Wildfires

I looked back and noticed I had not blogged since last Friday….and here it is Wednesday.

The temperatures are still in the triple digits, the humidity is low and the wind is blowing….the ingredients for wild fires. The last two days, we have had wild fires spark up in many different towns across Oklahoma. At around 11:30 am yesterday morning, there was a reported grass fire at around NE 50th and Sooner Rd that was growing and threatening homes. Since I was at work, I just sat and watched the updates on my TV. One of my REACT team members lives in that area, so he went over to the command center to see if they needed our assistance. He was notified by Spencer Police and OHP to block a few intersections off. He started blocking off a few streets and addition REACT units arrived on the scene.

I was originally suppose to take my wife to the doctor at 5:45 pm that afternoon, but I knew I was needed at the fire. I contacted my daughter and she agreed to take my wife to the doctor…a routine visit. I left the office at 4 pm and arrived on the scene at 4:15 pm. Our REACT units were the only units that had streets blocked off…there was no police presence anywhere. When I arrived, I checked in with our incident commander and then took over as incident commander. I made sure I knew where all our units were and then took a tour of the area that was on fire. Since I still have no air-conditioning in my truck, I had to drive with my windows down.

Not only was the wind strong and humidity low, but the fires were raging out of control and devouring anything and everything in its path. While driving down Sooner Rd, I was able to stop and take a few pictures. While I was watching the fire burn, I noticed a small rabbit running across the road in front of me, trying to get away from the fire….he succeeded. Embers from the fires were being blown in every direction, so little fires were starting up everywhere and turning into big fires.

There were firefighters on the scene from OKC, Nichols Hills, Edmond and other municipalities. There was also a good number of volunteer firefighters from some of the smaller towns fighting the fire as well. They were finally able to put out most of the fires in the area where we had traffic blocked off and they already had traffic control set up for the areas north of us. Because of that, our team was released from the scene. Several of us headed to Braums to get something to eat….and then home.
Today, many people are picking up pieces from the fire and trying to salvage all they can. So far, there have been 21 homes burned to the ground and 43 vehicles burned up. There have been some injured, but nothing serious. Fortunately, many of the homes were saved because the firefighters focused on saving homes. Today, the conditions are still very favorable for wild fires, so we will see what happens.

www.centralokreact.org

TGIF!!

I am so glad it is finally Friday.

It has been a long, long, week and even though it hasn't been real busy, we are all tired. It doesn't help that the temperatures are still in the 100's....and that my truck still has no working air-conditioner. I just take it one day at a time.

Since Karla is recuperating from her surgery, she is still not suppose to cook or do housework. She still doesn't get around very well and still gets tired very easily....so, .one of her friends cooked us dinner last night. It was wonderful. We had very tender roast beef, potatoes, carrots, crescent rolls and brownies. I kept eating until Karla informed me I had to save some food for Gayla. All I know is it sure beat the microwave meals I have been cooking all week. I know she wanted a change of pace as well.

Since things have slowed down at work, I am not scheduled to work tomorrow. I am still on call, but not scheduled to work. I still have several errands to run tomorrow afternoon, especially some grocery shopping and a trip to the flea market. Other than that, I will monitor my work radio and see if anything exciting happens.

One thing that has really been on my mind all day are the soldiers that are fighting in Afghanistan. In the last two weeks, many soldiers from Oklahoma, who are serving in Afghanistan, have been killed. Because of that, there have been several military funerals in the past couple of weeks. Some of these soldiers have died in combat, while others have died in non-combat. I have always wondered what they meant by non-combat and got my answer today. Sometimes, soldiers die during training, due to accidents...sometimes they die due to vehicle accidents....and unfortunately, some die because they commit suicide.

These soldiers are very brave to go to another country to fight for our freedoms, but they see things that nobody should ever have to see. They have to kill people they don't know and sometimes they see women and children killed by the enemy. They see people getting blown up and body parts flying everywhere....they see death on a daily basis......they get into firefights with the enemy and wonder if they will survive. They live on the edge everyday and their lives are in danger constantly. When they are on patrol, they never know what they will come up on. They see their fellow soldiers get killed or maimed. With all of this death and tragedy going through their minds, I know they have to be getting depressed and scared. They get depressed and can't eat or sleep. They are actually afraid to go to sleep because they don't know if they will wake up or not.

There is only so much a person can handle emotionally and mentally. Some of these soldiers are able to handle it, while others have nightmares on a nightly basis and can't sleep because there is so much on their minds. It finally gets to the point where they know they are not going home for a long time and they just can't handle the pressure. They miss their families, friends and are in unfamiliar and dangerous territory. There only way out is to kill themselves. According to news reports, there have been hundreds and hundreds of soldiers who have killed themselves because they could no longer handle the pressure and the emotional toll on their minds and bodies. I just can't imagine being in their shoes and not knowing if I will live or die each day I wake up.

God bless our soldiers and their families.
 
http://www.centralokreact.org/

The Heat is ON!!

When will this heat ever end? I am so thankful that we have a good air-conditioner system for our house….I just wish the air in my truck worked. I know I have a Freon leak, but I also know I don’t have the $$$ to get it repaired, so I just continue to drive it with my windows down and pray for green lights. As long as I am moving, I am alright. It’s when I have to stop at red lights that I start to sizzle. It’s hard to believe we have had triple digit temperatures for the last two months. It sure has hurt my lawn mowing.

I took Karla back to the doctor on Monday for her 10 day check-up. It’s hard to believe that her surgery was almost two weeks ago. We had a few concerns over the weekend because she wasn’t feeling very well. When we went to her appointment on Monday, the doctor assured us that what she was feeling was normal after the type of surgery she had. She was relieved and I was relieved. She still gets tire very quickly and has no energy, so I am still doing all the housework, cleaning, laundry and dishes. It looks like it will continue to be this way for a while.

Since her doctor’s office is in Edmond and only a mile or so from mom and dad’s house, we stopped by there after her appointment. They took us out for a catfish dinner and then we headed home because Karla was starting to hurt and she was real tired. One of our friends from church sent me a text, informing me she needed to use my mower, so after I dropped Karla off at the house, I took my mower and weed eater to her house. When I got to her house, she was ready to mow. I wound up having to weed eat, but it wasn’t too bad. By the time I left her house, it was dark and I was ready to go home and rest.

It hasn’t been all that busy at work for the last week or so, which has been a nice change of pace. I have been working on lots of legal claims and giving my co-workers their lunches and breaks. Last evening, myself and another REACT team member, had a meeting in Chickasha with some City leaders, to discuss an event that was coming up in October our team was going to be a part of. One of our REACT team members lives in Chickasha, so we met at her house and rode with her to the meeting. After the meeting, she took us out to dinner at a Mexican restaurant. It was so good….and inexpensive. We left Chickasha at 9 pm and I was home by 9:30 pm. I checked a few things on my computer and went to bed.

www.centralokreact.org

http://www.neighborhoodlink.com/OCFD_Citizens_Fire_Academy_Alumni_Association

Ready For a Cool down

It looks as if Oklahoma City has broken another record. We have had 50 straight days of temperatures in the 100's. It's not a record I care for because I am really getting tired of this heat. My lawns are dying, so I am not mowing much. A couple of months ago, my air-conditioning went out on my truck. It was low on freon, so I bought some for around $50.00. It worked for a while, but now my air-conditioner is just blowing air. So, since I don't have the funds to repair it, I am just driving with my windows rolled down. As long as I drive, I seem to be fine. If I get stopped at a red light and there is no breeze, I start to suffocate....so, I pray constantly for green lights. I just know the temps will start going down soon, so I guess I will just tough it out.

It has been a week and two days since Karla had her hysterectomy. Since her surgery, I have not really done much but take care of her and work. She has been real weak since the surgery, so just walking from the bathroom to the living room wears her out. She is still experiencing some pain, but fortunately she has some good pain medication, so she just keeps taking it. Plus, she is still experiencing some nausea and her taste buds are out of whack. I know she has cabin fever and wants to get out of the house, but she still can't until she gets her strength back.

It's amazing what has to be done around the house when you are the only one doing housework. I have been doing all the laundry, grocery shopping, dishes and all the cleaning. I am also doing all the cooking (thankful for the microwave). I have picked up a few things from fast-food restaurants to eat, but we are trying to eat more at home. I can safely say the house looks good.... the laundry is caught up, dishes are clean and everything is where it should be.

Last Thursday was our CFAAA meeting. It's hard to believe that I have been a part of the CFAAA for over 8 years. I have really enjoyed every minute of it and really love being involved. We have a great group of members and many of them are very committed volunteers. I have been the president for the last two years, but my time is about up. We have term limits in our by-laws, so two consecutive years is all you can serve as an officer. Once you serve two years, you have to take a year off to allow others to serve. Once that year is over with, you can run for an office again.

I will admit it will be strange to no longer be president, or to be on the Board.....but we need new people. We need others to get involved. I am not really sure what I will do next year. I guess I will just be a regular member and just volunteer for what ever I can volunteer for. I love talking to the membership and getting to know them a little more personally, so I will miss that.

I am still a big part of REACT and still serve as the Treasurer/PIO/Recruiter and Executive Board Member. I have been part of Central Oklahoma REACT for over 2 years now. Time sure flies when you are having fun. They don't have term limits, so I am sure I will be voted in as treasurer again. The position of PIO and Recruiter are appointed positions, so I will keep those responsibilities. CFAAA and REACT are two organizations I believe very strongly in and put over 100% effort in each organization.

Well, I worked 12 hours on Friday at work and this morning I went in and worked for about 4 hours. At around 11 am, Karla sent me a text message and informed me our electricity was out. No way....it is over 100 degrees outside and we have no power? I left the office at 12:15 pm and headed home. I had been home for about 5 minutes and was talking to my next door neighbor, when all of a sudden, our power came on. I was so happy. I grabbed a grocery list, bought groceries and then came home and fixed lunch.

This afternoon, I had a few errands to run. I usually go by the church on Saturdays and get a Sunday bulletin. I read the announcements in the bulletin and then put those announcements in a power point. That's what I did this afternoon. I also drove around for a bit running other errands, but the air was so hot, it was getting unbearable in my truck. I finally decided to hold off on my other errands until tomorrow. I came home at 4 pm and haven't left since.

www.centralokreact.org

http://www.neighborhoodlink.com/OCFD_Citizens_Fire_Academy_Alumni_Association

Need....To.....Stay....Busy....

One thing I learned Saturday after work is that I am no longer skinny enough, or limber enough to jump fences. You see, Friday evening I mowed Mr. Christian'a front yard, but could never get into the back yard because the gate was locked. So, I called it a night. While I was at work Saturday, Jeff (Mr. Christian's son) called and informed me that his dad had taken a fall, so he was in the hospital. I knew I had to get his backyard mowed, so the ONLY access to his backyard was to jump the fence. 

After work, I went to his house to mow. It was extremely hot, but I had to get it done. His next door neighbor had their gate open, so I went through the gate and started climbing over the chain-link fence. When I was small, my tennis shoes always fit in the chain-link on the fence, so it was easy to climb over a fence. I am 50 now, with bigger feet, so my shoes do not fit in the chain-link now. I have seen grown men jump over a fence with one leap, but this man was not even going to attempt it. Very clumsily, I got over the fence and almost landed on my back. I was able to unlock his gate and do my mowing. After I mowed, I locked his gate back and did the clumsy climb back over the fence. I was just glad I didn't break any bones.

I went and bought groceries that evening and then stayed home to take care of Karla. I like to stay busy, but when there was nothing left to do, I didn't know how to occupy myself. Even the Internet sounded boring to me.....so, I just watched TV. Since Karla's surgery last Thursday, I have dedicated myself to taking care of her....no REACT, no CFAAA, no nothing.

I did leave her by herself for a short time on Sunday morning while I went to church, but I made sure she was fed, had water, took her medicine and made sure she was comfortable. When I got home from church, one of her friends was at the house with her. We fixed her lunch and made her comfortable. I did housework and took a nap. There was still lots to do in the afternoon and evening, so I skipped church services to take care of her.

I took Monday off as well because she was still not getting around very well. Plus, she was nauseated and hurting. I did more housework, dishes and laundry and watched some TV with her. It was kind of boring because I really had nothing to do and I really could not leave her at home by herself for very long.

Since Gayla still needed to go to OCCC to get her school ID and her car decal, I decided to go with her. We got her ID and car decal and then went to get her books. Because of her scholarship monies, there was going to be very little out of cost for her. The only bad thing was the waiting. We waited in line at the bookstore for over an hour just to check out. When we got home, it was early afternoon. I fed Karla and then just relaxed.....bored once again.

Don't get me wrong.....I enjoy taking care of my wife and seeing to her needs, but I like to stay busy....and it wasn't happening being inside the house. It's times like these I wish i were at work....at least I would have something to do.

Well, you wish for something and you get more than you bargained for. I went back to work this morning and I was extremely busy....not hardly any time to breathe. Teddy is on vacation, so I was working his radio....and it was very busy. Since we are short-handed, we had no breaks or lunch hour today, which made the day very long. I was so glad when 4 pm came. I stayed after work for about an hour and a half, working on my resume'.

Yes, at the end of September, my supervisor is retiring. His position has already been opened, so personnel is taking applications and resume's until this Friday. My resume' has not been updated in 20 years, so a friend of mine from work had me over at his apartment last night and we worked on creating a new resume'. I had seen his and noticed how impressive it was, so I figured he could help me. He is really interested in helping me get this job and knows that I need an impressive resume' to get it.

As I left his apartment last night, he gave me some instructions on what information I needed to complete and finalize my resume'. I worked on it a few times during the day and then after work. When I got all my information together, I emailed it to him. I hope to have it ready to turn in by Thursday.

Here is my take on the position. I have been a dispatcher for 16 years and know the ins and outs of dispatching. I know our computer software with my eyes shut and have been the main dispatcher that has trained new employees on our system. When something goes down, breaks, or fails, in the office, I know what to do and who to call. I have a great rapport with all the supervisors and I have the respect of my co-workers. I am never tardy, I am very seldom sick and I always schedule my vacation days ahead of time. Right now, I have over 1200 hours of sick leave and around 8 weeks of vacation saved up. I like to set a great example for those around me.

I have worked many times in the office off the clock, just so I could get things caught up. I hate to be behind on anything and believe on getting tasks done promptly. I have gone out to the field on my own time to watch crews work....this helps me when I try to explain to a customer on the phone what is going on in the field. I like to stay busy. If I stay busy, I continue to learn new things. The only way our office runs smoothly is if we all work together as a team. If one person does not do their job, it reflects and impacts the rest of us. I like to stay positive and look for the good things in others. Everyone has their faults, but I like to look at their good qualities. I hate the negative and wish it never existed. If you show others trust and respect, chances are, you will get it back in return.That's my goal....treat others with respect and look for their good qualities.

If God wants me to have this job, it will happen. it is all in His hands.....

www.centralokreact.org

The Weekend is Finally Here...and I am working

The last four days have been extremely busy for me.

I was off work on Thursday because Karla had surgery (hysterectomy) that afternoon. It started off rough for us on Thursday morning. I woke up and headed to the bathroom for my morning shower. Lo and behold, when I turned the hot water on, there was no hot water. I thought, “oh great, what is wrong now?” So, I went to our garage where our hot water tank sits. As soon as I opened the back door to the garage, I heard a hissing noise…..it was coming from the hot water tank. I opened the door where the hot water tank was and water was shooting out of the top of the tank. I immediately called my office to get someone out to shut our water off (I know…I have worked for the water department for 20 years and don’t have a water key). After I called them, I called our plumber. He told me about a cut-off valve on the top of the hot water tank. I found the valve, turned it off and called my office back to cancel.

The plumber could not make it out until after noon….plus, the area where the hot water tank is, was all cluttered up….so, I spent a good 30 minutes moving stuff around. Thankfully, it was early and not too hot. So, here we are…no hot water and I had not gotten my shower. To top it all off, Karla was suppose to take a shower for her preparation for surgery. She called her sister and her sister agreed to come pick her up and take her to her house to take a shower. I stayed around the house and did what I could to clean the house up without hot water. I could not do laundry, or the dishes. I had contacted mom and dad and they agreed to come to our house and stand by for the plumber so I could get Karla to the hospital in time for her surgery.

We arrived at the hospital in plenty of time, checked in and waited for surgery time. They were about 30 minutes last getting the surgery started, but we weren’t in any hurry. During surgery, I stayed in her room and got on my laptop. Get this……I was able to get free wireless Internet, but the hospital had Facebook blocked because it was a “social network.” I could check my email and everything else, but I had absolutely no access to Facebook. If I knew I was going to wait for a long time, I would have called the administrator and asked for permission to get on FB. Since the surgery was only an hour or so, I decided to not worry about it. One other thing……I am the type of person that likes cold air during the summer time. The funny thing is, the hospital had the air in the room set at 65 degrees and I was actually cold. I went outside to warm up. After Karla’s surgery, she spent about an hour in recovery and was then brought to her room. I stayed until around 6 pm and decided to go home because they had given her drugs and she was pretty much out of it. I did not do much the rest of the evening except to pay bills and watch TV.

I was up early Friday morning because I had so many errands to run, I wanted to start early. Since my back tire was almost flat and my front tire had a nail in it….and I needed the oil changed in my truck, I took it over to Hibdons. After about an hour, they called and informed me my back tire had a split in it and could not be repaired. Thankfully, I had the road hazard warranty, so I did not have to pay full price for a new tire…they just prorated it. They never did find the nail in my other tire. I ran a few errands after that and finally arrived at the hospital around 11:30 am. By 12:30 pm, the hospital released her and I took her home. I was so tired, so around 2 pm, I decided to lay down and take a nap…which I did. I woke up at 3 pm and decided to go run a few errands and then mow Dana’s yard. Her yard is not hard to mow, but the wead eating and edging were a challenge…plus, it was 100 degrees outside with a heat index of 107…..and I felt it. Afterwards, it was back home to rest until around 6 pm. At that time, I met some of my REACT team members at Golden Corral for dinner.

After dinner, I still had my lawn equipment with me, so I decided to go by Mr. Christian’s house and mow his lawn before it got dark. I arrived at around 8:10 pm and mowed, weed eated and edged the front yard. I was ready to do the backyard, so I went to his front door so I could get him to unlock his gate. I banged on the front door and rang the doorbell, but nobody ever answered the door….so, I loaded my equipment up and went home. Since it was suppose to rain last night, I went ahead and unloaded my equipment in the garage so it would not get wet.

Today, I am at work. Before I left the house this morning, I loaded my lawn equipment in my truck, so I will be ready to finish mowing Mr. Christian’s back yard after work.

www.centralokreact.org

http://www.neighborhoodlink.com/OCFD_Citizens_Fire_Academy_Alumni_Association

Storms Hit Again....

It is still really too hot to do anything outside, however, in the last few days, we have seen a little relief…..called rain. Unfortunately, when we do get rain, we get storms with strong winds, blinding rain and hail. This was the case last night. I watched the radar at my desk most of yesterday afternoon, but never saw anything even remotely close to affecting the metro area. As a matter of fact, the radar was very quiet when I left work at 4 pm. I went home, rested for a while and then picked Karla up from work at 5 pm. My plan for the evening was to pick her up from work, go by groceries, eat dinner, drive around looking for water violators and mowing Glynda’s lawn.

Well, my plans changed. As I ate dinner, I watched the weather on TV and radar indicated heavy storms moving towards the metro area. I had about an hour or so to mow before the rain was to come in. So, at 6:30 pm, I headed over to Glynda’s house to mow. I did have one minor problem. By the time I arrived to mow the lawn, I had realized that I had forgotten to bring my mowing shoes. The only shoes I had were my brand new ones….and I wasn’t about to wear them. I didn’t have time to run back by the house, so I just mowed with my socks on and no shoes. It would not have been that bad, but the ground was dry and the grass was crunchy, that some of the crunchy grass went through my socks, making me feel like I was walking in a sticker patch. It took me about 45 minutes to mow and I headed home.

As I got back in my truck, I turned on my REACT radio and learned the storms were entering the metro. I quickly went home, dropped off my lawn equipment and headed out to meet the storm as it was coming into the metro. I drove north on I-35 so I could meet up with the storm. As I headed west on E. I-44, I came upon a motorcycle club that were out riding their cycles…in the rain. The rain was blinding and they could barely keep their bikes up because the wind was blowing so hard. As I approached the bikers, the wind blew one of the bikers over. I activated my emergency lights and stopped to check on the biker. She was ok, so I sat in the right-hand lane, with my emergency lights and waited until the worst part of the storm had passed over. As I sat there, the wind really picked up and my truck started shaking like crazy. I didn’t know how much wind my truck could withstand, but there was nowhere to go, so I just sat there and waited. An officer with the OCPD pulled up behind me and started talking to one of the bikers. Since he was there with his emergency lights on, I decided to move on.

                            These pictures were taken as the storm was moving into the metro area.

The roof had blown off this building on N. MacArthur Blvd, just south of Britton Rd.

I drove back east on I-44 and took I-35 south to the downtown area. Since there was no damage downtown, I headed to the north west side of the city, where there were reports of major damage and power outages. It was around 8:45 pm and I was really tired. I finally made it to my destination, took a few pictures and met with a few of my REACT team members. Once we all met, we realized that OCPD and OCFD had everything under control, so our assistance was not needed. I left the scene at 9:40 pm and headed home for the night.

We are still extremely busy at work, but this week, I have other more important things on my mind. This Thursday, Karla goes in to get a hysterectomy. Today, I am leaving at noon and taking her to her doctor’s appointments. These appointments are in preparation for her surgery. Tomorrow, I will work all day and it will be a normal day. I am off Thursday and Friday, so I can be with her during her surgery and get her home afterwards for her recovery.

Fortunately, we had a couple of teenage girls from church come by our house Sunday afternoon and do some major cleaning for us. We just have not had time to do it. Gayla has been working lots of hours and has not been home much and I have been putting in lots of overtime, so I have not been home. Karla has been too tired to do anything, so our only other option was to hire someone. I wanted it done before Karla had her surgery, because once she is at home, I will be doing all the housework.

http://www.centralokreact.org/

http://www.neighborhoodlink.com/OCFD_Citizens_Fire_Academy_Alumni_Association

Happy 50th Birthday to ME!!

I am now officially 50 years old!! It is hard for me to believe, but the day is finally here. I have been waiting 50 years for this day….LOL…

As I look back at my first 50 years, I can safely say that I would not change a thing. One of the best decisions in my life was back in September, 1983, when I accepted Jesus Christ into my life. Without Him, I am absolutely nothing. He has been so good to me and my family and has blessed us beyond measure. Sure, we have had some rough times and we still have our share of problems, but He is always there to keep us strong.

Another thing I can say about my first 50 years is when I find a good thing, I stay with it. I have been married for 30 years (to the same wonderful lady)…..I have been a member of the same church for 30 years (South Lindsay Baptist Church)…..I have worked for the City for the last 20 years and have an excellent job I enjoy going to each day……I have been part of the Citizen’s Fire Academy Alumni Association for the past 8 years and have served as president, vice-president and member-at-large……I am on the Central Oklahoma REACT team and have been for the past two years…..I was voted in on the REACT Board of Directors when my 6-month probationary period was over with….and I currently serve as the treasurer/PIO/Recruiter. I love my life.

I am an action-oriented person. If there is action out there somewhere, I want to be a part of it. I love taking pictures. Send me to a big water main break, a big wreck, or a big fire….and I will take lots of pictures. I like to take the perfect picture…….and I like to share my pictures with others. I like to help others and make an impact on my community…..that is the main reason I joined REACT. One thing I really enjoy about my life is I have so many friends and I have four different families…my immediate family, my church family, my REACT family and my CFAAA family.

I am also a big time Facebook addict. I love to post things on FB and make people smile and laugh. Every day of the week (except on weekends), I always post my FB question of the day. It’s fun to do and it gets people to post comments that normally don’t post. I like to see people come out of their shells. The simple fact is, I love to have fun and share my positive views with others. It’s funny because my friends will approach me and accuse me of being on FB all the time. The fact is, I log onto FB when I get home and then do other things. So…no…..I am not on it 24/7 like some people think I am..LOL.

Anyway, God has been extremely good to me by blessing me with wonderful family members and wonderful friends. I am especially blessed to have good co-workers. I want to thank Emily, Berma and Heather, for making my birthday at work so special!

                                               My desk at work..........thanks to the ladies below

                            
                                          Emily, Berma and Heather

http://www.centralokreact.org/

I survived the hot weekend!

It is still so hot, the best place to be is someplace that has air-conditioning. I did not do much Friday after work, except pick Karla up from work, go out to eat and go home. At around 8:30 Friday evening, I decided to go ahead and mow my front yard. I had gone by Wal-Mart earlier to purchase some things and decided to go ahead and buy another weed eater, especially since mine gave up the ghost last week. So, I mowed, weed eated and edged my front yard and when I was finished, I was drenched with sweat…..and that was at 9 pm that night.

I had actually decided, in my mind, that I would mow my back yard on Saturday evening and get it over with. Unfortunately, I had to work all day Saturday, so when I got home from work, I was too tired to do anything and it was too hot to be outside. I waited until around 8:30 pm and decided it was still too hot to mow, so needless to say, the back yard never got mowed. Since only myself and my neighbors to my east can only see it, I am not concerned about it.

Main Break @ SE 55 & S High Ave....on Saturday

Sunday was a busy day, kind of. I went to our Sunday School at our church, but left after Sunday School. It was the 50th anniversary celebration for Regency Park Baptist Church, the church I grew up in, so Karla and I worshipped with them and then had lunch with them afterwards. I got to see many of the older members that I knew when I was a teenager going there. At the time, most of them were in their 30’s and 40’s. Now they are all in their 70’s and 80’s……but still going strong. I did not get to see very many teenagers I grew up with because many of them live out of state now. I may have seen around 10 of my friends that I grew up with. Most of us had put on some weight and either had gray hair….or no hair. Either way, I had a great time and enjoyed seeing people I had not seen in over 35 years. After we left the church, we headed home and I took a 2-hour nap. The heat and lack of sleep had really drained me.

This week, I turn 50 years-old. I feel fine and seem to be in good health. There are just a few things I don’t do anymore. Due to my always aching back, I don’t do much bending over any more. I don’t jog anymore because it hurts my back too much and I don’t run…period (unless my life is in danger). I try to play sports like volleyball and softball, but again, my back hurts worse after I have played sports. One thing I try to do three or four times a day is lay flat on my back for about 5 minutes and stretch out my back. It feels so good to release the tension. Other than that, my health seems to be in great shape.

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