WEDNESDAY

.................I stopped by my Cardiologist office this morning and gave a negative report regarding that new Med she had asked me to try. I told her it made no difference in my breathing and my bowling score was going nuts because it added to my coordination problems and I had not had a comfortable BM since I had started taking the stuff. We agree that there was no reason to continue with it so I quit......I then kept my appointment with the foot doctor and after X-rays [which showed nothing] he told me that he feels the pads of my feet are too thin under that part of my foot so he supplied me with new inserts for my shoes. $42.00 worth of foam plastic, there seemed to be an improvement but just to be sure he wants me to return in a month for a follow up report. I will use those inserts in my bowling shoes tomorrow and see if there is any difference. . . . .Before I left the house today I started some 16 Window Updates and when I arrive back four hours later found that things had frozen solid on Update 3. I called Caren and she stopped by this evening to see what the problem was. Although the instructions said do not turn off the machine we did a restart anyway and darned if it didn't snap out of the mud and begin operating properly. She had it going in about 20 minutes. Thanks, Caren! She said she would send a bill but I told her "Na, your Birthday is coming up next week so lets just call it even." Works for me! She drove over in her sporty [and expensive] little convertible with the top down, about froze herself in the process. That breeze coming off the river cools things down around here. She said it was a lot warmer at her house.

TUESDAY

.................Had lunch with the '52' Gang today. Only eight made an appearance but we still had a good time.  Bob loaned me a couple of books that he thought I might like so that will keep me busy for a while. After lunch I stopped by the bowling alley and embarrassed myself again. The first five lines only averaged 113 but when I decided to pay attention I delivered a 131 average for the second five. That is always a good sign, it means I will do well on Thursday. I wish me luck. 

MONDAY

....................The laundry was finished and put away by 8:30 this morning. It turned out to be a nice day weather wise so doggy and I walked to the river and back. It felt good to be out and about but I would not have been comfortable in short sleeves. The long sleeved T shirt was barley enough. The folks who are broiling in the rest of the country should make a trip to Washington. Bring money.

SUNDAY

......................I was in town shopping today and stopped by the bowling alley to try my luck again. Things did not work out as well as I would have liked. I ended up with a 129.6 average for ten lines. My best game was 153. My sore toe gave me little trouble until the sixth line. After that I seemed to lose interest or the ability to concentrate. I have yet to decide if that was a toe problem or a brain problem. I haven't given up, I'll be back in a few days and give it another try. 

SATURDAY

.................This turned out to be another quiet day but I did get in some productive exercise. I finished waxing the car and even removed the wind shield wiper arms and painted them. That sure perked up the appearance of the old T-Bird. I started early in the day and the sun was getting warm by the time the car was put away. The weather was great but it never did get really warm. Watched NASCAR this evening, great race.

FRIDAY

..............After running my errands today I stopped by the dollar store and found two more books that might be interesting.  I then stopped by the bowling alley and felt OK about my results after ten lines. The first five delivered only a 128 average but I did well during the second five and bowled 148. The average for the day was above my league average so I will not complain. I did get my exercise, that is most important, I guess. Better scores would put some frosting on the cake though.

FOURTH OF JULY 2013

..................The weather has changed to cooler. I did not go walking but I did wax part of the car this morning while the sun was still lower in the sky. I worked on it for about 45 minutes and felt as pooped as I would be had I walked down to the river and back. I still have more than half to go..... Tomorrow I have some errands to run in town so I may attempt to bowl a few lines with both of my feet still complaining. We will see how well that goes. I do want to continue with exercising each day but find that as difficult as loosing 10-12 pounds by not eating so much.

WEDNESDAY

..................This was another lazy day, I did remove the glass windows from my front screen door and washed them. I decided to leave them off for the balance of the summer, probably about two more weeks.
     Washing the windows was my total exercise for the day, I am sure doggy would have liked going for a walk and the weather was just right for that but it never happened. I did pay a few bills on line and got some other stuff ready for the mail box. I have to go into town Friday so I may stop by the bowling alley just for the heck of it. 
     Last night I was dreaming that I was kicking the devil out of someone and woke up suddenly to find I had kicked the edge of the headboard. My right foot has a small [large enough to bleed on the bed cover] cut under the right large toe and two of the other toes have broken skin on the top of them. At the moment I am wearing three band aids on the foot. This same thing happened to me about four years ago when I kicked a dresser next to the bed and lost my right large toenail. The brain keeps that from happening in normal people. I have some wires crossed, I reckon. I don't think I walk in my sleep, I hope not!
     Perhaps the wounds will bother me if I try bowling, hard telling.

TUESDAY

........................This turned out to be another nice, warm day. I was at the bowling alley before noon and bowled ten lines that produced a 139.6 average. I was so proud of myself that I rolled another line just to see if I could bring my average up to 140. I am sure you can guess how that turned out. My average dropped to 138 so I picked up my ball and went home. I stopped by Safeway for a half gallon of milk and upon checking out found the bill was $42.00. That happens to me a lot when shopping for groceries. I arrived home, fed the dog, put away the groceries, fetched the mail while doggy went potty then we two climbed into the car and drove to the Teigens. All is well there, Colter is getting tall and thin as a rail, his tan looks like he is going to 'brown out' very well this summer. ChiChi was happy to be there and say hello but he was ready to come home after about 30 minutes. I was not planning on staying long anyway, I had lunch at the bowling alley but hunger pangs were returning by 4PM. The temperature is 80f at 6:10PM. Great day!

MONDAY

.......................I had a great day, I drove to Beaverton to help Terri with a day of waiting for the Honda Dealer to check out the transmission on her car. We had another fine and tasty meal at Home Buffet and spent a couple of hours visiting discussing and cussing automobiles in general. It was nice warm day, maybe 90f, I love it! I left about 2:45 and hopped on the Freeway not remembering it was Monday, I was thinking Sunday so I spent a lot of time in the commuter lane, my bad. Lucky for me there were no policemen watching. I arrived home in time to feed the dog before he fell over from lack of attention. [his words, not mine}. It was a good day, The temp. in Kelso at the moment, 18:36, is 80c. 

SUNDAY

........................I would like to say that I lost a couple of pounds and got proper exercise after not eating away the day, but I can't. The temperature outside is bouncing around 93, the doggy had a bath and I wasted tooo much time in front of the TV, is nearer the truth. I had to fight the dog to get him cleaned up even a little bit, he bit my left wrist pretty hard at one point. It did not break the skin but that blood thinner I am taking helped create a couple of nasty spots under the skin. No, I didn't kill the little sucker but I must admit the idea ran a lap or two around my head. I used my leather gloves but discovered that the leather is thinner than his teeth are long. I finished the afternoon with popcorn and a movie. 

SATURDAY

........................On my way to Beaverton today I stopped by the bowling alley for another ten lines and surprised myself by scoring 191 on the first game. I did not repeat that at any time during the next nine lines but I was able to leave the facility with a 133.6 average for the day. That average beat my League average by about three pins so I felt pretty good about things. . . . I left town about three o'clock for the hour drive to Beaverton to meet Terri. Needless to say it ended up taking much longer because highway 26 was blocked for some unknown reason. I took a 'shortcut' and you can guess how well that went. In any event we arrived at Jean and Ben's Canby place a few minutes late. That worked out well because Ben had not yet started the BBQ. Terri and I stayed there until almost 10 PM before I returned her to her car in Beaverton and proceeded home. I arrived shortly before 11:30 just in time to have the doggy great me with opens arms [paws]. I played with him for a couple of minutes before eating cookies and milk prior to getting to bed. It was a good day. Pretty warm too, over 90 at times during the day.

FRIDAY

....................I was at the lab at 10:30 for my Pro time check today. It came out OK so I then stopped by the bowling alley to see if I could do better today than I did yesterday. It turns out my ten lines brought home a 146 average with a high game of 194 and a final with a 170. I felt good about my results. It was very warm here today, around 80 and no clouds.  Terri and I are going to Canby tomorrow to a BBQ so I plan on washing the car as soon as the sun gets low enough for things to cool off. It was another nice day in the great Northwest. That makes three so far for the year.

THURSDAY

.....................This was a heck of a day. I arrived at the bowling alley at 11:50 and when I opened my wallet to pay my dues I noticed the reminder I carry with me of all my appointments said I was to be at the hospital lab at 11:30 for my Protime check.  I told one of my bowling partners about it and he was to let everyone know I would be a bit late. I then drove to the lab and was told I was too late to get in anytime today so I had to make an appointment for 10:30 tomorrow morning. I then rushed back to the bowling alley and got there in time to put on my shoes and begin the game. I started off OK with a 133 but then things fell apart and I got a 115 on the second game. After settling down for the third line I made a 138. That was 128 for the day, which is not a bit better than my present 130. Since I have to return to town tomorrow for my Protime check I suppose I will stop in at the bowling alley and try again. Not that I need it, you understand.........After bowling today I stopped by Safeway and gave away another $48 for a few groceries, I then drove home with the window down so I could enjoy the wonderful and humid 75 degrees we were experiencing today. It looked like rain all afternoon but that never happened. Goody, goody.

WEDNESDAY

...............Doggy and I got in our walk today. It was less than an hour getting down to the river and back. It is good exercise and I can tell he really enjoys being out. He does a good job of sticking right at my heels as we walk. I take him off the leash when we leave the main street. There are times when he finds something interesting to run down or to explore but he usually comes running when I notice he is not with me.

TUESDAY

.........................Happy day, Terri Lynn is in Beaverton for a few weeks visiting family so I drove to Beaverton this morning to run an errand with her and to have lunch. She paid. I love that girl! She has recently gotten back from Peru and Brazil so we had lots to talk about, She had tons of pictures so the lunch lasted many happy hours. The weather was nice today but it seemed to be threatening rain some of the time. I did get back to within Kelso City limits before having to turn on the windshield wipers. I arrived home about 7:20 and fed the dog, he was so unhappy that I was gone so long that he refused to eat for over an hour. While I had my cookies and milk he went to bed and ignored me. He came out after a while though, all was forgiven and he ate dinner. 

MONDAY

......................A couple of rain storms rolled overhead during the day. Doggy and I decided to stay inside and ride it out. I did get my laundry finished and put away by 8:30. That also includes the time I took to eat breakfast. I did a lot of reading and a little napping before it was time to turn on O'Rielly and settle in for the evening. Just another lazy day.

SUNDAY

......................Went bowling after lunch and averaged 136.2 over ten lines. What most pleased me was the fact that my best game was my last one. Once again I really buckled down and paid attention to what I was doing and came out OK. Perhaps that is the only way I can bowl, every shot has to be done perfectly. That is not the way I usually bowl. My attitude too often is that good enough is good enough. But that is not the case with bowling. It requires perfection. I was home in time to watch the end of NASCAR at Sonoma, a fun race. Now the high wire walker is preparing himself to walk the Grand Canyon. Talk about perfection!

SATURDAY

.........................I knew early this morning that I would be pigging out in front of the TV most of the day so I forced myself to take the dog for a walk down to the river and back. We were back by 11:30 and I watched the 24 hour endurance race that is now going on and switching to NASCAR when commercials arrived. Back and forth like that all afternoon. That was all of the exercise I got so I am glad I went walking earlier. The endurance race ends at 6AM tomorrow, If I wake up early enough I will turn it on to see how it ends.

FRIDAY

.............The Kidney doctor appointment went will this afternoon, I am a bit anemic and my kidneys show that they are a bit more stressed than they were a year ago. My PSA has gone up a bit but I don't know if there is a lot to be done about that. Considering everything, the doctor said I am doing great. On the way home I stopped in and visited with the Teigens. They seem to be doing well and Colter is really growing. Give him another couple years and he will be big enough to go to work. He is five years old. I fed the dog before I left today but he still tried to talk me into feeding him again when I got back about 4pm. He thinks he is so smart. 

THURSDAY

..........Bowling was not good today 101-133-140. It came out to about a 124 average, about six pins below what I have been doing. It looks like I will need a few more weeks of practice before I turn professional. Of course I will need a sponsor too. It will be a while before I am making any real prize money. Dreaming can be so much fun! More rain today but the temperature was above 60, I'm sure.

WEDNESDAY

.......................I kept my Doctor appointment at 9am this morning. He had me leave a blood sample behind so my PSA could be checked. He told me I was very healthy and doing fine. I told him I was having difficulty with that because two weeks before my heat attack ten years ago my doctor had told me I was the healthiest man in town. He then turned to me and said, 'OK, you are a little sick'. I responded, 'Good, that makes me feel better'. I was home by 10:30 and gave some thought to going to the fishing hole but after lunch I laid down to read and woke up an hour later. It just turned out to me another lazy day. I don't mind lazy days at all. I will get exercise tomorrow at the bowling alley.

TUESDAY

..........................If I were to judge my bowling abilities by today's results I would jump off a bridge. I knew when I left the house that I was not really 'into' bowling but I had no idea that I would come back with a 115 average for ten lines. My foot was giving me fits and I am trying to blame the new Med. I am taking but find it hard to believe I could not have done better. Tomorrow I will see my Primary care Physician for the first time in 15 months and will at that time request that my foot be x-rayed to determine if there is anything short of cutting it off that can be done to stop the pain. It has been a problem for me since 1970 and now it is getting worse. It is getting in the way of my bowling and that really ticks me off!  We had off and on rain again today so I suppose the spring flowers will look great once they arrive. The lawns around here are getting pretty high too, I'm glad I don't have to worry about keeping them cut.

MONDAY

....................I was at the hospital in Beaverton a few minutes early and out by 3PM. The stress test results were good, as expected. However, I am now taking another Med. This one is called  Ranexa. 1,000 Mg tablets. I have to take one half of one twice a day. The Renexa is like a Nitroglycerin for the capillaries. The idea is to keep the blood flow to the cells in the heart open so the cells stop dying. I have a bit of scar tissue in the lower part of my heart and they don't want to see anymore form if at all possible. The doctor feels that the chest pain I noticed during the winter could be a sign that more cells in the heart muscle are dieing. Happy to say I have not had any trouble since getting home.....I arrived home shortly after 4PM just in time to keep the dog from starving to death again. He is very happy to see me any time after 3PM, his dinner time!

SUNDAY

........................I was able to drive into town today without running into rain. That was a pleasant surprise. My bowling results were also a pleasant surprise; I averaged 144.6 for ten lines. I was home in time to feed the dog before he starved to death. His words, not mine. This afternoon I enjoyed a good commercial free movie and a bowl of popcorn with apples and cheese. Tomorrow I will drive to Beaverton to get the results of my stress test from last month. I am expecting a good report because I can not imagine having to wait around for a month for bad news. I should be home in time to watch O'Rielly on TV at 5PM. 

SATURDAY

........................Doggy and I visited the fishing hole today. I actually landed a trout, it weighed less than my sinker. As a matter of fact I think it weighed less than the lure! I threw him back, he will grow up and become a big guy one day. The barometer is dropping today. The weatherman said that we should be taking a light jacket with us if we go out tomorrow. I guess that is a good sign, we don't usually get that advice until about middle August.

FRIDAY

..................Same o' same o' today. The weather did not excite me early enough to bother with fishing or walking. By the time that happened it was time to turn on O'Rielly and settle in for the evening. It was another lazy day with a good book. What more can I say!

WEDNESDAY/THURSDAY

.........................I discovered when I opened the blog this evening that I had not posted an entry yesterday. That is not like me. I can't remember yesterday too well, Mel came by for a few minutes, I did not go walking. I am reading a good book at the moment and perhaps I ran off to bed early and read myself to sleep. That sounds like something I would do. Today I bowled 131-161-136- for a 143 average. That pleased me to my bottom. We did lose to the other team though, that is always a bummer. I can be happy that I did much better than my league average. Have to keep it up!

TUESDAY

....................It rained today, of course, I was out running around and had to get the car all wet therefore dirty looking next time I drive it. It certainly is nice to have so little to complain about.  .  .  The lunch with the guys was a success, an even dozen showed up and a good time was had by all. After lunch I stopped by the bowling alley and bowled 15 lines. The final result showed a 131 average and a couple of good games made an appearance. I was doing a lot of experimenting and a couple of games barely broke 100. Altogether I felt it was a good session, now lets see if it pays off on Thursday.

MONDAY

...................I never got out of the house today. The weather looked very nice and I should have gone walking but it never happened. I'm feeling fine and looking forward to the '52' lunch tomorrow. Perhaps a few lines of bowling after meeting with the guys.

SUNDAY

........................Nice weather today, not exactly warm but not bad. I drove into town and bowled ten lines. The average for the first five was 136 and the second five came to 141. The actual average for the day turned out to be 138.6. I was pleased to note that my second set of five was better than the first. I am attempting to let go of the ball rather than using muscle to throw it. My accuracy improves when I do that. I plan on trying again on Tuesday. The river looks good and perhaps a couple of hours at the fishing hole might be on the agenda for tomorrow.

SATURDAY

....................I put off walking until after 2PM today, I felt lazy and thought I could convince myself to not walk at all but the habit is forming again and the dog reminds me when he thinks it is time to get the leash.
It was a nice day for the walk and I did change the direction a bit and returned after only 45 minutes but I will try to make it a bit longer next time.

FRIDAY

..............Doggy and I hiked down to the river again today. We were not as fast as last time and the weather was cooler, doggy did not get as out of breath as earlier in the week. The water looks very clean but the level is still a lot higher than usual for this time of year.Perhaps they are releasing more water from the dam to produce more electricity. I have also been told that high water allows a cleansing action that is good for wild life [fish]. I am all for that but at the moment there seem to be no fish in the river. I might take a good book with me and visit the fishing hole tomorrow anyway. Who knows, there is such a thing as fisherman's luck. Not that I suffer from that disease very often.

THURSDAY

.....................We had very nice weather today, I hope it never comes to an end. My bowling efforts were for naught, My average for three lines was less than 119. No excuses, even my left foot was not giving me any trouble. I stopped by Teigens place after bowling and examined their improved driveway and turnaround. It looks good and adds a bunch to the property. I wish I could say the same for that bad bump on Ron's forehead. He really took a dive that day. Luckily his nose was not broken but it is messy looking. He is a tough guy though, he will come bouncing back and be ready for another fall just like that one in a few more days. Gott'a stay off those skate boards though!☺

WEDNESDAY

....................Doggy and I left the house about 10:30 this morning and walked to the river and back in 44 minutes, that must be a record for me because usually the climb up the hill coming home slows me down but today I think I out walked the dog. The poor guy was panting very hard on the way home and I even stopped once to let him catch up and catch his breath. He was in the house [through the doggy door] before I was;  lapping up the water in his bowl. He was making hungry noises earlier than usual so I fed him and then had lunch myself. After lunch I decided to wash the car and did a good job of that. Tomorrow is bowling day and I want to have a clean car for the drive into town. Hey, it's 18 years old, it needs something going for it! It was a good day.

TUESDAY

.............I had a pretty good day at the bowling alley today, averaging 137.6 over ten lines. Not as well as Sunday but perhaps I can improve when league bowling arrives Thursday. My instructor was in today and offered a couple of tips that seemed to help. He arrived while I was throwing my tenth line and although his idea seemed to help I did not bowl an eleventh line to really check it out. I will try that on Thursday. Wish me luck. I am feeling fine but my left foot is killing me because of that old broken toe. I should get someone to cut it off and be done with it. The toe, not the foot.

MONDAY

.................I had my laundry all caught up and put away by 9:30 this morning. Chichi and I ran off to the fishing hole for three hours this afternoon. We caught no fish but the relaxing sounds coming from the water and wind made reading very enjoyable. The temperature was about right too; I was wearing my Blizzard suit but it was not zipped up all the way like it always has been the past few weeks. Summer is slow in arriving, as usual.  Did not get a lot of exercise but I am planning on returning to the bowling alley for a couple of hours tomorrow.

SUNDAY

....................Sharon and Virgil, my Canadian Cousins arrived at noon for a short one hour visit today. It was very nice seeing them again. They are nice enough to stop in each time they are passing by on I5....I had eaten lunch so as soon as they left I drove into town to try my luck at the bowling alley. I averaged 135 for the first five lines and 145 for the second set of five lines. My overall average turned out to be 140.6. I was happy with that and especially so because the ninth line [when I am most tired] turned out to be a 188. It was a good day and when I got home I settled in with a bowl of popcorn and watched a two and a half hour movie. Perhaps tomorrow I will visit the fishing hole and probably try the bowling thing again Tuesday. 

SATURDAY

...................I attended Donna Bishop's memorial service today. Rather than a service it was a family and friends gathering. Donna would have never wished for a funeral like atmosphere and this was not that. It was a quiet and loving way to remember her. I gave my God Daughter Becky a big hug; that was nice. I am happy I went. I am sorry Donna is gone, she was a friend for the past 60 or so years. She will be missed.

FRIDAY

.........................The weather is improving little by little. Doggy and I walked to the river this afternoon and noticed that the water is clearing up. I may get back to the fishing hole before too long. In the  meantine I am enjoying the easy chair.

THURSDAY

.........................There were a few sprinkles today and I was happy to have spent a couple of hours in the bowling alley. My bowling results were certainly not good but I did come out with an average five points above my league average. That shows some improvement, which is good.   The river is very dirty so I am in no hurry to try that sport for a few more days at least. 

WEDNESDAY

.......................There was not a lot of rain today. In fact the roofers used today to put a new roof on Roy's house to the tune of 5,000 dollars. I had to keep Chi Chi inside most of the time because the little fella' just would not stop telling the world that strangers were on the property. This evening I went to Pizza Pete's for dinner with the Teigens. It was Colts fifth Birthday party and he opened gifts, ate cake and generally had the run of the place. Birthday parties for five year olds are a lot of fun!

TUESDAY

.....................I hit the bowling alley again today. My results were not the best I have done this past week but four of the games I threw were over 150. My average for the day was 137.5 and after really paying attention   on game 10 I turned in a high game of 165 for the series. It just goes to show that if I really get to concentrating I can become a decent bowler. The rains are continuing off and on on a daily basis. There is to be a break and some sunshine this weekend so perhaps I will get in some fishing time. The word is that there are no fish in the river at this time but who knows, a straggler might be out there waiting for me. It can happen.

MONDAY

............Today I was successful in talking myself into a two mile walk to the river. Doggy and I were expecting rain both ways but got very lucky, the rain did not make an appearance until we were returning and were within two hundred yards of the house. It was very light at first but became a gully washer later.
The rest of the day was spent goofing off and accomplishing nothing. Sort of like being retired.

SUNDAY

.....................The rains are still with us in the great Northwest. I have yet to see a drowned duck but I did find a mole that had surfaced and died on the dirt road ChiChi and I walk on. I drove into town to try my luck again at the bowling alley and came away a very happy boy. My low game for the ten lines was 130 and my high was 170. I averaged 149.6 for the ten lines. Four more pins and I would have made it to the happy 150 I have been trying so hard to achieve. After bowling the 154 at league last week and this 146 I am thinking that perhaps I will some day be a competitive bowler in the local Senior league. Nothin' to it but to do it. When I got home it was time to feed my dog but he did not eat a thing. I have a feeling he stole some food from Roy's dog, Lexie. After an hour I put the food away and will offer it to him tomorrow. I am watching the 600 mile NASCAR race this evening, lots of excitement if you like that sort of thing!

SATURDAY

....................This turned out to be a rain free day but it never looked like it. I decided early to not go fishing but there were enough breaks in the clouds for the occasional sunshine to invite the doggy and I out for a two mile walk. We made the usual journey down to the river and back. I could tell that Chi Chi was really excited about the idea because he pulled me for two hundred yards until we got to the road gong down the hill at which time I released him from the leash. It took a short time for him to realise he was not on the leash. When he did figure that out he became frightened of the big world and fell in line behind my right heel and stayed there for the rest of the walk. Whenever I look around to see where he is I have to look down and behind me because if I look only over my shoulder he is so close I can't see him. The only time he leaves that spot is when another dog is seen up ahead. He then stops and sits in one spot until I assure him all is well. Even then he is shy and walks on the opposite side of the rode from whatever he fears. I have to keep him on a leash while on a busy street because he would run in front of a car just to escape from whatever "gooses' him at the time. Funny doggy, that.

FRIDAY

..............Off and on rain all day, ChiChi and I did get in a two mile walk down to the river and back without having trouble with rain but that changed in the afternoon. Of course in the afternoon we were inside looking out so that was fine too. I made no effort to go fishing and I think the temperature never got over 60f all day.

THURSDAY

...................This day turned out to be OK. The weather was lousy but that is to be expected in this part of the country but I did get a haircut that has been needed for a long time. I also surprised myself by really helping out the team while bowling today. My scores were 148-112-203. That turns out to be a 154 average and it put a big smile on my face. After the second line I knew I had to settle down and really pay attention to what I was doing and the 203 was the result of that. I will be getting back to the bowling alley sometime over the weekend and continue with the concentration thing, it certainly helps. I am a happy boy this evening!

WEDNESDAY

..............Hate to say it but this turned out to be a nothing day. I am not sure that the rain ever stopped at any time.  There were times when it was a very light mist but shortly turned into rain drops. Needless to say I was inside all of the time. Did make up a pot of chili.  As a matter of fact I made so much I had to use two pots to cook it. Most of it will be put in the freezer. The rest will be consumed in the next few days. I attempted to copy the 'Wendy's" recipe that I found on Facebook a few days ago. My result was not much like "Windy's" but it does taste pretty good. The information I got did not warn me of the amount that I was making. That's OK, it will all go to a good cause. I doubt the temperature ever got above 50f degrees here today. 

TUESDAY

        The Cardiologist office called today and asked me to make an appointment with her so we can discuss my tests from yesterday. I phoned to make an appointment and was told the next opening is June 17 at 2:30. I had to laugh, my wish it to live long enough to make it to the appointment. And I promise you, folks, Obama care is going to make things worse................. It was way too wet and rainy to go fishing today so I drove into town and bowled ten lines. My average turned out to be 136.8 and it pleased me to have bowled my high game on the tenth line. I felt tired after the 9th line so I really buckled down and concentrated on the tenth. It worked! I do believe that one day I will be able to keep up with the average bowler in the league. I stopped by Safeway on the way home for a bottle of Bacardi and ended up spenting over 60 bucks. I hate to go shopping.

MONDAY

...................This was a great day to drive to Beaverton for my Nuclear Stress Test. I arrived at 11AM and did not leave until 3:00. After the injection of the 'glow' fluid I was put under a machine that took a thousand pictures of my heart while I just laid there. That took 15 minutes then I was released for half hour to get something to eat and drink. A caffeine drink was suggested because it helped to neutralize the 'glow' fluid. I then returned to the lab for more pictures which took another 15 minutes. After that I was put on a walking machine at 1.7 miles per hour for two minutes while hooked up to some other recording device. While that was going on I was injected with more chemicals of some kind. All of this took a lot of time, mostly used up by getting me hooked to the various machines. It was some process, I kid you not. After a great drive home I arrived at 4:30 and fed the doggy. He was happy for that! It was nice to be on the road if only for those two hours. The weather was great and I certainly hope it continues for another 52 weeks at least. The results of the tests will be forwarded to my Cardiologist and she will contact me for further plans for treatment. The drive was very relaxing, I hope I am able to get out on the road for some more long range exploring this summer. Film at 11:00.

SUNDAY

....................The bowling alley was hosting a big deal of some kind today and no lanes were available at lunch time so Chi Chi and I drove to the fishing hole for a couple of hours. The weather was fairly nice but I was happy to have worn my blizzard suit. I stretched out in the boat that was tied up at the sitting area and watched the large, fluffy white clouds drift by with a very dark blue background. It was a very lazy couple of hours and I left earlier than usual because I wanted to get home and wash the car. I have a Cardiologist appointment in Beaverton tomorrow and no rain is expected so I want to make the drive with a clean automobile. The temperature at the river was above fifty degrees but not by much. And no fish.

SATURDAY

...................All day long it looked like it was about to rain so I sat it out, mostly in front of the TV but I did sneak in a nap too. Never went walking and the doggy was trying to remind me but I ignored him. NASCAR was on this evening and I used that as an excuse for not using the stepper. The short story is no exercise today.

FRIDAY

.................There was quit a bit of sunshine this morning so after lunch doggy and I grabbed the old fishing pole and drove to the river. Things were fine for a while but it did not take long for the sun to start playing tag with the dark clouds and the rain drops started producing circles on the river. We were sitting under a canopy of tree leaves so it was some time before things got really bad. We ran to the car and sat there for about twenty minutes before deciding during a short lull to gather up our stuff and head for home.  We were back by 2:30, just in time to feed the dog and fix myself a snack. The weather cleared pretty much shortly after.  

THURSDAY

.............My schedule was all out of whack today so I wasted a bit of gasoline by having my Pro time Test two hours before the start of bowling. The Protime check was at 10AM so after I left the lab I stopped by Safeway to bring the refrigerator supply up to date then drove the stuff home. The extra time before bowling was spent in the lounge chair relaxing. . . . .  .I arrived at the bowling alley at noon and really did a lousy job with the first line by getting only a 90 score. The next one was more to my liking with a 149 and on the followup third line I walked away with a 153. That gave me a 135 average for the day which is a bunch better than my present league average of 126. The team I am on is in sixth place and we won handily today so perhaps that will make us look even better. My coach, Ernie, is on the team and watching my every move. He told me today that all I have to do is to continue with my present approach and delivery. He feels that with practice I will show improvement on a regular basis. I have found an approach and delivery that I am really comfortable with so we shall see. I am a spot bowler and it is not very easy to hit that same spot with each throw. The ball does go where it is supposed to when the spot is struck though so I guess I best continue and not give up. Practice, practice.

WEDNESDAY

...............It did not rain a lot today but you can be sure it started the minute I backed the car out of the garage. I had an appointment with the tire shop to get my tires rebalanced and rotated. The windshield wipers were on most of the way to the shop but it did let up while I was in town {Castle Rock}. I also visited the Credit Union and after getting the car back stopped at the grocery store in town for some sausage to add to my Prego spaghetti sauce. Most of that ended up in the freezer but the lunch I fixed was pretty good. The sauce is not the best I have ever made but it is edible so I won't be throwing it out...I was gone for only about an hour and never did go walking. My bad. Tomorrow is bowling again, that is a good thing.

TUESDAY

..................I had a nice lunch with the guys from the class of '52' today. About a dozen of us showed up. I ate a small salad and a bowl of soup, I am not able to put away a large meal any more. I get full much quicker than I used to, which is a good thing............. After lunch I drove two blocks to the bowling alley and threw ten lines. My average was 148. My lowest game was 128. I suddenly began to bowl about as well as I would like on a regular basis. I have made some changes on my approach and it appears to be working. At least that was true today, there is no telling what it will be Thursday while the team is watching. ...........After bowling I stopped by Safeway and got 20 cents off per gallon of gas then spent my savings on chocolate chip cookies. I was home by 3:40 and discovered I had not fed the hungry dog before I had left........ Of course he had dry dog food available but he was not about to touch that. Spoiled little snot! The river level looks good and if there is no rain or snow tomorrow I will take my book to the fishing hole and see what comes of that little trip.

MONDAY

................Rain was expected today but I was not told it would not happen until I left the house to do some shopping and making a stop at the Post Office. I was gone less than an hour but it rained all of the time I was gone and stopped the minute i put the car back in the garage.......I was getting in the mood to go for a walk when the sun finally came out but chickened out and used the 'stepper' machine for thirty minutes instead.  The temperature pushed toward the 70 mark but I am not convinced it ever got there.

SUNDAY

.................It looked like rain this morning so I decided to go bowling. I averaged 129 over ten games. It never did rain and the river looks great. Heavy rain is in the forcast for tomorrow so I doubt there will be any fishing then.     This evening I met Caren, Ron and Colt at Parkers Restaurant in Castle Rock to enjoy a Happy Mothers Day dinner with them and Ron's Parents. I was in school with her and have met them several times since returning to this part of the world. They were also celebrating their Wedding Anniversary and her Birthday. We all had a nice time and even Colt behaved himself, of course that is nothing new. He seems to be a nice little five year old. After dinner we all met back at Teigens for cake and milk along with  conversation. I was back home by 7PM and the car got rained on during that short drive. I was stubborn though and never did get to the point where I was forced to turning on the windshield wipers.

SATURDAY

..................This morning I masked off the trim around the front and rear windows of the car [at the roof line]and painted them both. It looks a lot better and sure beats the $200 price tag a detail shop gave me. The weather was just right for that kind of work and the wind came up only after I finished.........Doggy and I had lunch then drove to the fishing hole for another three hours of sitting and reading. Oh, yes, and loosing another sinker and lure. I also forgot to take my book but luckily I had another one in the trunk that had not yet been finished so all was not lost. The temperature got to 75 today, things are looking good!

FRIDAY

...................Chi Chi and I spent four hours at the fishing hole today. No fish were caught but the weather was very nice and we are looking forward to trying again tomorrow. I made the mistake of casting out from the 'bad' spot the first time and immediately decided to reel the line back in and change positions. As I did I got hung up and lost another sinker. The rest of the day was without incident. , ,  ,At one time I walked to the top of the dike and began peeling away the old trim from the top of both the front and rear windows. I sanded the bare aluminum trim and it looks very clean. My plan is to repaint and make the car look a bit better. The car is a very nice looking Model 94 and I really want to keep it looking good for as long as it lasts. It just turned 160,ooo miles. I get comments on the car when I drive into town and park it on a busy street. I think the aluminum trim is now ready to paint and I will attempt that in the morning before returning to the fishing hole. The temperature got to 74 or so today and it was very quiet at the river, just the way I like it! When we arrived home we found that Roy had installed a doggy door for Chi Chi. It has a clear plastic swinging door and he is scared to death of it, of course. We will have to work on that but when I did the same thing at Barb's house we had to end up taking the plastic door out and installing a piece of towel over the opening. It still took him weeks to get used to it. Dumb dog.

THURSDAY

...........I went bowling today and again fell flat on my face; the scores were 105-120-125. I was showing improvement as the session progressed but I was low scorer on the two teams.. . . .On the way home and about a quarter mile from the house I discovered a horse in the middle of  Pleasant Hill Road. The poor thing was frightened and confused. I am sure he knew he did not belong there but refused to get off the macadam. I eventually got around him but phoned the emergency operator before doing so. In cases like this they send a policeman to keep an eye on him until Animal Control arrives. I had forgotten to feed doggy before I left for bowling so he was very happy to see me, I almost ran over the little nut while trying to pull into the garage. It would have been a great day for fishing and the river is now back down enough to enjoy the sitting area. I'll give it a shot tomorrow.

WEDNESDAY

             The appointment with the Cardiologist went well, I think. She told me my heart still sounds good but because of the chest pains I had experienced over the winter she wants a Nuclear Stress Test done one week from this coming Monday.  There is a possibility that some of the five bypasses I have had for the past ten years my be plugging up. . . . .She also gave me a prescription for some 0.4MG Nitrostat which I filled at Castle Rock Pharmacy on the way home. It will be nice to have it around I guess but the chest pains will have to be a lot worse than they have been for me to bother with it. . . . .  I checked the water level at the fishing hole this morning and it looks like the river is down enough to return to fishing but that will be put off until Friday because I am going bowling tomorrow. This was another wonderful weather day, the temperature at the moment is 67.8 at the airport according to the Internet site. A nice day in May!

TUESDAY

               Doggy and I walked to the river this morning. The poor little guy seemed to be having a bit of a problem keeping up with me. That made me happy for me but I didn't like to see him show his age. I've had him since 2005 and fully expect him to outlive me. He is a bit over weight and that may be causing him to be struggling a little during a one hour non stop walk. I think he is about 61 in doggy years but since he is so small I expect he is just middle aged. . . .  I had checked the river level on-line early this morning and found that the water level was up to at least the floor level of the sitting area at the fishing hole so I didn't even try to go fishing. . . . The barometer is still down but the weather is very nice these days. I hope it continues but those of you who are familiar with this part of Washington State know that is not about to happen.

MONDAY

            I spent a couple of hours at the bowling alley today. I averaged 133 for ten lines and two of the games were 163. I will keep at it, I'm bound to improve. Right?. . . . I visited Wal-Mart before going home and purchased two more lures and four more sinkers. Perhaps they will last a while because I have changed my fishing area by several feet and so far have not had any hangups. I will return to the relaxing river tomorrow and see how the fishing goes. This afternoon I drove over to visit The Teigens for an hour or so. I took Doggy along and he was pleased to see his 'winter family' again. After getting home I put in a large load of laundry and turned on O'Reilly. I then enjoyed a Bacardi Coke and some cheese before everything had to go in the dryer. Life is good!

Special Note

Those of you who receive my blog via email:  When responding to my blog entries you can not use the 'respond to sender' on your email page.
The 'sender' is always 'Blogger', not me. You can respond only by sending me a separate e-mail or by going to the comment section of this blog.

SUNDAY

     Doggy and I were torn between staying home on such a nice day and watching NASCAR or going to the fishing hole. After a large lunch I began getting sleepy  and decided the fishing idea might be better for me. I spent some time cleaning out the blackberry bushes and reading. The blackberries are due in August and with a bit of attention and trimming I should end up with a pretty good crop. I lost another of those two plugs I purchased last Monday but at least today I lost no sinkers. I have changed my location by a few feet so that hopefully I will be beyond or ahead of the part of the river that has been causing me so much trouble. Chi Chi and I left after three and a half hours and upon arriving home found that the race had been on hold because of bad weather. They still had 65 laps to go so I popped some popcorn, sliced up an apple with cheese and made a Bacardi Coke. It was a very exciting finish with the winner coming out of nowhere to win on the last lap. The weather was mighty fine today, I am loving it!

SATURDAY

            Another three hours at the fishing hole again today. No fish but the book is coming along fine. I lost three sinkers and one of my new lures today. There is something out there in that river that grabs  hold of my sinker and refuses to let go. I have lost enough lead in that river to poison the water supply downstream for at least one hundred years. I think I'll start using 6 ounce rocks wrapped in wash cloths for sinkers, sure would cost a lot less.

FRIDAY

      Doggy and I spent three hours at the river today but the fish were not there. At least the biting kind were not around. I caught up on my reading and Chi Chi got a nice nap in the sun. The weather was fine except for a little breeze that at times became a bit cool. We'll try again tomorrow if this nice weather holds and the river does not come up too much more. At the moment it is about a foot below the floor of the sitting area.

THURSDAY

          . . . . . . . The bowling results today were better than last week but I still have a long way to go. I averaged 125 for the three lines. My team won but that did not happen because I was so good. My handicap is now 79. I am unable to use my sore foot as an excuse because today it caused me no trouble at all. . . .  We enjoyed beautiful weather today with promises of better weather tomorrow.

WEDNESDAY

  The old dog and I sat by the river for another three hours today but caught no fish. The wind was cold for the first hour but after the sun started bouncing off the river in my direction things warmed up enough to be comfortable. I did stop by Four Corners Store on the way and bought two more lures. I forgot to pick up more sinkers but luckily I lost neither today. There was one Guide Boat on the river today. He had three paying customers on board but I did not see any fish caught. 

TUESDAY

    It was cold again today but the clouds broke up a bit around noon so doggy and I went to the river with my book and fishing pole. I was wearing my Blizzard suit and sitting in the sun with the wind blowing on the back of my neck for about an hour before the sun dived behind a cloud just long enough for me to gather my stuff and head home. I had had enough! I seem to be getting 'soft' when cool weather is in the forecast. I am afraid that MZT has spoiled me, there was not a day down there this winter that was as cold as I was today. Such a baby!

I wrapped my foot in Duk-Tape again today and had no problems with that. That was a good thing! All is not lost!

MONDAY

 It was very cool around here today but I am happy to say there was no rain. The cold wind was bad enough. I stopped by the bowling alley and averaged 119 for six lines. Not very good but I am going to blame it on my sore left foot. I broke a bone in that foot in 1970 and never had it looked at by a doctor. Since then I have had periods of time when it really becomes uncomfortable to live with. And it is not getting any better! At the moment I have a work sock on that foot and a wrapping of Duk-Tape around it to hold the thing in place. No pain that way but today I went bowling without the support and about died from the pain. I exaggerate only to make the point. Last week I went to Safeway for a gallon of milk and it cost me $48 to get out of the place. Today I stopped in for some apples and they ended up costing $57.00. Life is tough

SUNDAY

                      Wow! Did I not post a blog yesterday? I think I did but for some reason it did not publish. I did find it though so here it is. That happens once in a while.     .Things went well around here today; doggy and I spent three hours at the river trying to catch a fish but so far that has not happened, The weather was really nice except for an especially cool wind. I wore my Blizzard suit, the same thing I wear on the coldest winter day. I did not zip it all the way up the front or wear another layer under it but I'm still happy I had it on. Melvin was off shore in his boat and landed a eight inch trout from the hatchery fish that were released last year. It didn't even weigh as much as his sinker.

SATURDAY

 ChiChi and I got lucky when we went fishing, we got home before the rain started! It was not much of a rain but had it started while at the river I would not have stayed as long as I did. It was almost too cool to sit and read so I spent some time with the "idiot stick" cleaning off the deck one more time and also clearing all of the steps that still had sand on them. The river has done a job on the deck stones I had laid last summer, I am getting the impression that the river likes to crawl around under the stones and remove the sand. I hope we can find a way to keep that from continuing each winter. As summer advances I will throw more rocks in front of them and perhaps discourage the river current. It is supposed to rain for a day or two so perhaps I will get in some bowling practice before next Thursday.

I expect my bowling to improve with practice but I am not as gung ho about it as I was. That may be a good thing. Relaxing is the best way to deliver the ball anyway.

FRIDAY

Friday has turned out to be very nice, doggy and I walked in the sun for the daily exercise and had a nice nap in the afternoon. I'm starting a new book by Henry Kissinger, sort of a history of Diplomacy, a big, thick book, going to be a while before I get through it but he is an easy guy to read and the subject is something I am interested in. Just not too good at!

THURSDAY

 Bowling was pretty stinky today, 130-140-110. I didn't even bother to figure out what that averages to. The nice thing about today was the weather and the 73 degree temperature when I left the bowling alley. The river is still a bit high so I doubt I will even check out the fishing possibilities tomorrow. Perhaps I will break down and drive in to the bowling alley and get in some practice. I phoned the Jury Duty computer and found I have been excused for this session. I expect they will call again in a couple of years.

WEDNESDAY

The sun certainly is nice to see around here, it was bright and inviting today. Doggy and I walked to the river below the house and I noticed that it appeared to have receded a bit from yesterday but when I got back to the house and checked the Internet site it did not appear to be much better than yesterday. Instead of going to the fishing hole this afternoon I drove into town and bought a few supplies from Safeway. Tomorrow is bowling day so I doubt I will get the the fishing hole until Saturday. Lets hope I don't experience a rainy day. That hope could be a joke, around here.

TUESDAY

  This turned out to be a very nice day. I started out by washing my car before lunch and then I fixed a sandwich to carry to the fishing hole. I drove down there without first checking online to determine the river level and was surprised to find that the water was up about a foot from last time. It was washing at the lower part of the sitting area and there was a layer of mud about half an inch thick all over the sitting area. I lost interest immediately and loaded the doggy back in the car and had lunch at home. . . .After eating I decided to walk down the hill to the river and back. ChiChi was happy to follow along. It ended up being a forty minute walk and did us both some good. The rest of the day was spent reading. I have to phone the Jury Reporter Thursday evening to see if I will be needed on Friday but I doubt very much that there will be any use for me.

MONDAY

.........Long day at the courthouse, Got there at 8:15 and arrived home at 7:15. It was a DUI case, the guy plead guilty to keep from having his Drivers license taken away for a year. It didn't work. We got the case at 5PM and one of the jurors did not understand a few points that really had nothing to do with the guilt or innocence so there we sat until the others convinced her to vote with the rest of us. The lady was a nut case in to my way of thinking. We had beautiful weather though! And I was most happy to see the sun still shining when I left the Court House!

SUNDAY

   Doggy and I got in another walk this morning. It started out in a heavy mist but that only lasted a couple of minutes. The temperature got up to 50 today with promises of higher temps in a few days.

This afternoon I watched NASCAR but tried not to eat too much.

After all of the trouble I had with Comcast last week and thought the problem had been solved but I found through the computer link they are still asking for the higher monthly fee. Back to the phone Monday. Except that I found I must report for jury duty Monday at 8:30. Always something.

SATURDAY

Pup and I walked to the river today, it threatened rain all of the way and back but we never felt a rain drop. Later in the afternoon the sun was out, it got low enough in the sky to sneak below the clouds that were overhead. Most of the day was spent pigging out in front of the TV. I did pretty well not eating a lot but I'm sure the calories burned on the walk were replaced by the time the day ended. Life is like that, sometimes.

FRIDAY

I am happy to see they caught the Boston Bomber Islam loving Freak this evening. I predict he will never die for this crime. His brother was the cause of all the trouble and the poor little brother had to go along with him. That will be the Liberal take on his case. Some Judge will get him life in prison and parole in 25 years. Well, maybe life without parole.
My day amounted to nothing, I did walk six feet to my mail box but that was the limit to my exercise program. We had off and on rain and for that reason I was never able to get myself away from the TV and books. Spring has sprung and the flowers have riz, I wonder where the sunshine is.

THURSDAY

Bowling was not too great today but I am sure I will do better as the summer wears on. My scores today were 135-153-125. I am with a new team now, Ernie, my instructor is also on the team and the only other member to make an appearance today. Since no one had an average to work with the two of us were no match for the four players on the other team. We were walloped pretty good. And to add insult to all of that Ernie had such a bad day that I outs scored him in two of the three games. We are really in the mud, so soon too.... I stopped by Safeway on the way home and arrived there after visiting Teigens for a few minutes. Caren had some home made Tamales for me so naturally I had to stop by and pick them up. I had two of the previous offerings  for breakfast a couple of days ago, pretty good for breakfast!..... No pictures, I will try to get some local shots for posting but I feel they will be few and far between. It was a good day!

WEDNESDAY

Doggy and I arrived at the river shortly after lunch today and stayed for almost three hours. That was long enough to get the rest of the sand out of the sitting area and take a short nap in the sunshine. I lost two sinkers today but not a lure. Caught no fish, of course. I had prepared a very large Taco for lunch but decided by 2:45 that it had not been large enough so we left for the day. Tomorrow I go bowling and rain is expected so perhaps it will be a few days before we get down there again. I think the remaining pictures I have from MZT are the ones I will be posting today. Perhaps I should take my camera to the river with me next time I go and get some pics to show what I have been doing.

These are the last two pictures I had taken Easter Sinday.

TUESDAY

Doggy and I had a great day at the river today. I shoveled a ton of sand out of the fishing hole sitting area and after one more day of that [perhaps tomorrow, if the weather holds] the tables and chairs can be brought down. I lost a lure to a snag of some kind, each year the bottom of the river is different and this spot was clear most of last year. I suppose Mother Nature moved in big tree branch or something similar  into the area and I will have to learn to fish around it. That won't be easy to do at present because the water is too high to be choosy about where I toss out my lure. That will change as the water drops and I can move up or down stream.
I still have some pictures from MZT to post so I will continue with that today.

This is the bay at extremly low tide, there never is any swimming at this location and these rocks tell why.

These three photos were taken in the Gold Zone. The fish pond is in front of one of the fancy Hotels on the beach and the Gringo Lingo restaurant is right across the street.

MONDAY

I talked the doggy into going for a walk this morning. I was not called for jury duty so I was home early. The sun actually came out while we were walking, certainly not warm but comfortable enough with a light jacket. Later in the day it warmed up enough for me to vacuum out the car and get it looking spiffy on the inside again. As it turned out I ended up getting in some good exercise.

The three pictures above show how the unemployed in MZT pick up extra work by washing cars.  They find a parking spot then wave folks in to that spot and wash the car while they are shopping or just waiting for the job to be finished.  One busket of water  per car, they do a good job but I have never asked what they charge. This activity goes on all over town.

There are no water sprinklers for these large planters in the middle of the street so it is done this way.  They do not have  a way to turn off the water between stops so the guy with the hose aims it back inside the tank while they travel from spot to spot.

SUNDAY

ChiChi and I got brave today and walked for forty minutes. I felt good because I finally got myself off my duff and forced some exercise out of me. It is about time. We did get rain off and on this afternoon but the walk was all over by 10:15. The rest of the day was spent watching too much TV and napping. I will be on Jury duty for the next couple of weeks starting tomorrow; that will at least force me to get out in the morning.

The main square in front of the church in Old Town.

My view from one of my favorite park benches

Little businesses set up in front of the church on Good Friday.

 A nice looking old timer, I had never seen it in town before. Perhaps they only take it out on Good Friday and Easter.

SATURDAY

There was just enough rain falling today to keep me inside. That was my excuse to not take the dog for a much needed walk. Of course I can be included in that 'much needed' catagory too.
I down loaded my MZT pictures to my portable file and will attempt to post some this evening.

Waves crashing ashore at the Southern end of the Malecon.

A new restaurant being added at the shore line, anold one had been removed to make room for this one.

The fish market later in the day, mostly sold out.

Looking across the bay at Carnaval Time

The diving tower from a different viewpoint.

FRIDAY

The rain was nice enough to remain in the clouds while Mel and I put his boat in the river today. The water is high but there are a few fishermen out there on the banks giving it a try. The water is not dirty enough to cause everybody to stay home. A couple more days without rain would be nice but that is not due to happen until until next month. Or even August as far as that goes. This is Washington, the evergreen state, I mean the everrain state. His two dozen or so Pheasants look great for new hatchlings. I hope he does not lose any. They all look good but you never can tell what mother nature has in store. It will be exciting when they get turned loose and start running around the neighborhood. I'm sorry I left my camera at home when I went over there today. I will try to get pictures and post them. He has posted some on Facebook, I know.

THURSDAY

I had a fine time at the bowlers banquet this afternoon; of course it had to rain cats and dogs during the drive into town but that is not news for around here. I had a nice lunch, a great rum and Coke and sat at a table full of fun people. I also collected enough pin money to pay for it all with some left over. The pin money was enough to pay for 70 lines of practice bowling had I saved it for that. I am sure that by the time Summer league is over I will wish I had. Summer league starts next Thursday.............On the way home I bought another ink cartridge for my computer printer; so that problem is solved for about another year. It was another great day. Just the kind I like!...... I visited online TDAmeritrade last night and this morning to change my portfolio balance for the first time in 3-4 years. I have missed a lot by being out of the market. I hope and pray that now I can start making money again. Gotta get back to MZT next year!

WEDNESDAY

Several of my readers receive this blog via email and it has been pointed out to me that if you wish to reply to any of my posts you can't do it by clicking on 'reply'. You will be replying to a non-reply site.
Please reply by sending me an email to my email address in your address book or by logging on to the Blogger site and inserting a comment in the comment section at the bottom of each entry......
This was another day that I didn't accomplish a darn thing. It was too cool out to walk and there was no rain so that makes me double bad. Roy was visiting a garage sale a couple of days ago and brought home one of those Ski-machine exercise things. He said it only cost $20 and he thought it would be a nice thing for me to have when the weather is bad. Roy is a great guy but I don't need another 'guilt' item around to remind me I should get more exercise, I have yet to get on my 'stepper' since getting home from my winter vacation. Well, perhaps I do need the reminder and the thought is much appreciated. Thanks Roy, you are a good guy!

TUESDAY

Had a great lunch with the '52' gang today. I ordered the taco salad and was not able to do it justice so I brought it home and had it for dinner. It seems I can not get as much into my stomach as I used to. Perhaps that is a good thing.... I thought before going into town I would bowl a few lines after lunch but after leaving Silver Spur with a full meal inside me I was feeling too tired to bother. I stopped by Safeway and spent a few more dollars on groceries. When I checked out I got a ten cent per gallon gasoline discount on my next fill up. That is always good news..... After arriving home and putting the stuff away I loaded the dog in the car and drove to Teigens for an hour visit. Actually I went by to get my little bamboo plant they have been watching all winter. Before I left Caren handed me that and several Tamale's her housekeeper had made. If they taste as great as those Natalia's family fed me I will be in pig heaven. I should have mentioned that she came by a couple of days ago with a loaf of home made bread for me too. Life is great! I best be careful though, I really do not wish to gain back that eight pounds I lost in MZT this winter.

MONDAY

There is not a lot to ramble about today; I went to the Post Office this morning and visited my favorite ATM later in the afternoon. At one point I found myself in Billy's neighborhood and stopped in to visit with him for a few minutes. His apartment looked very clean and well cared for; his aid workers are doing a good job for him, I am glad to see it. I went online to pay my Comcast bill and found they had raised the fee by about $40 per month. I called their number and got some guy in the Philippines named Jay who helped by giving me an 'offer' that created a monthly premium without the $40 increase and no changes in the service. One year from now my rate will go up again because this 'offer' is only good for one year. That gives me a year to find some other way to get phone, TV and Internet service for a fee I wish to accept. He told me the special offer was for really good customers like me. I asked him if I was such a good customer why did they attempt to raise my fee in the first place. Naturally he had no answer, Comcast is not a good company to do business with. Trust me.

SUNDAY

Today I sat down at the 'puter to consider doing my taxes. I went to the same site I used last year, Tax Slayer, and started following instructions. I was not expecting things to go smoothly and thought I would run into trouble of some kind but that never happened. Forty minutes later I was finished and paid the $9.95 with my debit card. It will be automatically submitted to E-File and when the IRS accepts it I will be notified. I remember it was too easy last year and for that reason I was reluctant to get into it. It was still too easy but it was accepted last year so now I will see if it is OK again. All of the numbers I needed were in the papers the various investment houses sent me while I was in MZT. I have been too conservative for the last 3-4 years and for that reason I have lost a lot of potential earnings. I will now branch out more so you folks can be expecting the bottom to drop out of the market later this year because I am going back in. That is the story of my life with investments. However I play it it goes in the other direction. Expect a big crash in 2013!

SATURDAY

Today I finished going through my mail and delivered two boxes of trash to the fire barrel Roy has at the edge of the property. The trash was mail I had no use for; there certainly was a pile of it after three months away. We had more rain this afternoon so I never did get out of the house. I did cook up some pork in BBQ sauce to have on hand for breakfast eggs and sandwiches. Also had a nice and well earned nap of about an hour and a half. For some reason my email is not accepting a lot of things that I used to get, I hope no notes from folks are included in the filtered mail. One of these days I hope to load my MZT pictures to this 'puter so I can get back to posting the ones I still have available. We will see how that goes.

FRIDAY

I had a nice drive to Beaverton today; it didn't rain at all but the dark skies were gathering as I arrived back home. We suffered through a heavy rain for most of the afternoon. I expect lots of flowers to be the result............. The trip to Beaverton was to have my Pacemaker checked out and it got a good bill of health but the technician recommended I see my Cardiologist because of the chest pains that I reported were bothering me in MZT. I have not had the problem since returning but I will take the advice and make an appointment with Dr. Arden. I am still working on my mail and have paid some bills that I found were behind, they don't like being ignored. I'm happy to say they did not amount to a lot of money.

THURSDAY

The Protime results were very good considering that I have not checked in for three months. I wish my bowling scores were that nice too. But no such luck, perhaps one day I will get back in the groove.
Got my laundry caught up, Caren stopped by with a loaf of her home made bread this afternoon. Chi Chi was also happy to see her, it is not often he is glad to see anyone get close to the door around here. I spent a lot of time working on my mail, still have a way to go on that. I will be rested up in another day or so and all of this will be behind me. It is good to be home but it did rain a lot this afternoon. It's Washington!

TUESDAY/WEDNESDAY

Tuesday was a long day and Wednesday was about the same. Doggy is home, the care is running much better and I am still tired. Tomorrow is a Doctor appointment then bowling, hopefully a nap after I get home in the afternoon.

MONDAY

Natalia fixed another nice breakfast for us this morning before leaving for work. I cleaned up the kitchen before tackling the beginning packing.
It is not going to be any problem gettting that finished in the morning. Natalia has told me that her Nephew will pick me up around ten AM and deliver me to the airport, that is really nice of her.
I will not be posting the blog tomorrow because I don't think I will get home before midnight. I will try to get  back in the groove Thursday night.

This is the lady who set up the Equinox bus trip.

A resturant put together just for the tourists visiting the site on this day. Our bus did not stop here.

This is where we stopped. I pruchased the meal you see in the next photo. It was tasty, I don't know all the things they put in it but it had a lot of carrots and some spices. Something like a Salsa.

This is a strange field game. The ball must be batted with the hip. I tried to time a shot with the actual attempt to return the ball but it never happened

Perhaps a better picture of where we had our lunch break.