Ultrasound Evidence

My uncle Ronnie was a Teacher, Principal and even School Superintendent. Because he dealt with students and their parents, he would said, “I don’t have a heart, I’ve got a thumping gizzard, instead.” Well, that was until the doctor told him he had a heart attack several years ago. “I finally have proof that I have a heart after all. And there was no denying the hospital bill, either!!!”

As Robin moved the magic wand – smearing the yuckiest goop known to Mankind across my left side – she said, “There’s your Aorta, all four chambers and the colors show the blood flow through the chambers.”

The doctor came into the darkened room and stared at the screen.

“You have had uncontrolled hypertension for a few years now. And just like a weightlifter, the increased exercise has caused the heart muscle to grow.”

With nothing to with which to compare, this is now my baseline. Increased wall thickens – what should have been 12 to 14 mm was 16 to 18 mm.

Having a big heart is good, when it is caring for others.

Having a big heart from unknown and unmanaged high blood pressure, isn’t good at all.

Spring is Knocking

Lower 70's and Sunshine. It was a beautiful afternoon.

So is Spring really here? I don't think so.

1. The Purple Martins have not arrived back to the farm.
2. There is no green buds on the pecan trees.

It was told to me that my Dad-in-Law would state, "Mother Nature can fool most trees to bloom and bud, but she can't fool the pecan tree."

Three plus weeks until vernal equinox, so there is still time for cold fingers to snap.

Air Bags and Guardian Angels

I have known Brian’s family for nearly 15 years now, meeting Brian when he was 10 or 11 years old. I worked with his step-dad when with Savannah Luggage. His mom is the special lady at Tumi, especially on Friday mornings – and for salary associates, every other Friday.

Brian is an officer for the Helena Police force. Several weeks ago he was working a license check road block near the old fair grounds. He was having a rough time with the car in front of me and with a one sided grin; he looked back toward my truck and saw who was next in line. I returned my wallet to my back pocket. I reached instead for a form of identification he would know just as well. My badge with the security disk for entry into “free trade zone” warehouse hangs on a retractable key reel. As I approach, I flash my photo i.d. with the word “TUMI” on the side.


“Hey, Mr. Bob. How ya doing?”

We talk for the short time until there is a car approaching from behind me.

“If you need anything, give me a call. You still have my cell phone number, don’t ya?”

I still do.

Monday afternoon, a man thought it would be a good day to run a red light and then elude the police trying to stop him. Others from the Sherriff’s department and the two towns that make up our community joined in the chase. Highway 319/441 South was the road where Brian and a Deputy were traveling when they got the call of the fugitive location. Brian did a quick turnaround and was heading back to town. Ed, was in the black and orange Sherriff’s car behind Brian and decided to make his reversal on Temperance Road. The area around the south part of Telfair County was many little rises and valleys as the terrain slopes down to the Ocmulgee River. Temperance Road happens to be just over the top of one of those little hills. Brian says he remembers seeing 80 m.p,h. on his speedometer and he was still accelerating. The force of the impact is so great, the doors on the passenger side of Ed’s car are forced open as the entire seat is ejected and lands some 40 yards down the road.

Ed was taken to Macon, while Brian remained in Taylor-Telfair Hospital.

His mom and sister are standing in his hospital room as I enter Tuesday evening.

“He is down in Radiology. They just left a few minutes ago.” Kathy and Mindy looked like they both needed sleep.

I am shown photos of the remnants of two police cruisers. Under normal circumstances, I would have believed no would could survive such an accident. But they did.

Thank God for Airbags and Guardian Angels.

After a MRI Tuesday night, Brian was transferred to Middle Georgia Medical Center yesterday afternoon. I anxiously await news from Kathy this morning.

No Thanks, I'm in a hurry!!!

• Robitussin DM
• Orange Juice
• Grape Juice
• Cranberry Juice
• Box of Kleenex
  

My list for Wal*Mart was short and urgent. Sarah is not feeling so good. I make my way around the store, entering via the door by the Garden Department. Robitussin is close by. But OJ is in the totally opposite corner of the store. I make my way through and around the crowds that gather at 5:00.

I get to front of the store with the rest of the crowd, but with the good fortune of getting to a nearby register just as the cashier was returning from the customer service area. So I breeze through checkout.

Then I am face with another line - the one leading toward the exit. Six or seven buggies are lined up with a lady with a yellow highlighter marking receipts. As the other folks play “Follow the Leader”, I make my way toward the door via the fast lane.

“Ya know – you don’t have to stand in line for Yellow Highlighter Lady!!!”

I carry my bags to the truck and am on my way while others are still waiting.

The Year of the Pig

When it is Noon in south Georgia, it is Midnight in Taiwan and Hong Kong. I have received emails from the Tumi Asia folks at all hours of the day. One of the associates from the Hong Kong office is noted for sending emails in the afternoon E.S.T. Which means, the wee hours of the morning on the other side of the globe.

Any given day I will have a dozen or more emails from the Chen's, Lai's and Hou's of the organization. I checked several times over the long Presidents' Day Weekend. Nothing, None, Nadda! Not a single email from the Asia in the past 5 days.

Happy Chinese New Year!

63 Years and 1 Day

Sometime last week, the bulb in Mama's security light went out!!! So, I called the Little Ocmulgee E.M.C. to have it replaced.

"How is the account listed?"

I gave her Mama's name.

"Is there another name?"

I gave her Daddy's name.

"I don't see that one either. What's the phone number?"

I gave her Mama's phone number.

"Would it be listed as W. F."

I replied, "Yes, that was her late-husband's initials."

"Oh, is he deceased?"

"Yes, ma'am... Several years ago."

"She needs to come in and apply for service in her name. And she will be eligible for his Capital Credits. It will probably nice little amount."

So after lunch, we drove downtown to the office. Out of curiosity, I asked when the orginial membership was started.

Tammy replied, "February 18, 1944." I think my jaw nearly hit the counter top!!!

Sarah was a negative six months old. I would imagine that the only use for electricity back then was for lighting the night. Cooking was still done on a wood stove, heat came from the fireplace that is now covered over and hot water was a pot on the stove. I wonder how long afterwards Daddy got them a radio...



Later, we drove around the country-side - taking a bunch of photos and listening to Mama tell of the days of covered wagons and cotton fields. Mama's enjoy her President's Day ride... but not nearly as much as we enjoyed listening to her!!!

Take Two Asprin?

Sarah woke up with a fever this morning....

Puppy Fever!!!

We called the kennel where we bought Metro. No Yorkie Pups! But our second choice of breeds would be a Pomeranian. Uh-oh, Gwen has one of those!!!



She was a cutie!



Metro was impressed!

Gwen said she would never be big enough to be a mommy. So we left our cards with the words --- "Yorkie Female" --- written on it.
Maybe someday we will get a call!

Whiskers

Well, it lasted 104 days...

My face was not ready for the daily ritual of scraping with slivers of metal. Sunday morning was the last time I shaved and by this morning my usual mix of white, grey and reddish brown stubble has covered the space that was void for just over 3 months.

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day, Baby!!!


mmmmmmmmmm, Cherry Blossoms!!!

Surprise!!!

The cell phone rung as we arrived at church Friday night for the Valentine Banquet.

"What are we having for lunch tomorrow?" Sherry was on the other end.

She left her house at 4:00 AM CST --- she arrived at our house at 11:30 AM EST! Six hours and thirty minutes for the 386 miles (*does math*) - she averaged 59.38 m.p.h and she stopped in Atlanta to get her oil changed!!!

She went to church with us Sunday morning and headed back to Tennessee at 2:30. The plan was - when we got home from church we would call her to see where she was. I was thinking Monteagle. However, she said "Murfreesboro". 71.43 m.p.h. on the return trip!!!

Thanks Sis!!! I am so glad you were able to make it down to south Georgia to "make sure I turned 50"... and thanks for my Dairy Queen Ice Cream Cake.

By some quirk, I actually weighed in at a pound less than I did last Thursday!

Seeing Double

I always said that the only difference between the two of them was their age. Of the 29 Mother & Daughter contestants, they placed FOURTH!!!

The judges selected the top 5 and the audience voted by applause for the winner.


I think it was rigged!

Half of a Century

18,262 days.

438,288 hours

26,297,280 minutes

1,576,836,800 seconds


and for the first time I feel every second - as the time on my birth certificate is plus 50 years.

Back to the Doctor

I was feeling kinda fuzzy this morning at work, so I took my blood pressure.

153/114

I didn't believe it, so I took it again.

149/111

Not much better, uh?

So I call the doctor's office, Betsy told me to "get yourself here, but be careful"!

148/108

I was just going to comfirm that the blood pressure cuff at work wasn't accurate. But she said, "I want Doc to see ya this morning". I brought in my laptop with the Excel spreadsheet of the BP readings for the last 7 days.

After looking over my chart and spreadsheet, Dr. S went to the storage cabinet and returned with a month's supply of Micardis ...

After the exam was over, Dr. S began asking about my laptop --- I think there maybe a Toshiba in his future. Oh, he didn't charge me for the office visit and I didn't charge him for the computer advice!

Royal Ambassadors

Make learning FUN!

This is one of the goals of Royal Ambassadors. Six boys divided into two teams.

After three innings, the score is tied at one run each...

Finally Did it!

We drove to Savannah for a long overdue checkup on the back surgery done last May. What should have been the six month follow-up in November - more like 9 months. Scheduled to see Gary, the Physician Assistant, we said hello to him as we entered the hallway to the examination rooms. That would be the last time we saw Gary yesterday morning. Dr. Heiges spotted Sarah as he exited the exam room across the way. Smiles and waves were exchanged, just before she was escorted to the radiology department. Dr. Heiges stepped in to the room and shook my hand, "I almost didn't recognize her with the different hair color, I'm use to the darker hair. Is she getting pictures taken?"

Moments later, xray read... Dr. H. did the consult instead of Gary. He had taken time from his busy schedule to spend it with Sarah. He is a GOOD DOCTOR!!!

Lunch with Brooke at Chili's --- Yummmmmmmm. And then a bit of shopping...






As we drove through Vidalia, we decided to visit with Dot for a few minutes. We were welcomed with kisses from Tit Bit and Dot. The article that appears in today's edition of the Vidalia Advance was saved on her laptop as a word file. She asked me to read it aloud. Last week, Carlson was honored posthumously by the Peace Officers’ Association of Georgia (POAG) with a Life Time Achievement Award.

I almost made it to the end of the article without tearing up...

It was finally the right time to share with Dot what I had written nearly 6 months ago.

She almost made it to the end of the blog without tearing up...

Toldja it was coming!

Well, it is official!

My southern way of life has caught up with me. Too many fried foods and too many rich desserts.

Besides my blood pressure being to high, my bad cholesterol is slightly elevated (the 'good' cholesterol was o.k.) and my blood sugar is on the fringe of stepping from the green zone to the yellow zone.

And then Doc got real ugly. He said, "You need to drop 16 to 18 pounds!"

A prescription for Lipitor, an asprin per day, and start DASH - Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension are my instructions.

Febuary 26 will find me in Macon for a Cardio Stress Test.

A stop at the grocery store preceded the pharmacy. Fruits, salads, 100% juices, oatmeal and oat grain products - on the list. Steak, chops and other good stuff - off the list.

With family history being what it is, I should have known!

I wanna slap Paula Dean!

Four Day Study

Give an engineer a task and he will usually over do it.

Four days of taking and recording my blood pressure as directed by my doctor. Well, actually he said to take it twice or three time per day. I took 5 readings per day!


Average of 21 readings: 141/96

No wonder my head hurts!

North to South

298 miles from the Tennessee line to the Florida line, what a difference that distance makes. Especially when weather is concern. And today the variations were even more dramatic.

The northern third received up to six inches of snow.

The middle third received freezing rain, sleet and rain.

The southern third (and my main interest) started receiving rain, very hard rain, about 8:45 this morning.

On the drive home, the strangest thing was announced on Georgia Public Radio:

Southeast Georgia is under a tornado warning until 1 A.M. tonight.

Tornados? In February???

Well instead of the usual saying ---

If you don’t like the weather in Georgia, wait 24 hours. It will change.

How about?

If you don’t like your weather in Georgia, move 100 miles. It will be different.