AND ... IT'S NOT OVER YET

Yesterday was another day& night of killer storms & tornados in Arkansas.

So far, the reports are five people killed by tornados last night in Vilonia, Arkansas -- just N.W. of Little rock -- & two people killed by flooding water.

As the line of wind & rain arrived at my home, "The Girls" & me were nestled in the hallway, cell phone  in my pocket, surrounded by quilts, pillows & two flashlights. This time the power flickered off several times, but (thankfully) remained on all night.

With daylight today, it was time for an "inspection" of my property.  Along with the "normal" debris -- sticks, tree limbs, leaves, etc -- scattered everywhere, there was some major damages awaiting me.

 This large tree in the South field was apparently not able to find an open spot in which to fall on as it split.

Instead, the tree decided to go frr a "soft landing" in the Bradford Pears & Leyland Cypress trees.

 Big tree.  Big damages ... to it & the trees it fell into.

The broken tree "shaved off" the branches of the LARGE Leyland Cypress trees -- there is more than one it hit --  which will mean permanent scaring/ damage/dis-figurement to the trees it landed on.

This will take time to get "cleaned up".  I will probably need to get some professional tree people to help get the fallen tree cut up & removed.

Adding to the damages, this large tree branch in the back of the storage building, apparently fell first on the roof, as there is a large hole -- about 4X6 inches -- in the roof.

The weather forecast for today is for more of the same weather conditions ... storms/tornados & flooding rain.

It's NOT over yet !!

WORKOUTS WITH REESE WITHERSPOON

Back on January 5, 2010, I wrote about my workouts at the Hayes Senior Center in North Little Rock, Arkansas.  While not really offering all the amenities I was hoping to find at such a facility, the price was cheap & the hours were good. 

I was a member of the Hayes Center for about two & a half years.  I have the word "was" because I decided I could no longer "tolerate" going there.

That's right ... TOLERATE !!!!

The Senior Center is just that.  A bunch of old pharts.  A nice place to play canasta or work a jig-saw puzzle, but no one is trying to workout & improve their physical condition.  It's just a bunch of old people wanting to visit with other old people.

Hey !!  I tried to pick my time & avoid the hours when everyone seems to want to shuffle around in small groups on the two lane track, gabbing away, oblivious to anyone else less than a hundred years old. 

Don't they have someplace else to go ??  They would get the same "excerise" walking from the couch to the kitchen.  Just as fast, too.

And don't get me started about the treadmills.  Ya, those machines, going an eighth of a mile per hour, with a large fan blowing on it, so that no one would ever SWEAT !!

While I like my workouts to be beneficial to my heart & body, I realized the STRESS I was feeling -- from trying to deal with all the fossils occupying space & taking up time at the Center -- was counter productive.  I was on the road to a second bypass.

I decided that I was too young (34) to continue at the Hayes Senior Center.  It was too counter-productive to my health.  I had to find someplace else to get my heart rate pumping & keep me from accidently knocking over some old geriatric. 

Thankfully, I found that place. As result, I may have added some more years to my life.



I am now a member of the North Little Rock Athletic Club. [I like the name, since it's obvious ... I am an athlete.]  It's located near all the important places, like Barnes & Noble, Target, Kroger, Sam's Club, etc.

The club is two stories & has everything for cardio & strength conditioning.  I'm a big fan of running on the treadmill & they have several dozen of those machines alone.  No waiting.

When I first started going to the NLRAC, I utilized the treadmill shown in the far left of the above photo.

My "view" from upstairs -- on a Saturday morning, when the 10 A.M. pick-up games begin -- of the six basketball goals below.  Hard to see in the photo -- upper left corner -- is the upstairs "Cardio Theater", where the treadmills I currently run on are located.

I don't watch anything on the four TV screens on the wall.  I have my iPod & headphones.  Also, I am, mostly concentrating on the display screen in front of me on the treadmill, convincing myself ...  I can go another 10 minute mile.

 Some of the weight machines directly below the "theater".

More machines, with the track in view, looking out towards another exercise area & on to the basketball courts.

What I did not take a photo of, is the aerobics room, where they have several classes a day, with (mostly) women getting their grove on.  That's where I spotted Reese Withspoon.

Well ... it's probably someone who sure LOOKS like Reese Witherspoon.  She caught my eye & does every time I see her in the class, not that I would ever take part in the class.  I get enough "neck action" just going by the room while on the track

And, yes, there are people older than me at the NLRAC.  Ones who are really having a workout ... sweating ... getting the heart pumping.

WHEN I'M 64 ...

THE BEATLES HAD IT (ALMOST) RIGHT ...

 

When I get older losing my hair,

Many years from now,

-- years ??  It's happening NOW !! --

Will you still be sending me a valentine

Birthday greetings bottle of wine?

-- Gosh, why did I stop drinking ?? --

If I'd been out till quarter to three
-- ME ??  3 A.M. ?? --
Would you lock the door,
Will you still need me, will you still feed me,
-- I'd love a pizza, or ice cream --
When I'm sixty-four?


oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oooo
You'll be older too, (ah ah ah ah ah)
And if you say the word,
I could stay with you.

-- But, not for long.  Got to go feed the cats --

I could be handy mending a fuse
When your lights have gone.
-- Call someone else --
You can knit a sweater by the fireside
-- Who are you ??  Hilda ?? --
Sunday mornings go for a ride.
-- Looking for turtles --


Doing the garden, digging the weeds,
-- I don't do weeds --
Who could ask for more?
-- How about a big LOTTO win ?? --
Will you still need me, will you still feed me,
When I'm sixty-four?


Every summer we can rent a cottage
In the Isle of Wight, if it's not too dear
-- How about the Caribbean ?? --
We shall scrimp and save
Grandchildren on your knee
Vera, Chuck, and Dave
-- Where did THEY come from ?? --


Send me a postcard, drop me a line,
Stating point of view.
Indicate precisely what you mean to say
Yours sincerely, Wasting Away.
-- It's the workouts & proper eating. Really --


Give me your answer, fill in a form
Mine for evermore
Will you still need me, will you still feed me,
When I'm sixty-four?

Not much time ... I'm 64, TODAY !!



My childhood "best bud" -- Dale -- who I've known longer than any non-relative, sent me a card recently that included an illustration of a Texas Horned Lizard. I framed it up as a reminder of the two lizards we had as children, which at the time were mis-named "Texas Horned TOADS".

So there you are ... 64, going on 34 !!

NEW BAMBOO ... AND A FEW SURPISES

Signs of Spring abound lately.  The flowering of many trees , as well as the rapid development of their leaves, is giving the landscape the colors that make us forget of the grays & browns of Winter past.

Like clock work, with day length becoming longer & the warming of the earth, the bamboo on my property is sending it's annual new shoots upward.  The rapid growth -- sometimes more than a foot per day -- is occurring right outside my front door.

The new Black Bamboo shoots are much lighter in color & will soon turn green.  Throughout the the Summer the bamboo will darken to a black color, thus it's name.

The new shoots of bamboo emerge from the soil with the width they will retain their whole life.  Once the full height is obtained, the bamboo will get no bigger, & each years growing cycle will only replace leaves & never gain in size.

Some "Spring Surprises" included this nice bloom on one of my Cattleya orchids.  I label it a "surprise" since it's flowering caught me off guard, as the orchid plant was nestled in with a number of plants which spent the Winter on the side porch under grow-lights.

When it comes to my cats, there are few surprises, but still they come up with something out of the ordinary every so often.  One of those times was yesterday morning.

Nibblets was laying on the kitchen floor, very much enthralled by something next to the trash basket. She often will bat around a piece of dry cat food to amuse herself.  When I moved the basket to the middle of the floor to see what Miss Nibs was so interested in, (above photo) I got another "surprise".

This baby snake was the reason for the interest by Nibblets.  It was curled up on the floor, no doubt, fearing the worst from the inquiring cat. I have no idea how/when the snake got in the house. If one of the cats brought it into the house, they concealed it well, as most every time they return indoors, I am there inspect them & give their fur a brushing.

I took the small snake to the fence line in my yard, where there was ample vegetation for it to hide & resume it's life ... outdoors.

Just another of the "Surprises of Spring".

FOUR YEARS AGO ... TODAY

Today is the 17th of the month.  It's the day every month that I put Frontline on all three cats. I've got to keep the fleas & ticks off "My Girls".

Since it is the 17th of April, there is also a bit more signiffance to the date:
**  It's the birthday of my friend, Sheila Clark. [I won't give away her age.]
**  Four years ago today, I had my chest sawed open.

My "Heart Anniversary" is not something I take for granted.  Trust me.  It's a life altering event for anyone.

Prior to going to the hospital, I had just completed almost three years of business related traveling ... to Vancouver, Canada & then weekly drives to Memphis, Tennessee.  Add on the fact I had several years of less than stress free working conditions at my job at Maybelline.  Now combine that with years of "road food" & a limited exercise plan, to see that my life & health was not A1 back in 2007.

I had gone into the hospital  for an out-patient heart catheterization on Monday the 16th. Simple enough.  I had two done previously with good results.

This time -- while still in the operating room -- Dr. Davis gave me "the shoulder tap", informing me I had major blockage in my arteries & would NOT be going home, since I needed heart bypass surgery.

I was scheduled for surgery the next morning -- they didn't wait around long, did they ?? -- under Dr. Fred Meddors, one of the top heart surgeons in Little Rock.

Then the "fun" began ... some of which I was a willing partner to & some events I was there ... but not really.

Monday night I got shaved -- legs, groin & chest.  Then a shower with medical soap ... to be "germ free".

Tuesday morning went quick enough.  My friend Bubba showed up to visit with me & even accompanied me to the pre-surgery area, where someone was doing a lot of hollering in the distance.  It provided a laugh to us both.

Then, just past 10 A.M., it was off to surgery.

The main memory I have is of an operating room which seemed ... "bare".  No doctors or nurses, & very little equipment. [All of which arrived after I was ... "knocked out".]  Then, to the best of my knowledge:
**  I was "prepped"
**  My legs cut to procure veins to graft into my heart
**  My chest sawed open & my ribs pulled back
**  A heart-lung machine attached & my heart was stopped
**  Four arteries where redirected using the veins taken from my legs
**  My heart restarted
**  Seven wires where used to draw my rib cage back together, along with internal stitches for my chest & legs.

None of the above do I recall or was even vaguely aware was taking place.  From being sedated until I began to regain consciousness in the post-op area, all seemed instantaneous.  It was as if time did not take place ... as if it all happened -- to me -- in a flash.

Then by Friday of the same week, I was home to recover & slowly get my life back in order.

If I need any incentive to get exercise (daily) or eat the proper foods (most of the time), all I have to do is look at the scars on my legs or the former incision on my chest -- along with the holes where the drain tubes where in my chest -- to keep me motivated.

I am thankful for my health & I hope having gone through this will be a reminder to myself -- & others -- how important our health can be.

I have been given -- so far -- an extra four years of life.  And I want more.
____________________________________________________________________
[P.S. -- The photo I took this past week ... for "effect".  The scars really don't show much.]

GOLDILOCK'S DAYS

I have written previously of my desire for Spring to arrive this year. I am no fan of cold/wet weather -- that includes SNOW -- & the "hints" of Spring appearing locally -- the Bradford Pear trees in bloom, as well as the colorful Red Bud trees are early examples -- have become more prominent.

I have enclosed some photos I took last week, all of which are colorful indicators of the change of seasons.

The Wisteria Vine grows on the far end of my storage building.  It's a favorite of Bumble Bees when in bloom.  And it smells good, too.

 The Lace Leaf Japanese Maple next to the side door to my house is a nice delicate green color.

 The red Japanese Maple 'Blood Good' is a good color contrast to the various shades of green now arriving.

The above photo is not very good, since the two Dogwood Trees -- pink in the foreground & white in the rear -- don't stand out in the picture due to their limited amount of "blossoms" appearing this year. [What we perceive as "flowers" are actually the color of the "bracts" which hold the small & nondescript actual flower.]

The most definite "proof" of the -- finally -- arrival of Spring, is the color of the male Gold Finches on the bird feeders.  The dull, Winter plumage has moulted & been replaced by the yellow/gold color feathers which give them their name.

These are my "Goldilock's Days".  The Winter was too cold & the upcoming Summer will (always) be too hot.  But, Spring in central Arkansas ... "is just right".

BEEN THERE. DONE THAT.

Despite being the only human in the house, I have come to realize over the past few years that my "roommates", like me, have habits & mannerisms which tend to be repeated. Often there are "hints" that something is taking place not in the normal day-to-day realm & for me, these "warnings" need to be recogonized & adhered to.

Today was an example.

Having finished dressing after my afternoon shower, I -- briefly -- left the bedroom.  Upon my return something did not look quite right.  Something was missing. 

The open drawer to the dresser -- yes, it's the "underware drawer" -- looked ... "normal".  Still, it did not seem right.

Rather than push the drawer into the dresser, I removed it & sat it on the floor.

There was Precious -- who had been on the floor next to the dresser previously -- snuggled in the back space where the drawer had been open. 

I'm sure glad I did not try to close the drawer without checking first. But then, this has been one of her habits & it was not the first time she has crawled into the back of an open dresser drawer.

Been there.  Done that.