Medical Problems et al

I have had a few medical problems. 

• Type 2 Diabetes since 2004. I am dealing with it for now with medication (metformin), insulin injections twice a day, and have just switched to Monjorno (sp?) from Trulicity. My endocrinologist has been pleased (as I) with my progress. But it will always be with me, I am sure.
• Bladder cancer was diagnosed in 2011. Two operations, and 6 years of BCG treatment (liveTB serum inserted into the bladder periodically). I have been clean since 2017, with yearly exams - next one is in Jan. Always hopeful, but like all cancers, it has a relatively high return rate. I've been lucky so far. Since it was in the bladder, I didn't suffer any hair loss or any other visible effects. But it plays hell with my bodily functions with respect to going to the bathroom. I have to wear Depends diapers constantly to avoid problems when I can't get to the toilet in time. And that happens most of the time. For the last several years, I use a Depends insert so I can change about every 2-3 hours, so I usually only need to change my diaper daily when I shower. But the whole thing makes me very reluctant to go anywhere.
• I've had several episodes of skin cancer in the past several years, but none have been melanoma. All squamous or basal cell so far. I've had 4 operations to rid them and get checked regularly. I am sure these are a result of running without a hat nor shirt nor lotion for 30 years.
• Three years ago, I had a severe case of cellulitis and was in the hospital for a week. When I go out, I had to be on a daily infusion of blood serum that prevented the virus from returning. Lisa did it to me, while weekly a nurse would come in and change the dressings and tubes. This was for 6 weeks. I am constantly at risk now for it returning. Any breaks in the skin are particularly dangerous. 
• After this, I gave up driving. I haven't driven in over two years. Partly because of my neuropathy from my diabetes - I was having trouble feeling the gas or brake pedals.
• But at the same time, I was diagnosed with Parkinson's. My father had it, so I wasn't completely surprised. At first, it was just a minor shaking in my left hand, but both hands. My balance has gotten worse over the past two years. I use a cane whenever I am outside the house- to doctor visits, and that's about it. I do have two physical book clubs I attend locally. Lisa drives me and helps me if I need to carry anything more than my book. She returns to pick me up afterwards. 
• I stopped running in 2009, then only walked. I was playing pickleball until 2018. Then I stopped walking just before I had cellulitis. Now I try to walk some around the house with my cane.
• I spend most of my time reading - 3 book clubs (one is a Zoom) - and watching Premier League soccer. Can't wait until the World Cup. Also love watching golf. As far as reading is concerned, I have to read mysteries - two of the clubs are mysteries, the other is a classic. I try to read nonfiction on my own since that's where most of my books reside - history, military, biography, political, government, etc.
• I began a blog several years ago, but have gotten away from it recently. I'm going to restart it, hopefully. It will give me an outlet. I talk to my brother every Sunday via GoMeet. We've been doing it for about 5 years. He lives in Colorado Springs and is an avid student of Indian archaeology. He's a retired HS music teacher. Fascinating man, and three years younger.
• I'm spending too much time worrying about our country. I have two friends here whom I don't see much of anymore. Partly because we moved up from Lexington, but also because both are very pro-Trump. While I am a registered Republican, I have voted Democrat since Obama. Whenever we meet - 1 or 2 times a year - or talk by phone, text, or Facebook/Instagram, we don't talk politics. Usually, it's about whisky and beer. This is heavily GOP country here. 
• I follow over 1,000 friends on FB, mostly ex-students. About 700. It's good to see how they've grown up and have families of their own. But too much of today's politics, unrest, and other topics I prefer not talk about are creeping in. I am watching some very nice old detective mysteries and other shows streaming on TV.  I just found WEST WING on Netflix and am watching one or two episodes a day!!

RDG

New Things

Trying to get used to this new laptop. The keyboard feel is different. The symbols are not different. I'm having a difficult time moving around the keyboard. Typing is getting easier - a little bit - but still I get messed up on the keyboard.

I'm using this blog to practice typing on the keyboard. It seems to be working. For now, I will let my note be enough.

RDG

New Things

 

I have a new computer. It's a Lenovo 15" tablet. Still having trouble working around the keyboard. At least I can access the photos I take.

Consider this a practice entry. I will get rid of it later.

I also got a new phone. A Google Pixel 10 Pro.

Changing Direction?

This has been a very busy week, bookwise. We had our Zoom meeting on Wednesday afternoon. It was a mystery, Devil in a Blue Dress by Walter Mosley. I had read it some time last year for another book club and didn't like it. I didn't like it any better this time. But it did serve a positive purpose; or at least I hope it does.

The book's story takes place in 1948 in the Watts area of Los Angeles. Obviously, one of the themes is the racism of the times. That subject got the group talking about today's unrest with immigration, ICE, and the general unhappiness of the current administration. Long story short, I vented with my unhappiness about the current selection of our mysteries. I went on from there and expressed my unhappiness about not reading any nonfiction, like I had at Books and Brews.

As we continued to discuss our dissatisfaction with the current political climate, I suggested that we take a breather from our present lineup of mysteries and instead read a short book on political science, which asks twenty questions of yourself. That's the photo of it above. 129 pages only. "Why don't we read this instead? No need for questions beforehand. No need really for a leader. We'll just discuss each question for a few minutes and then move on to the next."

Surprisingly, we all agreed. So next month, we will delay the original mystery for a month and see how this interjection of political nonfiction works. If nothing else, it will give everyone a sense that we are not alone. But then again, maybe it will lead to better things.

RDG

Remembering an Old Friend

 Every once in a while, I search Facebook for friends or just people I once knew. The other day I went looking for a friend from my early running days. When I began running in 1978. I was stationed at Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas. So it was just logical that I would seek out runners on the post. One was an officer, a major like me, who ran every day at noon from the post gym. His name was George Estabrook.

George worked at the Command and General Staff College. He had gone to the University of New Hampshire, where he had a very notable running career. We often met up at lunch on weekdays at the gym and would run together for about 45 minutes. Soon, we decided to run the Kansas City Marathon scheduled for May 1979.

Here is a photo of us, with another officer from the post whom I can't remember, after we finished. 

George is on the right. I'm in the center. So an So is on the right. 

Anyhow, after I left Leavenworth, I lost touch with him like so many of my army friends.

Last year I went online to see if I could find him. I found a 2015 photo on Facebook and sent a message asking if he was the same George Estabrook I knew. I never heard back. 

I found later an obituary posted for him dying in 2018. 

That was him. I was so sorry to hear that.

When I went online to post this today, AI offered to generate an auto-generated icon for me (I can't remember what they are called).

Not bad.

RDG

Who is She?

 A few days ago, my brother posted his weekly email about local (Colorado) archaeology news. One item was about a book I gave him about Southwest digs quite a while ago, written by a woman archaeologist, Ann Axtell Morris. Excuse the poor quality of the photo, but I didn't have the capability of doing any better.

The photo intrigues me because she reminds me of someone I know or knew. I don't know if it's a famous person like an actor, or whether a friend I know or knew sometime ago.

Anyway, I'll keep it here so that when I remember, I'll have it.

RDG

Remembrance Shelf

 Cleaning my study today, I decided to rearrange many of my things I've been given or collected over the years.

I'll mention many of them later on in other entries. For now, I'm glad they are here.

RDG

Just Dropping In

 It's been quite a while - since May - and just thought I'd begin again to get back to writing each day. Not much, just things that are on my mind and things I remember. 

The two youngest daughters and their families are coming for a couple of days tomorrow; The oldest and her boyfriend from Nashville, and the youngest, her husband, and her two daughters, 11 and (almost) 4.

I'm busy with my three book clubs - one Zoom mystery, and two physical, classic, and mystery. They're keeping me busy reading.

Well, this is a start.

RDG

Dropping In Reading - Religion

 Today, I decided to look at two small books on my Bible shelf: the Jefferson Bible and Lincoln's Devotional.

 The Bible was actually a reprint of Jefferson's attempt to make a "Bible" from Jesus's words in the gospels. He began it in 1804 but didn't complete it until 1819.

Lincoln's little book was a devotional from a sect in England in 1852, with a short saying for each day of the year.

Interestingly, just as I was sitting down before lunch, and after I had looked at the two books above, I glanced at one of my Shakespeare shelves. I was going to read a novel from the local library, "If We Were Villians" by M.L. Rio, and it involved college students and Shakespeare and murder, etc. I noticed on the shelf a book by Joseph Pearce titled "The Quest for Shakespeare". When I pulled it off the shelf, expecting it to be about who Shakespeare really was, I was surprised to find it was an argument for showing that he was a Catholic in a very un-Catholic period of time in England! 

I am adding this to my Reading List - along with the two small presidential books. 

Varia 4

 Yes, it's been a while since my last post, so I thought I'd try to log in a few things that I may or may not expound upon later. I'm calling this #4 since I went back and checked to find I had used the varia word in the title three previous times. (Before I did that, I was sure I had done it many more times!)

So here goes:

• I am joining two more real, meeting-in-person book clubs in addition to my monthly Zoom mystery club, I've been a member of since COVID.
• My 81st birthday passed with nothing really notable.
• Drop-In Reading - a new thing I am starting. More later.
• I recently had a scratched cornea. Kinda limited my reading. Almost completely better. Will talk about it later.

Speak of the devil - "Later."  ;)

Reunions

 The last two days have been exciting in terms of finding old friends. Yesterday while I was sitting in my living room chair watching English football, or soccer, my phone rang. It was an unknown caller, the address was Glen Bernie, MD. Usually, when I get an unknown number I ignore it. I don't know why I didn't this time, but I answered it. A man responded to my "Hello" with "Could I speak to Ron Grandel?". I replied, "This is he".  He said, "This is Rich Morseburger, your driver from Vietnam". 

I couldn't believe it. When I first on Facebook in 2010, Rich was one of the very first people I looked for, but couldn't find him. Turns out, that he doesn't have a social presence online. Anyhow, we chatted for almost an hour trading stories, mentioning common friends from Vietnam, and each other up-to-date to some degree. We left our phone call of almost an hour promising to each other some photos we had each taken.

About two hours later, I got another call from a northern Virginia area code.  I didn't recognize it, but feeling good about my earlier call with Rich I answered.  It was Cordell Burch, my 3rd platoon leader from Vietnam. Rich had called him and gave him my phone number. Once again we reminisced about 1969 Vietnam and brought each other somewhat up-to-date.

It was a very gratifying afternoon. 

Then this morning I FB message from one of my Xavier ex-cadets, Mike Patti. He found a favorite teacher of his, Al Nilles, who lived in Lexington, Virginia. He sent me the address and I am going to try to look Al up (Al and I would run the annual school walkathon instead of walking it). 

All in all, it was a good last two days.

A Family Death

 My Uncle Wayne died last Friday. He was eighty-nine. He would have been 90 next month. Only nine years older than me.

He was a very good man. He was a juvenile delinquent. He gave my mother's mother many a day of angst, fear, and anger. But eventually, he married and settled down, had two sons, and had two grandchildren by the time he passed. He was an Air Force veteran of the 50's. He was a welder for most of his working life.

He would always call Jerry and me on our birthdays and wish us a happy birthday.

I will miss him.