It Sure Is Hard!

I made a deal with someone the other day. My half of the deal is I gotta give up Coca Cola. I love my Coca Cola. The fully leaded kind. None of that sissy Diet Coke for me! I have a long standing love affair with the fizzy drink and it's artificial coloring and sweeteners. For the past 50 years I have enjoyed anywhere from 4 to 20 of them per day. Every day. (The 20 a day was long ago when I was about 18.)  I am surprised my kidneys have not rebelled against me to tell you the truth!

So here I am, now two weeks into this cold turkey cut off. It is haaaaaard folks! I am drinking water from a place in Greenville called The Drop, or Drip, or something like that. It is billed as "alkaline water". Supposed to have a high Ph and other minerals in it and be good for you. So far I can't tell much difference.  It costs about the same as regular bottled water, so I am not complaining. I AM complaining about not having my cold, bubbly fix every day! But it's for a good cause. More than one good cause actually.

I have been needing to lose weight for years. Nothing worked. Fad diets were just that. They didn't work. Fasting didn't do a lot. Some, but not a lot. I even ordered some of the powder drink mix that I once used several years ago to lose. Couple pounds is all I shed. That and forty bucks. So I finally listened to my wife and decided to try giving up the Cokes. They are full of sugar ya know? Yesterday morning I stepped on the scales and I am at 277.1 lbs. Down from 284.4 when I began. That's 7.3 lbs!  I'm happy as a pig in mud with a traugh full of fresh slop!

At the current pace I should hit my desired goal weight of 200 lbs. in about a year. Bummer. A year! LOL. I can do it. I hope to be able to walk more in the coming few months as I lose the extra weight on my knees and hips. I will be joining a new gym that has an indoor walking track. It has many more features as well. I was sold when they told me they had a sauna!! I get two weeks free when I sign up, so I will be signing up this week. Probably tomorrow when I am in Greenville. I am excited to sweat! LOL. I just hope the high heat in the sauna doesn't cause problems with my heart. Wish me luck! 

Meanwhile...I sure could use some icy refreshment in a 12 oz. can. GIT THEE BEHIND ME SATAN, AND QUIT APUSHIN'!

I need Geritol. Make it a double!

 If you know me you know that I am an avid poster of videos on YouTube. (https://www.youtube.com/dannywmeeks) I love creating stuff, so it was only natural that I do it! 

This morning I posted a video that has already gotten a first comment. The comment was sort of unusual and out of left field, as they say. It simply said..."Thanks Grampa."  Grampa???? GRAMPA?! I was stunned for a second or two, then I started to wonder where the person got that idea. I know I am sort of old, at 66, but "Grampa"? Come on man! 

I guess I am technically old enough to be someone's grandfather. I know folks who became grandparents by the age of 40. But I'm still young and handsome!I can't be anybody's "grampa". No. I refuse and refute the guy's claim! 

Now...If you'll excuse me, there is a tall glass of Geritol waiting on me in the kitchen. There may also be some roast left over from lunch if I can find my dentures!

Fee For Stupid

 You may not be aware of it, but "stupid" comes with fees. Today I stopped by the bank to grab a couple of ten dollar bills for my upcoming haircut. As you know, you have to have your driver's license with you to make transactions at financial institutions. That is where the problem started. I turned my wallet inside out and emptied every pocket and opening. My DL was nowhere to be found. I have no earthly idea where it went, but it has most certainly disappeared.

Fortunately, I had my conceal carry license with me which had my DL number and my photo on it. I finished up with the bank lady and headed over to get the haircut. After leaving there I went straight to the DMV to see what my next step was going to be. As I walked into the DMV I noticed a sign that stated "You must have an appointment for business inside." Uh oh... I went on in and I got lucky. They were not busy at all and I was able to fill out a couple of forms and have a seat in the waiting area. I didn't have to wait long before they called me back to the unseen area where the magic happens. Thumb prints, signature, and photos. Then they hit me...FEES! Cost me $11 for being stupid enough to lose my DL!

I didn't argue about the fees, though. I was more than happy to pay the $11 for the right to hold and carry a piece of paper that would temporarily keep me out of jail in the event of a roadside conversation with the Po-Po! Having worked in the jail here in Hunt County, I am well aware that they can and will "run you in" for no DL! I was not interested in that sort of thing. 

So here I sit mumbling to myself about the lost DL and the fact that stupid comes with a fee. If you happen to see my old DL, please toss it in the trash can...Sort of like I did with that eleven bucks!

Have a great weekend! We'll Holler atcha!

"I Know A Guy."

 My family thinks I'm special. Not because of the things I can do, but because of the fact that I usually can't do stuff! Due to health reasons and limitations I can't get down low to fix things and I can't climb up to fix them either! So I compensated. You know how when a person goes blind their other other senses get stronger by design? That's sort of what has happened to me in my situation. I had to adapt and overcome in order to survive. 

So why does my family think I am special? Because anytime something arrises that I can't handle and my wife can't handle...I got a guy! From electricians to carpenters to my favorite local handyman, I know who to call. It may cost me a little, but I know the numbers to dial! 

Just this morning I met with Trent, my handyman, about replacing my deck and adding a ramp for easier access. I should have a quote soon. (I may not have the money, but I'll have the quote LOL!) Not long ago we needed a charger for an EV hooked up. I made a call and BAM! Problem solved. About 6 months ago we needed a roof put on our house. No worries. "Hey Jack. I need a roof." Easy peasy. Of course it all depends on the cost, but I always have a name to contact! 

I recently saw a T-shirt that pictured a cross and the words "I can't. But I know a Man." (BTW...He is a Jewish carpenter!) I love it! Because it is 100% TRUE! It's great having a list of folks in my head and on my phone that I can call in a situation that needs rectified, but WOW! I cannot imagine not having Jesus. If a situation arrises or I get in a bind, He is right there. All I gotta do is call on Him and it gets taken care of. You know the best part? It's already taken care of. There is no charge! Jesus has paid the price long ago! 

If you are ever in a spot where you need a handyman or electrician or plumber...I got a guy you can call. However, if you are ever feeling hopeless and helpless and think you can't hang on...I GOT A GUY! Just holler and we can get you in touch!

Getting Old Sucks!

 I have decided something...Getting old sucks! I'm only 66, but that's about 50 more than when I was happiest. Give or take a few years. I must say that I am a young 66, in my eyes. I feel young. I get around like I am not! The heart attack nearly 7 years ago made sure I would never be able to do the things I used to do for myself. Gone are the days when I could bend down and straighten up quickly. Today that would cause me great concern and a possible ER run! I bend down gently and stand up slowly. Even then it is an experience!

"Frustration" is the name of the game these days. I feel useless around the house. I want to mow the yard and weed eat it. Mowing is not the problem. Edging the yard is a thing of the past. I just can't do it without almost dying. Litterally. "Serious bidniss", my friends. I can't even work part time anymore. I worked from the age of 12 to my retirement at 59 1/2. The longest I was without a job was 2 weeks! After I retired I took a week off and decided that was for the birds. I went back to work selling cars like I had for ten years before I started work for the Sheriff's Office. Five weeks in I was just getting the hang of it again when the afore mentioned heart attack struck. That ended things...LOTS of things. (It nearly ended me!)

I was feeling great after my bypass surgery when, to my surprise, the Cardiologist said I was 100% disabled. Uhhh...Come again for big daddy? 

He said I would soon begin to understand. He was right. My ability to do the simplest of tasks without getting majorly out of breath was a surprise to me. I still do not understand it. I have tried asking the doc why it happens, but he has no answer (or at least he gives none). I still feel like I CAN do stuff. That just doesn't translate to actually doing stuff. Makes my butt want a dip of snuff! (As my grandmother used to say.) I get out of breath just walking from my car to door of Wal Mart. I did manage to get one of those hanging placards for handicap parking. I STILL get out of breath. 

So...getting old is not for the faint of heart or the weak of knee! 

However, it does beat the alternative. 

Oops! Sorry Big Dude!

 So the other day I was driving to the store, or so I thought. I had gone about a mile and a half when I realized I had left my wallet at home. Can't buy a Coke with my looks, so I had to turn around. That's where it got tricky. 

The road between my house and the little store I frequent is a two lane farm to market road. Not many places to turn around. I saw an indention on the side up ahead and decided to use that as a turn around. Now I saw the big rig 18 wheeler coming way down the road. No problem, I thought. He was a considerable ways from me. I whipped into the spot and threw it into reverse. Still time. No hurry. I backed out onto the road and put 'er in drive and I heard this air horn going off. It was obvious the driver was upset at me for being in his way. How he got to me from where I saw him in such a short time leads me to think he may have been traveling at above the posted limit! I don't guess I could blame him for being upset. I WAS "sort of" in his way. He could and did easily go around me, blaring that stupid horn.  I had my window down so I heard him loud and clear. 

What's funny is I am friends with the guy! I recognized him. I knew the truck and where it works out of. I had to laugh. Next time I stop by the guy's shop I'll apologize for getting in his way...IF my ears have stopped ringing from that blasted horn! 

Know what? I want one of those for my car! That or a train horn! Yeah, a train horn! That's it! THAT'S the ticket! Then I can answer when someone gets mad and blasts me with a big rig horn! PLUS I can scare the bejeepers outta slow moving folks in the hammer lane! 

I can hear it now...

Just An Old Bike

 It wasn't much, just an old bicycle made from several older bicycles. It was like a hand-me-down bike from people I never met. Daddy baught it for me one day at a garage sale and I was crazy about it! My very own bicycle! My brother had worked odd jobs to purchase his bike. A cool blue one with the banana seat and hand brakes! It was awesome! Mine had the banana seat but lacked the hand brakes. Not a problem.  Now we'd be able to ride together, and man did we ever?! I painted mine black with a can of spray paint, and even though the paint job was not perfect I didn't care. It didn't make a difference in "the way it ran"! 

Together we rode. We rode around and through the neighborhood. We rode to the Handy Dandy Grocery about a mile from our house. We rode with the kids, Billy and Anita, from one neighborhood over. We rode with John, the kid next door who's dad seemed able to fix any and every problem with our bikes. In the summers we rode with the kids who came to stay with our neighbor Mrs. King. Simply put...We. Had. Fun. Full speed we rode through alleyways and between houses. If you were a seasoned rider, like we were, you could ride full throttle down the road, hang a right at the Arnold's drive and blast through the low hanging limbs between their fence and their garage! We had a full two feet of space! We even formed a "biker club". We were, drumroll please..."Heck's Angels"! I don't know which of us came up with that, but it was the 60's so you have to overlook the ignorance!

Once my cousins came to spend a summer day with us. My brother challanged my cousin Becky to a race. He was on his and Becky rode mine. First one to the concrete slab on our oil top road wins! I, along with my other cousin, stood at the slab slash finish line and yelled "GO!" The race was on and it was a close one! My brother won...sort of. He reached the slab a second or two before Becky but in doing so he hit a one inch rise in the edge of the concrete. He and the bicycle were launched high in the air. They flew over our heads and landed about ten feet beyond the other edge of the slab. We went home, broken arm and twisted metal and all to report the accident to my aunt who was babysitting the lot of us. She was asleep and rather than wake her, we walked to my mother's office about a block away. Off we went to the ER! Mama was MAD, to say the least. Not at us. She was mad at my aunt. I didn't blame my aunt. It was us who decided to race. If anyone was at fault it was us, and I really don't see a case to be made for that. The arm was in a cast for about a month or two then all was well. John's dad fixed the bike  and we rode again like nothing ever happened. For the record, that was the first, last, and ONLY race we ever had!

Time passed and the bicycles gave way to cars. Billy got into motorcycles and rode a chopper for a few years until he accidentally drowned at 18 on a family outing. I lost track of the rest of the kids. 

Those were the days. I wish I had kept that old bike. I really wish we could have kept riding and being kids.