Category Archives: Photography

Retirement Is Close At Hand

07 Saturday Jul 2018

Posted by in Cancer, Leukemia, Nature, Photography

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I’ve been absent of late and for a good reason.  Although the doctor stated during my last oncologist appointment that my medicine is not working, I’m still feeling pretty good so I’m taking advantage of it and getting some things done around the house.  With that being said, I had to increase the dosage by 100mg and it’s starting to take a toll on my breathing.  Not much mind you but just enough to where I know that eventually, I’ll have to have more fluid drained from around my lungs.

I’ve got 39 more days to work and boy am I ready.  It can’t come fast enough. I’m supposed to meet with HR on Tuesday to discuss my retirement and post-retirement insurance.  More about this later.

The last four years have really played havoc around my house.  I’ve been fortunate to have a wife who is willing to cut the grass around the house but the other duties have gone by the wayside. My deck on the back side of the house needed cleaning four years ago and now it’s, well, pathetic.  The deck was black with mold and some of the hand railings needed to be replaced.  For the last three weeks, I have spent the afternoons and weekends cleaning this deck.  I have finished with the inside now to do the outside and then paint or stain next.

I have found the time to do a little bit of photography in the last few months.  I’ve really taken a liking to lightning pictures.  I’ve spent hours waiting on a storm to come through just close enough away that it would make a good picture while staying far enough away that I won’t be a target for a lightning strike.  I’ve had a few storms to come through.

There was a Fourth of July celebration up the street and I was fortunate enough to take some pictures of some fireworks from my front yard.  I didn’t get all I wanted because at the same time I was trying to get my drone off the ground to video the event.  My phone kept locking up so I had to settle with just the pictures.

I am currently sick with a sinus infection.  I went to the doctor today.  The drainage is making me cough and my chest is hurting.  I had plans on washing my truck and cleaning the outside today but that didn’t happen.  Maybe I’ll feel like doing it tomorrow.

Until next time.

Today’s Thoughts 4/27/2018

27 Friday Apr 2018

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While I’m sitting here waiting for my sleep aids to take effect I can’t help but wonder what life will be after I retire in a few months.  I don’t have anything really planned after I retire other than the norm…such as yard work, paint the house and other odds and ends that needed to get done. My wife thinks that I should maybe find another paying job.  The problem with that is, except for the last few months, I’ve been in and out of the hospital and doctor’s office so much that I can’t build up any vacation time.  Every time I build up some hours something happens and I’m back in the hospital again.  Usually, when I go to the hospital, I’m in there for four or five days with the doctors running all sorts of tests.  It’s always the same results; fluid around my heart and lungs.  They don’t listen to me though, and off I go for a battery of tests.

Anyway, maybe I can find a part-time job, working only three days a week or so.  I’ve even thought about getting my CDL and becoming a school bus driver. Work a few months out of the year and off during the summer.  I think I’d like that.  Except, my wife doesn’t think I’ll like that. Said I don’t have the temperament for it. I’d probably throw a fit and get fired.  Maybe…maybe not.

I’ve tried raising bees.  I’ve got everything needed to raise a couple of hives.  They keep leaving though.  The last hive I had was doing so good. They had made enough honey in the super that I went out and bought a hand crank extractor.  Two weeks later, the original hive was gone and other bees were robbing all the honey out.  No honey for me and no bees.  After three times of losing the bees, I think maybe beekeeping is not for me.  Too expensive just to have the bees leave.

I have an HVAC contractor’s license.  I guess if all else fails I could go into business for myself and work on peoples air-condition units.  I tried that years ago, found out that people want you to do the work for free.  Ended up having to get payment up front before doing the work just so that I would know I’d get paid.  I stayed too busy and plus, I don’t like working in people attics.  Too hot and too cramped.

I did photography work as well for many years.  I did mainly weddings.  There again, people wanted you to do the work for free.  Had signed contracts but yet when the wedding was over, I would spend weeks trying to get in touch with them to get the remainder of my money.  Another thing about weddings.  There were a few wedding that never started on time.  I would tell the bride to be there at noon if the wedding started at two just so that we would have time to get all the pictures done before the wedding.  I had one lady show up ten minutes till two dress in blue jean shorts, wife beater t-shirt and her hair still in curlers.  Remind you now, the wedding started at two and she shows up at ten till still needing to get dressed.

Sleep meds are starting to kick in.  I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend.

Today’s Thoughts 4/1/2013

01 Sunday Apr 2018

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Happy Easter!! or is it April Fools?  However, I hope everyone had a good Sunday. I know I did.  In fact, I had a pretty good weekend.  All my kids were home Friday night, my son left Saturday night but returned on Sunday afternoon. Didn’t seem like they were here long when they had to leave this afternoon to go back to their different homes.

I was able to go visit my parents home on Saturday and I took my drone with me.  I took two flights, one was successful and the other, well, the camera wasn’t pointed in the right direction during flight and all I got was the horizon.  I’ll redo that mission the next time I’m up there.  Here is the other flight I recorded.  It’s rather long but it shows the area that I grew up in.  It also shows the hay fields in which my brother and I hauled hay out once the hay got cut and bailed.

 

Today’s Thoughts 3/30/2018

30 Friday Mar 2018

Posted by in Cancer, Photography

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Only 138 days left until I retire.  Not that I’m counting or anything.

I took my drone flying today. There’s an old railroad car yard that’s been left to rust near my home.  I’d been meaning to fly out there for a while now.  Today was the day.  I was off today being that today was Good Friday.  The wind was a little high but I managed to get the flight off without much of a problem.  I’ve got another flight plan that takes the drone down a little closer, maybe I’ll get to do it tomorrow.

I finally heard from my pharmacy today and I should be able to get my new meds on Tuesday of next week.  I sure hope I do well with this med.  I talked to the pharmacist and they told me that there’s a lot of side effects. Some pretty bad.  I can deal with some of the effects as long as the medicine works.  We shall see.

Today’s Thoughts 3/25/2018

25 Sunday Mar 2018

Posted by in Family, Leukemia, Photography

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Hello everyone!!  I hope everyone had a great weekend and is looking forward to going back to work.  Me?  I had a great weekend but I am not looking forward to going back to work tomorrow.  I guess most of are not.

My wife is off all week next week for spring break.  I’d like to take off with her but I’m trying to save my time just in case I have to go back to the hospital.  If I have time I’ll take two weeks either in June or July to go on vacation with my family.  I could save my time and just get paid for it when I retire but my kids would be able to get out of school in August when I do retire.

This weekend was spent in my backyard doing some pruning.  I’ve let my backyard go for several years because simply I haven’t felt like doing any type of yard work.  So now I’m paying for it.  Shrubs have grown into trees so I’m back there with an electric chainsaw cutting everything down and dragging it to the street.  The chainsaw is only good for about two hours and as luck would have it, that’s about how long I can last without taking some sort of a break.  I got a lot done this weekend but I’ve still got a lot more to do.  Here’s an aerial view of my backyard.  Too bad I don’t have a before picture so you can see what I’ve done.

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There’s an area just to the right and behind the white truck that I’ve cleaned out and to the right and behind the large bush directly behind the deck. I’ve cut down the large bush after this picture was taken.  The brush people will not be happy with me when they come and pick up the pile.  It’s enormous.

I hope everyone has a great week ahead.  I’m only working four days.  I’m off Good Friday.  All my kids are coming home so I’m planning on doing something with them on Saturday.  Sunday we’re spending it with my wife’s parents.  Lovely. (Insert sarcasm here)

My meds never came this weekend.  I guess a call to my oncologist will be in order for tomorrow.

🙂

Today’s Thoughts 323/2018

23 Friday Mar 2018

Posted by in Cancer, Leukemia, Photography, Weight Loss

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Clyde waiting for me to come home.

 

Good news!!  I’m down three pounds this week.  I’m trying to keep my carb intake to about 35 but I’m not doing so well. Maybe I’ll do better next week.

My meds still have not arrived.  I guess I’ll call my oncologist on Monday if I don’t get it this weekend.

Tomorrow I plan on doing some cleaning up in my backyard.  After which I plan on flying my drone.  My son is coming home tomorrow sometime so I want to make sure I’m here when he get’s here.  Next weekend is Easter weekend and all my kids should be home.  I’m really looking forward to that.  I can’t believe they’ve grown up on me.  Two in college and one living on his own.  They sure do grow up fast.

Today’s Thoughts 3/22/2018

22 Thursday Mar 2018

Posted by in Cancer, Leukemia, Photography, Weight Loss

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My new CML meds have not arrived as promised.  They were supposed to have arrived on Tuesday but alas, not here yet.  My oncologist called this morning to see if I had started taken them yet.  He was not happy that they had not arrived.  He said that he was going to find out where my meds are at and let me know.

I’ve attempted to start dieting again.  It’s been a tough couple of days.  I’m doing the low carb diet.  I lost 60 lbs on it last time I was on it and I’ve still got that and many more to go.  I’m trying to limit my carbs to 35 a day.  Today and yesterday I have gone way over.  Today was better than yesterday and I’m hoping that tomorrow will be even better.  I want to get down to 255 by August 15th and I’m 276 now.  I don’t think I”ll have a problem reaching it if I can gain the willpower to stick with it.  In 2009, I weighed the most I’ve ever weighed. At 346, I came to the realization that I had to do something.  Especially since my doctor told me that I wouldn’t see my kids graduate college if I didn’t do something.

The other reason I’m on the low carb diet is that of my sugar.  My body can’t handle carbs.  I can drink a cup of milk and my sugar will jump from 159 to over 250.  I did well all day today until I got home.  I checked my sugar around 5:30pm and it was 185.  I had a cup of milk, exactly 1 cup, not a glass full, and when I checked it just now, 10:35pm, it was 325.  The last time I did the low carb diet I pretty much did away with carbs altogether.  I went from a 9.6 A1c to 6.7 A1c in six months.  Now that I’ve gotten off my diet, my sugar has gone out of control.

Tomorrow is another day!!

All is Well at the Home Front; Well, Sort of

20 Tuesday Mar 2018

Posted by in Nature, Photography

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We had some pretty bad storms come through the northern part of our state yesterday afternoon and evening.  There was an EF3 tornado hit one of our colleges and destroyed a lot of student dorms and apartments.  Luckily, most of the students were away for spring break.  I’m not sure where the students will live once school resumes.  Thankfully there were no fatalities.  Although, we keep hearing of one fatality through social media but not through official sources.

I had a small altercation with another vehicle this afternoon as I’m trying to enter the interstate.  As you can see by the sign I was clearly in the right.  If I hadn’t slowed down we would have sideswiped each other.  I’m not sure who’s fault it would have been but at times I wished I had a machine gun attached to my bumper.

A Few Thoughts and Other Entanglements

18 Sunday Mar 2018

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As I sit here tonight, they are predicting severe weather for tomorrow evening.  The biggest threat is north Alabama but they include large hail, strong winds, and a few strong tornados.  I can handle the severe thunderstorms but tornados is another thing.  I’m still not over the tornado outbreak of 2011 that wiped out nearly half of our town and killed eleven people in our community.

What I’m also doing is putting together a few videos that I’ve created.  Most of which have been taken to try and boost the city’s morale. We have several city FaceBook pages and each one of them consist of negativity about our community.  We lost a lot of homes and families right after the tornado.  With these homes destroyed, many of which were never rebuilt and the families moved out.  With that said, we lost a lot of tax money.  Our city doesn’t have the money for a lot of the upkeep and people are complaining about the trash, businesses closing, and crime.  What I’m trying to do is post these videos on these pages showing what we have to be proud of; A nice athletic complex, a nice school, a storm shelter, etc.

During the tornado of 2011, we thought we had lost the brand new school.  Some kids and I were on a bus with the band heading to Orlando for a school trip when the tornado hit.  There were all sorts of rumors that told of the school burning, people lying on the ground dead and many other stories.  Most of which were true but the school did not catch on fire.

The tornado hit about a half a mile from the school and the athletic complex.  Like I said, a lot of rumors floated around and we were happy that we didn’t lose either of these landmarks.  My house was also spared thankfully.  The athletic complex is one of the jewels of our community.  Between the complex and our park (I don’t have a video of it as of yet), the kids of our community wouldn’t have a place to go and play.  My kids were fortunate to be able to spend a great deal of time at the park and they couldn’t wait to go and play in the creek.

I think we take for granted these places that our city has supplied for us. We always focus on the negativity instead of the positive.  I’m really hoping these storms that are predicted for tomorrow will pass us by. I’m really hoping!!  I’ll let you guys know how we faired tomorrow night.