed up with the missing piece and we all had a very good laugh over it. Now I can make bread again, yea!
I attempted to see 3 properties today but the second one in Concord stood me up. She said she had asked her agent to reschedule with me for next Tuesday but no one ever passed that little tidbit of info on to me so I show up on time, wait and then knock, the teenager son does not know anything about it so I shoot my comps and move on. On to Oakland and then home again.
Life is certainly uncertain these days. With water running out of the wall in the laundry room, the potential of being out of business on Friday due to no orders and a general unease about the market, expenses, taxes, my weight. Well life is not a big happy game, yet it is pretty good. The weather is wonderful this time of year, the dryer now dries tough loads in my cycle instead of three, money has come in the mail the last two days, the house payment is paid, my health is pretty good in spite of several nasty coughing spells each day, Ken and I are walking in the mornings and the lawn automatic sprinklers are now working without leaks.
There are so many things to be grateful for, living in America, having good health care, having cars that actually run, having work to do at least for now, having a host of good friends and a great family. What is not to like? Its not bad.
Thanks for being my friend, for enhancing my life, for putting up with me.

love to all

Tim

Interesting day

Dear Family and Friends,

Today was a little different from others. Gerry was here but was sleeping soundly when Ken and I did our routine around the lake. It was cold and hard work to get around. The Gerry rose and we had breakfast. He suggested we buy Ego's so we had frozen, toasted waffles for breakfast. They actually tasted great. Then as I worked for a bit in the office he did the back windows and the deck making them shine. Mid morning the small appliance repair guy arrived. He tackled the washer and found a real mess behind it. Turns out the washer is not leaking, that is the good news but the wall is leaking behind the washer, as the washer begins to drain water the water begins to seep out from the bottom of the wall. So I'll have to open up the wall, dry it out and solve the leak in the drain pipe. While he was moving things around I had him replace the vinyl air vent between the dryer and the wall with a legal one. He suggested that I allow him to clean out the air duct that extends clear across the house and comes out on the east side. It sounded good to me so he began. He had to cut away the current vent exit cover and then ran a little brush up the pipe, lint began to come out, then he added an extension to the brush and hooked it to his drill, more lint came out and after enough extensions he reached the dryer wall but as he did so we began to hear the sound of the dryer and to see debris flying out. I've included a photo of the pile of lint that was removed from the duct pipe. It is really amazing that the dryer could dry anything with a complete blockage in the line. That was money well spent.

After he left it was time for Gerry and I to drive to Taco Bell for lunch. Gerry was buying and we enjoyed a good meal.

Gerry loaded his Odyssey and headed home and I drove down to pick up Keanna. She was in rare form as usual and we headed to McDonalds. Then we went to the local park where she demonstrated that she is learning about monkey bars, scary to me, exciting to her. Finally we came back home and I worked, she used the copy machine, created a few pictures, played with her doll house and ended up watching the Disney channel until her mom came with Kallie.

Tomorrow I'll settle down once again for more intense work and I see three in the field from mid day on.

When I called Jerry, my brother, I expected to have sad news regarding Suzie but instead it was rather upbeat. Her appointment in SF went well today and it looks like the cancer has not spread, that the existing tumor lends itself to surgery. Tomorrow she will meet with the surgeon at UCSF but all of the family feels a bit better tonight about her future prospects. Thank you Lord.

Hoping you are having a good evening or morning.

Sending love to all,

Tim

Gerry, Ray do their magic

Good evening
Gerry and I are just back from conducting an appraisal in Bethel Island and then having dinner at a tiny Mexican place with great food.
This morning Ken and I hike around the lake in very breezy cool weather. Then Gerry and I had breakfast, Gerry fixed eggs and along with sourdough toast the meal was great. Then we migrated to the front yard where we tackled two leaking sprinklers. One turned out to be a broken sprinkler body, an easy fix but the other one had a pipe separation and Ray made the mistake of wandering over and ended up on his knees doing most of the work fixing the broken pipe. Then after getting both leaks fixed we tackled the yard drain which was plugged with layers of mud. Now that drains just fine. Lois was nearby to offer supervising guidance. Ray also waded into a broken light assembly for the fish tank and took a ballast with him to have it tested. Early afternoon I hit the showers and then we made a deposit of checks on hand and had a late lunch at the Boardwalk, a little place by the boat harbor. Then we came back and I went to work setting up new orders and Gerry took a nap. Finally at 5:50 we drove out to Bethel Island to see a very nice place with a good water view and a wonderful shop. They also have a very nice stair chair and promised to let others know that my stair chair is for sale.
It has been windy all day today so the temperature stayed cool and comfortable. Tomorrow I must settle down and produce some work. Jean, writer, has been cranking out work and I need to tweak it and get it out the door.
Suzie has a biopsy in the morning in San Francisco. Donna drove down today and they are all in a hotel near the medical facility in SF tonight. She has an appointment with a surgeon connected to UCSF on Wednesday morning and important decisions will be made regarding her care. She needs us to remember her to the Lord.
Thanks for being there day after day. In this old nasty world we need each other to help make sense out of an otherwise crazy upside down world. How the Lord must long to just take His children home.
love to all

tim