Carotid Artery...The Surgery plus 48 hours....

The weather has stayed warm, in fact another record by tomorrow of 80 degrees....of course, in my case, not much chance to enjoy it....the past 48 hours have flown by, much of it in a fog.....and the recovery is still on going. Not fun feeling this way, with a swollen lumpin a tight throat....ah well, recovery it is, how it is.

Friday March 16, 2012....my 63rd birthday_____

The last time I spent my birthday in the hospital was, even though I cannot recollect it, was on my actual birthday, March 16, 1949....and then only for the final 6 hours or so, because I was born about 6pm that cold evening, in Van Wert, Ohio. 

Patricia and I headed out about this time Friday morning, arriving at Lima Memorial Hospital well before the scheduled time of 11 o'clock check in... as the wait began.  I was schedule to be in surgery at 1pm, but my surgeon was across town at St. Rita's working there, so we would wait.  Along with Patricia, my friend Rick arrived.  Of course Rick and I were best men in each others weddings, and have been best friends since High School, but even this was beyond the call of duty...Rick arrived about an hour before the surgery began.  Patricia began a photo taking review of the pre and post game surgery.

A couple of final photos of me and Rick clowning, and off I went, and out I went.  The last time I was put under was back in 2003 when I was wheeled into surgery at Coldwater for the emergency appendectomy explosion....that time I didn't really have a chance to take it all in...this time around I had plenty of time to think and observe...but that didn't last.

After the male anesthesiologist nurse and the doctor of same told me what to expect, the knock out drops in my IV took effect as I switched tables....I don't remember another thing until I started to come out of it.  The actual surgery went from 2:35pm until 4:05pm....I groped through the fog for another 70 minutes or so....they let both Rick and Patricia in to see me, with Pearson presenting me with a yellow stuffed chick for companionship, before he made the 60 mile trip back to northern Indiana.  Meanwhile youngest son Hal had arrived and took his mom out to supper, as they were finishing up, I was finally wheeled into my post op room.  The surgery was a little rough, so they say, because of the Plavix blood thinner that I had been on for the past couple of weeks. Patricia headed home, and Hal would stay through halftime of the Duke NCAA Tournament game, as we watched out favorite team get upset in the first round of the...what a disappointment!  although that was softened somewhat by Ohio University knocking off Michigan, and Ohio State surviving the weekend with two wins.

Hal needed to get back to Centerville, and I was left in the hospital, alone, but really didn't mind at all....I was pretty much out of it, but couldn't get to sleep.  The nurse was good, and checked on me and brought me plenty of ice chips and water, after a supper of chicken broth, applesauce, and yogurt...which tasted good, just because it was food.  I was finally allowed into a chair at 4am, where I finally would get a couple hours of restless sleep.  Seriously I thought I had no chance of getting out of the hospital yesterday, and made plans on staying through Sunday...but the doc had different ideas.


Patricia arrived at 11am after the outdoor fog lifted, and by that time they had given me the word that I could go home, with plenty of restrictions....frankly another day in the hospital, watching basketball and eating hospital food wouldn't have been the worst thing in the world, given how I felt, but coming home was always the preferred option.  So I sat around, watched plenty of roundball, even drank a beer, for the throat of course, and went to bed at 11...where I got a pretty good night's sleep, except for the few wake-up calls to rid myself of the excess fluids from the IV treatments.


Sunday______

Today I will continue to rest, and hopefully start the road to get my body functions, back to normal....although that may be a hope rather than a given....more basketball watching on the horizon to say the least.  Tomorrow I will call to Lima and make the appointment to get these staples taken out, which is probably 2 weeks down the pike...and then decide how many more games I will need to cancel before getting back into the swing of my upcoming baseball season...frankly though, that is the least of my concerns, as much as I hate giving up games, I realize, that at this time, I am in no condition to walk out on the diamond and umpire.


Back Later with more as the week goes>>>

Photos-Top, still out of it back in my room(2) "X" Marks the Spot (3) Me and Rick as Patricia takes the photos...easy for him to smile...(4) Thumbs Still Up, but I sure the Hell didn't know where I was at this time...(5) The "Mark of Frankenstein"...(6) Going Home....and the way it looked on this Sunday Morning...the mark to the right isn't a scar, but tape and magic marker which hasn't washed off just yet...one step at a time.  And (7) Never miss a chance at a cup of Dunkin Donuts Coffee, even on the way out the door....what the Hell, I gained 8 pounds in 24 hours, water weight from the damn IVs stuck in me....so what's a cup of joe gonna hurt...?

  

Waiting on the Knife....Flowers on the "Ides of March"

Another Summer-Like Day in store for the Heartland...76 for the high, after a round of thunderstorms, which were much more heavy in the central part of Ohio, than they were around us on the west side....floodwater's have risen in the Licking County area....we were just brushed by those storms this morning, but the sun is shining bright at this hour, just before 11am, as I start typing.  The extended forecast continues to show warmer, much warmer, than normal conditions for the next 10 days...albeit, there is rain predicted through the weekend, in the form of 30 to 40% thunderstorms and showers.

Frankly the rain, especially for the next few days, doesn't concern me all that much...since I will either be in the hospital or recuperating here at home over the next few days....after tomorrow's scheduled surgery.

The "Ides of March"____

I have been around for many March days, having been born on one, March 16th, 1949....and with the exception of my time growing up in Venice, Florida, or my year in Vietnam, I cannot recall one that has started out like this one.....here it is, March 15th, and the flowers and grass are making an early, real early, appearance.  

March, in past years, in west central Ohio, usually has a few days of sunshine, and perhaps a few days, at most, that reach the 70 degree mark.  Not so this first two weeks of March, in the year of our lord 2012.....today will mark at least five days in the 70+ range....and it appears that we will have at least another five days in a row in those numbers.  After that, it still looks like 60+ for the foreseeable future...strange indeed, but don't believe the "Global Warming" BS....check out Alaska and the northwest, and you know, not all of the world is "burning up".

Turning 63_____

Tomorrow I turn 63...it is also the day I am scheduled to have carotid surgery....the only fly in that ointment is I have a head cold, not a bad one, but I can still feel it.  Other than that, I see nothing that suggests that the procedure will not go foreword....1pm is the scheduled time, and hopefully I will be home within 24 hours.

I plan on being back with a full report, sometime this coming weekend...back later>>>>

Photos-March 15th in West Central Ohio?  In all my years, this is the earliest I have seen flowers, left alone the grass ready to mow....I still expect snow to fall before it's all said and winter weather done.

March Madness and Hospital Pre-Op....

Patricia woke me up at 6:30 this morning, as I needed an early rise to head to Lima, for my Pre-Operation tests at Lima Memorial Hospital....a minor fast was required, nothing to drink/eat after Midnight.  The drive was pretty traffic free and I arrived well ahead of the 9am scheduled time...they whisked me in, and a urine sample, blood samples, X-Rays of the Chest, and an EKG later, and I was out and back on the road by 9:15.  A quick stop for coffee on the west side of town and I was back in Celina by 10am.

Friday____

Scheduled for arrival at the hospital on Friday at 11am, the carotid artery on the right side is slated to be opened at 1pm...and hopefully 24 hours later I will be on my way home....at least that is the plan.  Right now I do have a slight cold, with some minor congestion, hopefully it will improve within the next 48 hours and not set back the schedule....I am ready to get this done with, and hopefully on the way back to normal....whatever that might be for this 63 year old(birthday on surgery day)....

NCAA BB Kickoff in Dayton____

Our Vietnam group got out of Dayton and Wright Patterson on Sunday, just before the trash came flying in....Barack Insane Obama and his Posse', along with a Brit leader{or some such dignitary} came to Dayton to press some flesh, and catch the opening 'play-in' games of the NCAA Tournament.   

Regardless of who let the trash in...both games were record setting comebacks....in the opener, as Obammy and Company dined on ketchup drenched hot dogs, Western Kentucky came from 16 down in the last 4 minutes to edge out Mississippi Valley State by a point....then in the night cap, BYU playing awful, and down by 25, somehow roared back to defeat Iona by a handful...in the biggest comeback in NCAA Tourney history.  Two more games tonight at UD, and the final 64 will begin on Thursday about Noonish at various locations around the country.  I have no clue who will win the thing, hopefully Duke, Ohio State, or my old haunt, Ohio University...but I have picked Kentucky to win it all...in reality however, I don't have a clue.

Politics____Santorum sweeps the South____

Despite the continued claims of the media, that Romney can't lose, until he faces their Messiah, Barack the Magnificent in Novmeber....Rick Santorum continues to pile up victories, even with Mitt's two to one delegate lead over Santorum, the race is far from over....except in the minds of the lame stream media.  

Last night the former Pennsylvania Senator swept the south, by taking both Alabama and Mississippi, with Romney finishing third in both states....and former Speaker Newt Gingrich, coming in second in both races....meanwhile the Massachusetts former governor took the Obama loving state of Hawaii as his lone victory of the evening....meaning, despite what you hear or read in the media...this isn't over yet.  While Romney has a big delegate lead, the combined trio of Santorum, Gingrich, and maverick Ron Paul, still have Mitt well below the 50% support total he needs.

Tonight I will travel to Indian Lake and take in my one southwest baseball rules meeting...Sam will drive from Columbus and meet me there.....then I face more fasting for Thursday Night as I move closer to the surgery.....

back later>>>>

Photos-Sunrise on the way to Lima Memorial,, always a challenge taking photos through the windshield.   March Madness has kicked off with Dayton as the first stop, and Rich Santorum takes the south....

Dartball and "Global" Warming....

I have lived in Ohio, off and on, for most of my 63[this Friday} years of life....and there is no doubt, I have not seen a March begin like this one....weather wise at least.  Usually you get two or three days that reach the 70s, plenty of wind, some snow, lots of rain, ice, etc....but this, so far, is like no other...and the next 10 days show no signs of turning back to winter-like weather.  I love it!

70 today, with plenty of sunshine, 75 tomorrow with the same, then perhaps some rain...in fact all the forecast models show nothing but 60s and 70s for highs for the next 10 days...then perhaps some cooling to near normal temperatures for the last week of the month.  It must be those damn humans and their "man-made climate change/global warming"....NOT!

I'm hardly a professional climatologist, but I do know a bit about Science, Environmental Health, and Politics...I had to fight the left wing professors to clear my head of any bullshit they tried to force into my warped brain 35 to 40 years ago.   I guess I was lucky, rather than an 18 to 22 year old student, I was a 25 to 30 year old, and already jaundiced in my view of the world and those that populated it.  Global Warming, and man-made climate change is a lie....and don't bother trying to argue, it is a lie.  Formulated by the left and the media, in another attempt to brainwash the masses, especially children and students, for two main reasons:  Power(Control) and Money(Grants, your tax dollars, etc).  Sure this month of March in the heartland is going to set records....but it's got nothing to do with evil mankind changing dear old Mother Earth for the worst....besides, if this winter and this month were man-caused...I'M ALL FOR IT!  But it's not.....now run out and enjoy it, before April turns wet and cold.

Dartball All Star Game____

The season ended much like it began for me...with a close loss.  This one in the All Star Game at Bethany Church....playing for the South, I ended the evening going 5 for 12, with a triple and 3 RBIs...our team lost the first game 9-3, rolled back and took the second game 6-2.  In the 3rd game we jumped out to a 3-0 lead, but couldn't hold it...the North tied the game, in the 9th.  With 2 out, down 3-2 and a 0-2 count, the tosser, after just missing going off the board{out}, hits a single, the next batter triples to tie it...and then they score 3 in the top of the 10th to take this years contest 6-3 in the rubber game of the set.   We have had that happen before.

Next Monday, I'll be there, if I recuperate from surgery in time, for the Banquet...then the season will begin anew late next October, like it has every year since 1939.

Tomorrow I am off to Lima Memorial for a pre-admission check...hopefully the small cold I have contracted will be just a blip on the radar, and I will be healthy enough for the procedure by Friday afternoon.  In the meantime, it is, like life itself....hurry up and wait!

Off for a haircut...back later>>>>

Post Vietnam Reunion, Watching K-man, and Surgery Update....

We finished up the "mini" Vietnam Security Police reunion at Wright-Patterson, and Patricia and I drove home in the sunshine...temperatures reached a near record 70 by mid afternoon....thunderstorms overnight, followed by some sun and highs in the low 60s.....

The Reunion was, as usual, a good and relaxing time...30 of us in total attended for varying lengths of time, some for the entire weekend, some Friday night and Saturday, and some just for a few hours on Saturday at the Museum....

Saturday Night, Hal and Lisa headed to the Dayton Gems hockey game and we were able to watch Kasyn for about 5 hours, and got to spoil him with some of the other attendees at Packy's at the Hope Hotel...he was, as usual the most pleasant of grandsons....

Today, was my turn to watch the 3 1/2 month old "K-Man"....as it approached Noon, I received a call from the cardio doc's office in Lima, requesting that I accept a change in my surgery date.....I could move it forward, or back....both them and I preferred a move forward...so I did.  The surgery is now scheduled for my birthday, this coming Friday, March 16th....Happy Yappy 63rd BD!

The change screwed some things up as far as family schedules, my early baseball schedule and this weekends plans, including the baseball clinic that I was scheduled to work....oh' well, let's get the surgery over with, come out of it OK, and hopefully move on with the Spring and Summer.  I have to tell you, the pills, the wait, the changes, and uncertainty have grown boring over the past weeks....I am ready to move forward, and make what changes need to be made.

Dartball tonight, the All-Start game....for the 15th time in 18 seasons....then things get finished with the banquet next Monday....I hope to be healed enough by that time to attend...but will take it one step and day at a time.

back later>>>>

Photos-15 of the 17 "Sky Cops" who attended the Mini Reunion at Wright-Patterson...Kasyn, with us on Saturday night at the Hope Hotel looking forward to Chowing Down...but at 3 1/2 months, he has a ways to go....and the Defender Statue at the Air Force Museum grounds...always the gathering place for our reunions at Dayton, rain, snow, or shine!

A Little More Waiting, A Little More Vietnam....and a Little More Global Warming

First off check out the extended forecast for Grand Lake over the next 10 days....doesn't look much like Mid March, to say the least.  Sure we get an occasional warm day or two in March, here is West Central Ohio....but, like much of the Winter, this one is going to be much above normal....and as I've said many times before, "If this is Global Warming, I'm all for it"

With the exception of today, which will struggle, despite the sunshine, to get out of the 30s....the next nine days to follow, if the forecast is correct, looks to be 15 or so degrees above normal....We Will Take It!

Aftermath of the Visit to the Surgeon_____

Patricia and I headed over to Lima yesterday afternoon, for my first visit with the cardio surgeon.  I planned on a long wait, paper work, and sitting for a couple hours....I could not have been more wrong or pleased with that part of the visit.

With the paperwork and CDs of last weeks tests in hand, we waited no more than 5 minutes, were ushered back into the small room, a quick check of the Blood Pressure{as usual 50 points higher than at home, thanks to the "White Coat Syndrome"}, and the doc, who I was meeting for the first time, introduced himself, and got right to the point.

"Your left artery is 100% clogged, your right one is 85 to perhaps 90% the same...do you want to see the CT of your head and problems"?  "Sure, let's do it", was my response....the changes in Medical Imagery are something to behold, especially over the past decade.

"We want to operate soon" was the gist of the visit.  He talked about the procedure, the chances of failure/stroke and success, recovery time, and limitations....all things considered, I could not have been more pleased, except for the fact I will wait another 12 days before the operation.  I would have preferred it to be next week, but we will wait until March 20th.  Even with that,  I can expect, if all goes well, to be back in action within a week "or so"....and given that, although nothing in this life is a given, I have already got replacements for a few baseball games, giving them to Garry, and Sam, who will be home most of Spring break, from Ohio State, the week I will need for recovery.  Problem solved, now trying to stay calm and rested, without much working out, until March 20th.

The Next Vietnam Reunion is here______

With the surgery set, and on our way home, I had time to see what scrimmages and games I would initially have to "dump"...and also time to move forward with plans for this weekends "mini" Reunion at Wright-Patterson AFB, and the Air Force Museum near Dayton.  I coordinate this annual{well most years}event.

We just had the VSPA(Vietnam Security Police Association) annual meeting last October in Dayton...so I was not sure, when a few guys made the request, of how many would show for another get together in just 5 months time.  I guess I will find out tonight and tomorrow...but I suspect in total, with wives and family members included, we will have some 3 dozen or more....some will stay the weekend, but just as many{mostly local guys} will just come for tomorrow, and spend the day at the Air Force Museum, which is getting to be a great meeting place, especially for those of us, in and around the Midwest.

One of the guys who won't make it, Bill Harris, who was with us in October, gave me a call last night.   Bill spends most of his time in Vietnam these days, rotating days in Old Saigon{Ho Chi Minh City}, and his Vietnamese daughters beach house on Cam Rahn Bay....he called at 10am Friday Morning{10pm our time last night} asking me to tell everybody "Hello" from the sun kissed shores and 85 degree temperatures of CRB.  Bill, a stanch Conservative, about as far to the right as me, somehow lives and loves the life in Vietnam, I guess patriotism and Communism can coexist if needed....

Back with photos on Monday....later>>>>

Photos-Grand Lake and the marauding Canada Geese have not seen a March or winter like this in the 50 years since my family moved here from Florida in 1962....the Next 10 days look to continue the pattern, making you wonder just what is in store for us come April and May?  The Mini Reunion of Vietnam and Thailand Air Force Sky Cops this weekend in Dayton, looks to be a 'bit"warmer, than the one held in Sub-Zero Chill Factors back on January 31, 2009...thus the move to a more mild month and time.

 

Day of Decision....

The wind, warm temperatures, and sunshine of the past couple of days, was replaced overnight by the sound of thunder, more whipping winds, and rain against the upstairs bedroom windows.....and although the temperatures are warm at this early hour of 9am, the approaching cold front front will pass through by Noon, and the temps will fall off into the 40s.

Last night Garry and I headed for Van Wert...another in a long line of rules meetings for the upcoming baseball season...which frankly, for me at least, is now in limbo.  A week ago, I was trying to budget a couple of hundred dollars for the upcoming season, by deciding what new behind the plate mask I would buy, as well as some new pants and other accessories, and with the sports officials outfit scheduled to be at our meeting, I was ready to plunk down some cash...however, that all changed within a couple of days.

Day of Decision, coming up this afternoon_____

So last night, I purchased nothing, nor did I order anything for shipment...Why?  Pretty simple really, I am not sure if there will be a baseball season for me...and if there is, it may be just the summer ACME and Legion season...my spring baseball season, by far my favorite time and sport of the year, is in a holding pattern...this afternoon may indeed give me the answer, and I am prepared for the worst.

Patricia took off today, and we are getting ready to head out to the local Bob Evans Restaurant, once done with breakfast, I can get my paper work, CDs, and self in order for the road trip to Lima, for a 1:50pm appointment with my near future.  The cardio specialist will decide what I need done with the arteries in my neck...I am guessing surgery is coming, and coming soon.  So even with a warmer March than expected, it appears instead of a opening umpire gig at Lima Central Catholic on my 63rd birthday, March 16th, I more than likely be getting ready, or already have had surgery at Lima Memorial Hospital....

If this happens, I am facing at least six weeks off...maybe more, which would gut my Spring season, probably trash my tournament games, for this year and next, because of numbers needed, and basically put me behind the 8 ball, as I wind down my officiating career.   It is not something I care to have happen...but you need to face reality, and that I am trying to come to grips with that.

Basketball I, frankly, can live without, and would have no problem giving up if needed...baseball and football?  Not so much...so I will do and accept what needs to be done, and hopefully I can move forward....the one thing I don't plan on doing, if I can help it, is turn into a couch potato kind of person.  In all seriousness, I don't want to live that way.  I've been way too active, way too long.  I realize you cannot control all things in your life....but I plan on doing what I can to return to, or at least maintain what I have worked for, in the past dozen years.  After working at many jobs, in different places over my lifetime, I have found a niche...and I refuse to give it up without a fight.

At the meeting last night, I was nominated and elected, without opposition, as President-Elect of the 75 member association...if I continue, which I plan on regardless of today's decision, I would assume the mostly ceremonial position beginning in 2014...as I turn 65...hopefully I will still be kicking and umpiring come that date...but God is in charge of that, I'm just along for the ride.

If, after the appointment today, I find out any surgery or procedure is put off until next week, Patricia and I will prepare for the "Mini" Vietnam Reunion, which begins tomorrow in Dayton.....I'll be back later today, or in the morning to report on that.

back later>>>>

Romney Wins By a Razor Thin Margin.....and Another Beer Find, Fine Beer

March is proving the old adage, "March Winds"....we will see if they bring "April Showers"...hopefully not too many.   April is my main baseball umpiring month of the year...although at this point, depending on the results of my appointment with the Cardio Doc tomorrow, that remains to be seen for this Spring.

 Yesterday, after finishing my errands, which included Voting, driving to St Marys to pick up a CD of my CAT Scan, then to New Bremen for a CD of my Echo on the arteries...technology is an amazing thing these days....not necessarily for the better, but amazing none-the-less.

After picking up the medical CDs for tomorrow's visit to the Lima Cardio Group, I dropped by the Animal Clinic/Pet Center and made an appointment for Reagan the aging Airedale, for this weekend, as Patricia and I head to Wright Patterson in Fairborn for another "Mini Reunion" of Air Force/Vietnam Sky Cops on Friday...that's if all goes good tomorrow, and I won't have to have the procedure scheduled until next week or later.  Once done there is was off to Wally World for a few items, then on to the Driver's License Bureau, where I renewed my license for another four years.  The lady at the desk, looks at me and asks.."Still Riding Motorcycles"?  I reply, "No, but I still like having it on my license, just in case I get the burr, and decide to ride into the sunset".  So the M/C Endorsement is still there, although I have not been on a bike in more than 20 years....and sadly, have no plans on climbing back aboard anytime soon.

I finished off the afternoon by walking uptown to the post office and back...a solid 40 minute walk, I refuse to sit any longer waiting on the appointments, and whatever may come, to catch up with me.....

Romney Squeaks One Out_____

Super Tuesday proved at least two things....The GOP Race is not over, and whoever the nominee finally becomes, the road to the White House is going to be a rough ride.  Despite the fact that we have a Kenyan born Interloper, illegally in office as President, the media and stupid people are bound and determined to keep this half breed, half witted, Marxist tool, in office.

Here in western Ohio, especially Northwest and West Central parts of the state, Rick Santorum won easily, he did likewise in Southeast Ohio and the north central part of the state....however, around the large cities and bergs, infested by "soccer moms" and males without a pair between their legs, Mitt Romney collected enough votes to squeak out a 12,000 vote win, out of over 1 million, two hundred thousand cast, thus winning the majority of delegates...nationwide it was much the same.  Romney wins 6 states, Santorum 3, and Newt picked up Georgia....Ron Paul, Captain Tin Foil himself, was shut out....the race, while still going on, is Romney's to lose...and despite all his money, robo calls, and "Super Pacs", he has yet to seal, or steal, the deal.  

The GOP is in for a nasty fall come November, and the Republic is at the Cross Roads.....if the Republicans cannot take the White House from the Kenyan Marxist...they need at least to capture the Senate and keep the House, otherwise "Game Over".  The only good news on this election night was locally we stomped out another attempt at a "tax increase". 

 I worked for the Mercer County/Celina City Health Department for 8 years, then moved on as Environmental Health Director at Van Wert County for another 12 before I retired.  I watched in amusement as the local department put up a levy.  Saying they needed the extra money to fund all of their wonderful programs and increase staff....Bullshit!  When I joined the Mercer County department in 1983 as staff Sanitarian, we had a total of 6 full time employees, and a part time Health Commissioner....now, less than 30 years later, they tell us they need more employees and more of our money....they don't, and we don't need most of what they provide...some good programs?  Sure, but having spent much of my working life at the local health department scene, much of what they and the state provide is pure worthless rules, and regulations, not worth enforcing.

The levy was put to rest, for now, by a 66/33 margin, a full 2/3rd of country residents were not buying it...and I know of at least 2 former staff members, me, and my old Environmental Health partner, who helped vote it down.  I'm trying to figure out what the 2500 people who voted for were thinking...they obviously don't pay many taxes, or don't have a clue.

One More Beer to Taste____

With the potential health issues yet to be resolved, there are more than a few things on my plate which I am unable to taste.   On the "piss me off" side of the menu, is the fact that I have put my workout and weight lifting routine on hold...worse yet, I've had to, for the most part, cut out my beer drinking. 

Yesterday, after getting my various 'chores' taken care of, Reagan and I took advantage of the warm but windy weather, and I decided to head out to the back yard.  So I went into my basement humidor, grabbed  a 1876 Torpedo Cigar, headed to the refrigerator and pulled a frosted glass out of the freezer, and took one on the new found beers I have stashed, and headed out into the 60 degree, wind blown, sunshine.  The new found beer, which I tasted for the first time last Wednesday at our baseball banquet/meeting in Van Wert, was another in the YuenglingYuengling Bock...in addition to being a tasteful Bock Beer, the cost is right...about $5.75 for a full six pack of long necks.  Compared to some of the other dark brews and micro brews I try, this one is not only good, but cheap!

I ended up pouring two, and finished most of the cigar...sometimes you just gotta do what feels good...and trust me, this did.

Tonight another baseball meeting in Van Wert...then tomorrow, Patricia and I will head to Lima...by tomorrow evening, I should know what awaits me, procedure wise, and when I will have to have it done....back later>>>

Photos-Even in the wind and cool March conditions, Grand Lake produces some fantastic sunrises....I took this one on a recent cold, and partly cloudy morning, in the wind....Romney squeaks out a win in Ohio, but Santorum is still alive in the race...the question is?  Is the GOP dead in the water?  And Yuengling Bock comes to Ohio for the first time, as Spring arrives.

Super Tuesday Has Arrived!

I sit here this morning, basically, a full day for me ahead...those have been rare of late, and frankly I am sick and tired of waiting around for appointments and doctor's visits, that a week ago would have seemed far fetched.  I've given the birds and back yard Squirrels their daily ration of feed, seed, and corn...took the first rounds of meds{that I spread out over a 12 hour period}...checked the blood pressure, which this morning is a ridiculous{for me) low of  105/60 with a pulse of 52 beats per minute...thinking to myself, "How low is too low"?  For somebody with hypertension, so they say....I am not a happy camper.  A month ago, I went back to get my low dose blood pressure medicine prescription filled....and now this is where I stand.

Double dose of BP Meds, and extra BP pill, back to Zocor, and add a large dose of the cholesterol and blood thinning Plavix...I have not worked out in a week, and quite frankly half the time I feel in a fog...a month ago, even 10 days ago, I was the healthiest feeling soon-to-be 63 year old you are going to find....and now this is where I stand.  Well Thursday I should have some answers, and most likely an appointment for surgery on those neck arteries than seem problematical.  Meanwhile I am not weight lifting, not tread milling, and it's been 10 days since I ran up and down the basketball court.  So after a fall of football and a winter of basketball officiating...and now, not knowing if I will have to push back my baseball umpire schedule,  this is where I stand?  Needless to say, I am not a happy camper.  This sedentary lifestyle is not me.

For now I will abide by the requests....Hell with taking meds, I'm hardly touching a beer....so you know, I am not enjoying this at all....

It all reminds me of my bartending days, back in my 20s.....older customers{my age now}, would come in and bitch about the things doctors had told them they couldn't or shouldn't do....I would look at them and think..."What the Hell man, you are 60 something, why would you give a shit, and listen to what they say?, live your life, you only go around once...go out doing what you enjoy"...That's what I said then....it's what I think now...but somehow, for some reason, I am not following my own belief system....It's called reality, I guess....maybe after Thursday and the next round of appointments, I will grow my set back....and live my belief system....meanwhile this is what I have on my plate.

Super Tuesday.....Ohio is the "Heart of it All"

For 40 years or so, The Buckeye State, has had this hokey motto.."Ohio, The Heart of It All".   The reason is simple, Ohio is in the "heartland" and basically shaped like a Heart.  Today, it appears we are the "Heart of it All", politically speaking.  Super Tuesday is here, and despite Georgia having more Republican delegates{even though Ohio has a larger population}, Ohio is the crown jewel...basically because without Ohio, the Republicans don't win the White House...they never have, and probably will not this year.  That doesn't mean with Ohio, the GOP will necessarily win the Presidency over the Kenyan Assclown, but without The Buckeye State they will surely lose.

http://news.yahoo.com/not-super-tuesday-094500389.html 

So this morning, Patricia has already voted, before heading to work, I will head to the polling place, and cast my votes...Rick Santorum for President, however it appears that Mitt Romney may close out a robo phone bank fuled win here, but it will be close.  Regardless, the primary season will continue, and Obama will continue to destroy the nation and Republic until he is stopped...and frankly it make take more than this election to stop a foreign born, interloping Marxist, who has the power of jack boots and the lap dog press at his back.

So, here in the Conservative heartland of northwest Ohio, with Boehner and Latta as our Congressman, I suspect Santorum will win easily,  however, in the bergs of the larger cities, such as Cleveland and Columbus,were chickshit liberals and moderates, who call themselves Republicans {see RINOs}  live...Romney may have enough votes to swing Ohio his way

The game will continue to be played out after this "Super Tuesday", and while Conservatives and Republicans, battle to see who will become Obama's sacrifice come November, the self  and media appointed King of America, who in reality, is nothing more than a a half breed, half ass, half witted, son of a Kansas whore and a African Muslim, will continue to secure cash and power, in his attempt to overthrow the once great nation.  Our founding fathers are surely spinning in their collective graves, or trying to dig themselves out, no doubt disgusted with what has happened to the country they founded, so many years ago.

So for me today, it's vote, then off to the Hospital and Doc office to pick up CDs of my tests from last week...then perhaps to the license bureau, to renew my driver's license, which expire on next week's birthday.  Make an appointment for the aging Airedale, Reagan, to be kenneled for the weekend, in hopes that I will be ready to attend the Vietnam mini reunion for Air Force Sky Cops that I am coordinating at The Air Force Museum in Dayton, come Friday.....stay tuned.

back with more later>>>>>

The Death of Andrew Brietbart, Sheriff Joe, and the Anti-American Left....

It snowed a bit overnight, with a cold wind and blowing flurries, the road conditions were not the best as the sun rose in the eastern sky....some schools in the far north, towards the Findlay area were canceled, those near Lima were delayed two hours....around here?  No delays, just some slick spots...which will be gone by tomorrow, as temperatures are predicted to rise into the 50s for a couple of consecutive days.

Dragging/Drugging through the Days______

With the Cardio Specialist telling me to take it easy, take these meds, and do little else, but fill out paper work before my visit to the Lima Docs on Thursday, I basically spent the weekend writing, posting on fb, and blogging about the political scene, as well as watching Hockey and College Basketball on the tube...to be frank, It was a Gawd Damn Bore!

I despise sitting around, wasting my time, and my life, doing crap that matters very little in the long term...frankly it matters little in the short term either...given time to think at all, you wonder?  Well Hell you just wonder.....

The Death of Brietbart____

I'm sure many of my readers have no idea who Andrew Breitbart was...frankly, although I subscribed to his e-mail and facebook items, I was not a devotee of him myself.  I was aware that he was about to release video of one Barack Obama during the Kenyan Assclowns college days, that report to show him cavorting with fellow Marxists spewing hate for America...well Hell, no surprise there, anybody with a functional brain knows one foreign born Barack Obama, or whatever the Hell name he calls himself, is a enemy agent against the United States...if you don't believe that, you might as well leave this blog....he is and has been for years. 


Seems Brietbart was about to release the tapes on March 1st....suddenly Andrew Brietbart, with a history of heart issues, dies just after Midnight on March 1st in Los Angeles, on a city street...within two hours the death is declared "Natural Causes"...two hours?  With autopsy yet to be performed???  I'm calling this Bullshit, perhaps Murder, at the hands of persons unknown...but the suspects, if they exist, I suspect, lead right to the far left sock puppet that sits in our White House.

http://times247.com/articles/savage-was-breitbart-assassinated 


The big question now is..."Will the people who have taken over Andrew Breitbart's work, release the tapes"?  And if they do, will they receive the gift of death?  Or will the tapes suddenly disappear?  That is also a big possibility....courtesy of threats of a rogue government, led by a enemy agent, calling himself Barack Obama.  Fact is, I've never been a conspiracy nut....until now!


http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Hollywood/2012/03/03/andrew-breitbart-how-do-we-replace-irreplaceable


The Sheriff Joe Press Conference and Aftermath____

Yesterday, on a rare Sunday posting, I devoted the entire blog to the one hour plus press conference that Sheriff Joe Arpiro of Phoenix, Arizona, had late last week.  It concerned the fake Birth Certificate and fake Selective Service Card that Obama has presented, under pressure, as GENUINE.  Anybody that watched the evidence presented, cannot dismiss it...of course most of the press, including, so called Conservative/Right Wing Fox News, is doing just that.  The rats it seems, are running for cover...this includes most of the GOP establishment.

Let there be no doubt...Obama's documents are forged, or they don't exist...it just depends on which documents you are looking for.....

The press conference laid the facts out...the press, and liberals, turned a blind eye...they don't want the truth, after all, why would the want a stain on their ebony Messiah....?  Why indeed?  As for Fox News, Glenn Beck, and the rest in the so called "alternative media", as well as so called Conservatives in political circles, who are denying the facts or ignoring them...why?  Pretty simple is my guess...they are being threatened...here is a view from one conspiracy site:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZyefXVZ7rZc&feature=share

While the left calls the evidence "crazy"....it all makes pretty good sense to me.  The left has the weak kneed right on the run...Fox News and Rupert Murdock are no longer the voice of Conservatives, nor or they "Fair and Balanced" ....they have caved in the face of pressure from the Obama Administration and the hard left....
Fox has caved, they{Obama and Company} are going after Limbaugh through his sponsors for telling the truth with his "Birth Control Slut" comments...Rush is caving, Beck, has caved...Brietbart is dead, and Joe Arpiro is next in line for the left to destroy.

I am not sure there is anybody out there willing to fight to the end....one thing for certain..America is at the Cross Roads, and anybody that won't fall in line with Obama and Company will get run over.....

The election of 2012 matters very little....the end of the Republic is nearing...and whether it's Romney, Santorum, or somebody else facing Obama....it is all but over, unless something big happens, whether natural or supernatural.  The end of the Republic is closer than we have been led to believe.

Meanwhile....I fill out paperwork and wonder ....well Hell, I just wonder!

back later>>>>

Photos-Andrew Breitbart, dead {murdered?} at 43...Sheriff Joe, last man standing?  And the Dictator Wannabee, in reality, just a weak puppet of the far left...serving his masters.

Fake, Fake, Fake, Obama's Birth Certificate Exposed!

After years of cover up and denials, the Obama Fake Birth Certificate issue has once again taken Center Stage:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrQp6qSgX_I&feature=share

Not that any thinking person ever had a doubt that the half breed, half baked, half ass, half wit, Kenyan Grifter, was anything other than a phony and a liar...in short he was and is A FAKE.  His so called Birth Certificate is just as phony as the Kenyan Interloper.

Sheriff Joe, despised by the media, and the Obama Administration, do not use taxpayers money, but his own volunteer posse' to gather the dirt{see truth} about the Kenyan Interloper....it resulted in this hour plus long press conference:

http://conservativeamericaonline.blogspot.com/2012/03/video-in-case-you-missed-it-sheriff-joe.html?spref=fb

Of course the lame stream {Obama Lap Dog} media will ignore it all....as will Fox News, Beck, and the so called "Conservatives" in Congress....all too afraid what will happen if the truth comes out.

Obama is a ticking time bomb for the destruction of the Republic.  A hard core Marxist, who isn't even American Born.  The death{murder?} of Andrew Brietbart is but another volley in the war by Obama and Company on America:

 http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/308349/20120302/michael-savage-andrew-breitbart-death-truth-cpac.htm

I guess the question is....Who Will Turn Up Dead Next?

Anybody that has any doubt that the Kenyan and his followers are not out to destroy America, is a fool....a damn fool.  Obama himself, while not very bright, has surrounded himself with an evil core of radical Marxists, and America as we know it, burn, while the press fiddles, and Average Joe and Jane, watch the NBA and American Idol....

back tomorrow with the regular blog>>>>

Photos-Sheriff Joe has the good on Obammy and Company....no doubt he is now Enemy #1 to the left wing power brokers.  The Birth Certificate on Top is no less fake than the typed rag that Obama and Company has put out as "real"....all the while, below, our freedoms are being flushed down the crapper at the hands of Obama and the Media:

Storms on the Horizon...

It's getting pretty hard to take any weather forecast seriously these days....

After the near records on Wednesday, they called for "cooler" conditions yesterday...predicting a high near 50 in West Central Ohio/Grand Lake Area....it never got out of the upper 30s....

So today it was supposed to reach 65, another warmer, much warmer, than normal day....with sever Thunderstorms/Hail/Wind/Tornadoes around...by sunrise they had dropped the predicted high to 60...as of 11am, it is 42, and icy cold rain and a east wind.  So far, they did get the Thunderstorms right, as they have been around all morning....at least since I returned home about 8am.

More Sunrise Photos from Grand Lake____

I assumed things would be a bit warmer, and having gone to bed early, I was up by 6, I took out to see if I could get some decent sunrise shots before the clouds moved in....I left just before 7 and was home within 40 minutes.  The photos I took were before the cloud cover and storms had blotted out the sun and arriving blue skies....in total I snapped about two dozen shots, a few are posted on today's blog.

When I arrived home, Patricia was just leaving for school, and the first clap of thunder and flash of lightning was about 10 minutes away....the "warmer" weather, 4 hours later, has yet to arrive, even though I can still hear the next line of approaching storms as I type.

Yesterday....the lost day____

No blogging, not much of anything around the house....I spent the day, almost the entire day, driving back and forth from home to hospital, home to doctor's office, and waiting...

The good news is, Wednesday, my heart echo thingy went OK, and my heart appears in good shape, yesterday I arrived at the St. Marys Joint Township Hospital, prepared for my artery carotid testing, something I guessed would take a hour tops.  By the time my day was done, back at the Cardiologist office, and home, it was nearly 2pm.  A test, a CAT Scam and a new prescription in hand, as well as an appointment next week in Lima with a specialist.  Other than that, I am fine, but going through an adjustment in attitude and waiting skills, something I didn't need just before baseball season, and that full work load in the near future.  

So for now, I will back off my workout/weightlifting schedule, and take a break from that until next week, and the aftermath of the appointment.

So there you have the past 48 hours or so....in between the sleep, the appointments, and the photo shoot this morning, I did manage to get in our umpire banquet at Van Wert Wednesday night....batten down the hatches, more storms coming...I'll be back later>>>>

Photos-Another decent sunrise above Grand Lake this morning....I took as much in as possible, given the fact a cold wind was blowing across the choppy waters from the east....The Carotid test proved problematic yesterday, more tests and consultations will be needed....and storms, strong storms are on the horizon, with colder conditions for the weekend and early next week.

Leap Day Leap Year....and the Check Up List...

The once every four years, Leap Day of February 29th roared into Western Ohio overnight, as thunderstorms, carried by strong winds hit the area...no damage was noted, but we did get a good soaking before the storms moved east.  With the rain all but out of the area, this Leap Year, Leap Day, will go out like a lamb, with near record highs in the mid to upper 60s in the forecast.

It appears that the near future forecast will have temperatures bouncing up and down, before the weekend sees colder weather:

http://www.weather.com/weather/5-day/45822:4:US

The Weather Channel, the "Global Warming is Really Real, honest" arm of the corrupted NBC Network, is saying 5 states were hit by Tornadoes last night....you can read that story in the page link marked so.

A Couple of Days of Medical Appointments_____

We will see if the "White Coat Syndrome" rears it's ugly head today as I head to rural New Breman for the first of two days of tests on the old ticker.  Both are out-patient procedures...

Today at the doctor's office I am scheduled to have a echo cardiogram or "echo" of the heart, an ultrasound of sorts which checks Heart functions....

Tomorrow at the bright and early hour of 7am I will be at the out-patient portion of Joint Township Hospital in St. Marys, where more tests, this one called a US Carotid test...another Ultrasound procedure, which I believe involves the arteries that run up and down the neck.  To be honest, the worst part of any of this is the waiting at the office for the doctor and tests to begin, which in many people, me included, leads to the "White Coat Syndrome" in which your Blood Pressure rises for no other reason than your at the doc's office....then they end up trying to stick more medication at higher doses into you.

At least with these two tests there is no fasting or special prepping involved...frankly I am not concerned at all about my health, nearing 63 in two weeks, and running up and down the area basketball courts for the past 4 months, I feel pretty damn good....but will see what the tests say.

Tonight, as baseball season nears, our Van Wert association meets at Frickers in Van Wert, to hold our meeting/banquet....won't be any drinking tonight, just some chicken wings and leaving early because I am going to have to get up about 5:30 in the am for tomorrow round of testing.....

back later>>>>

Photos-Night Lightning was the theme last night, but sunny and warming up at this hour...and today it is the echo cardiogram, while tomorrow the scheduled procedure is Carotid Doppler/Ultrasound

Changes in Attitude.....and the fireball at Daytona

Being retired, or at least "semi-retired" does have it's drawbacks as well as it's good points...while you tend to have more time doing things you enjoy, you also have more time doing things that you probably should avoid, or at least do less of....after all, even too much of a good thing, is sometimes too much.  With those thoughts I have been deciding over the past days and weeks, to make some changes....nothing that I am going to announce for the world, but just some things I hope will bring me more inner peace, and more jingle in my pocket....

Some 35 years or so ago, Jimmy Buffet put out an album called "Changes in Latitude, Changes in Attitude"...it contained "Margaritaville" and some other decent songs, including the title tune....it was my first introduction to Jimmy Buffett, whose music I liked from the get-go, but his politics he could stick where the sun doesn't shine...being the Clinton and Obama ass kisser he is.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzRQyt0aTHA

 The one thing I have tried, albeit unsuccessfully, over the years it to separate politics from musical likes, pop culture, movies, etc...and to a lesser degree from friends and family, although without a doubt, I would rather hang with people that actually think along the same lines I do....probably next to impossible to find someone as far to the right and outspoken as me...to say the least.

That is among the things that my attitude is changing about....as I turn 63 next month, I have made myself a pledge to basically ignore those that don't like my politics, my faith in God, my cussing, my occasional cigar smoking, etc....screw it!  In addition to the attitude changes, I do however plan on others...less drinking, less posting about politics{ why bother?, I'm not changing your mind, and you sure the Hell can't change mine}, I have other things I want to accomplish in the time I have left on this earth, that a less confrontational, less boozing, more relaxed lifestyle can do....I also shaved off the goatee, and just left the drooping mustache....hey, if your gonna change, you might as well go all out!

So there is a small look....while I will still mention politics, and my dislike for liberals, especially a certain half breed, half wit, fresh from the Chicago Gay Bathhouse scene, via Kenya.  I'm not going to argue it with anybody, friend or foe.   If someone wants to argue BS about political views with me, here, in person, or on my facebook page....don't bother, you'll get the heave-ho....in the blink of an eye.

The Daytona 500_____

I used to be pretty well into Stock Car Racing, especially back in the days of Richard Petty.  I remember sitting in the hospital in Wausau, Wisconsin, the day after daughter Anissa was born, watching the 1979 Dayton 500.  This was the first one shown live on national TV....and it was probably the most well known, until Dale Earnhart was killed on the final lap of the 2001 race.

Here is the end of the 1979 race:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXbHQtZH8dE 

I sat in the hospital mostly holding my 18 hour old daughter as this unfolded...can you imagine today, in NASCAR, controlled by bean counters, who only want to "diversify" the sport which was started some 65 years ago by bootleggers.   This would not be looked upon with a wink and smile like it was in the good ol' days.  That is when I enjoyed a NASCAR race....today, not so much.

Last night, after two afternoon cancellations, one on Sunday and early yesterday, the 2012 version of the Daytona 500 finally was held.  I was not around to see the early morning final....as Juan Montoya, hardly a "good ol' boy", crashed into a work vehicle and sent a massive fireball into the Daytona night....delaying the race for some 2 hours or more.   I said, "that's enough for me" and headed to bed....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WC1L4n_4f0E 

As spectacular as that was, it pretty much ended the viewing for much of the nation.... as the race finished sometime after 2am eastern time.

Doctors appointments and testing coming up tomorrow and Thursday, and a chicken wing banquet and baseball rules meeting tomorrow night at Van Wert....that pretty much is the schedule on hand for the rest of the week.

back later>>>>


Photos-..Me, sans the goatee, with a new attitude in mind....Juan Pablo Montoya crashes into a work truck at Daytona, lucky all escaped major injury...and me and Anissa on February 18, 1979...she was less than 1 day old when the famous fight ending Daytona 500 was won by Richard Petty that year.