Sinus & Nuts

I have been sick for the past 2 days with sinus junk again. Up until about 4 years ago I had NO issues at all with sinus problems. I find it funny how our bodies change over the years. Even our taste buds change every 7 years (so I am told). I think that is true because for the first 30 years of my life I hated nuts. I think it was more texture than anything. But about a year ago I had this strange craving for a cashew. I tried it and I liked them. Even though I still don’t like the smell of nuts, I do enjoy them from time to time now. This past year has been full of new adventures for me. I have really stepped outside my comfort zone and tried new things and gave up old ways of thinking. Though I have to admit that I think I have replaced old stubborn ways with new ones. But maybe I’ll change those in a few years. Anything is possible.

Blessings till I post again.

The Joys of getting old

The following post I did a few days ago and some how it never made it to the blog.
enjoy this time if it actually works.


I am surprised that for the past 3 months or so I have been swinging an ax without any bodily injuries. However last Tuesday I was out back raking the yard when I throw my back out. Actually it was not my back it was my shoulder but because of the nerve or something I pulled my brain thinks the pain is in my back. For about 3 days I could not lift my left arm over my head. Getting out of bed was much a task. And walking was pure misery. Well actually walking, sitting, breathing you name it. I have been to the chiropractor every day except for the weekend and holiday and I am recovering quite well. My pain level was a 10 last Tuesday, I am happy to report my pain level to be a steady 2 today. I still have to go for the next 2 days for adjustments and stimulations but I have no doubts that I will be up and running at full force again soon. Just sitting still and doing nothing was well outside my norm. It has driven me up the wall. I have watched countless hours of TV and slept (if you can call it that) a whole lot more than my body is used to. Sitting still is defiantly not meant for people with ADHD.



Blessings till I post again.

Yard Work

It has been a while since I have blogged, but I have been keeping myself quite busy. As you know we had a huge tree cut down because of the ice storm back in January. I have been chopping huge logs and little by little people have been coming by and taking it. It just seems like the pile kept getting bigger instead of smaller. I am happy to report that as of Sunday the last of the wood is gone. Sheila had the stump removed 2 weeks ago and I have been shoveling the mulch left behind. I spent the past 2 days chopping roots out of the ground and then filling in with dirt as well. Now it feels like the hole is getting bigger rather than smaller. But I know that we will get there. Sheila keeps reminding me that Rome was not built in a day. She says that I am like a flea in a skillet. I’m not sure if that analogy fits or not but I do keep myself busy with the yard work.

We also planted some strawberries and blueberries last weekend. I don’t think we will have much to show for it this year, but by this time next year I should be reaping the sweet rewards of my labor.

Blessings till I post again.

Easter Greetings

It’s Good Friday! I can’t believe that Easter is this Sunday. It just seems like yesterday the whole family went to Tommy Lancaster’s in New Albany and celebrated the holiday together. Little did we know that would be the last Holiday that we would have together as a whole family. Shortly after Easter last year my father in law had a stroke and passed away. It does not seem real that it has been a year later. My wife and mother in law have been doing good considering the circumstances, however this has to be so hard for the both of them. It is never easy to loose a loved one. And I have not yet experienced the loss of a parent or a spouse. For me to know what they are going through is only a scratch to the surface. All of the things that my father in law used to take care of for us has now become a team effort. I never knew that I would be able to do electrical work, plumbing and the list goes on and on. Looking back now I really appreciate all of the handy man things he did for us. He made them look so simple, yet for me the simple stuff is complicated. I really have had to come out of my shell this past year and it has not been an easy venture for me. I’m sure as more time passes I will look back and wonder why I never took more initiative to learn these now simple things.

Changing the subject… We put up a bird feeder by the pond last week. I hung it on one of the shepherd hook poles. I thought for sure with it being up in the air and on that pole that the squirrels would not get into it. WRONGO. I came home on Monday to find a squirrel hanging upside down on the feeder and he was eating the birdseeds. I’m not sure how long he was hanging upside down doing this. But he finally tired of that and managed to shake all of the seeds to the ground. He made a mess and I told Sheila that he must have email and sent out the word because later I looked again to see 5 squirrels sitting around eating the seeds. We used to have 2 squirrels, but I think now that they got word that we have a buffet on Orchard Drive, well I guess they have decided to take up residence here.

Among the other things I have done in the past week I hung a floating shelf on the wall in our living room. I guess I followed the directions ok, because it’s been a week and it is still hanging on the wall.

Blessings till I post again.

what is rest?

What a day it has been. I started my day at 4am like every day of my life. I went to work after putting another 6 miles on my bike. That is the only rest I got today. I came home and started the green beans for supper. (I did not eat any) and then I dusted, cleaned the office, Did 3 loads of laundry, cleaned the bed rooms, finished supper (that I did not eat) and at 5:30 Sheila got home to eat the supper that I had prepared for her and her mother. The reason I did not eat was because we had a pitch in at work today and I felt that I had eaten too much. So I had a bowl of cereal and put some more miles on that bike. After I finished that I got outside and cut more shrubs and brush from the fence line and even swung an ax at the remaining wood left in our yard from the big tree that was cut down. We have 5 huge pieces left and it is starting to look like it may be there for a while.
After I finally got smart enough to come inside I put 10 more miles on that bike. I just treated myself to 75 calories worth of dark chocolate. I savored every piece. I just got out of the tub and it is 9:15 and I think I am finally going to call it a day. This is the time that I normally head down for my last 5 – 10 miles of the day. But I honestly don’t have the energy. I have to admit that it feels a little weird just sitting here and doing nothing. But sometimes nothing is better than something. :)

Blessings till I post again.

A rough week

It has been one of those weeks. I started feeling a little down on Sunday and I took what ended up being a 3-hour nap. I had a feeling that the next few days were going to be rough and I was right. I woke up at 2:45am on Monday morning coughing and barley able to breath. Yes the nasty sinus infection returned once again to grace my doorsteps.
I normally am able to be what I consider “functional” within about 24 hours. But this one wanted to stay a little while longer. So I called and got into my doctor on Tuesday morning to confirm that I had another bout with the sinus issues. She called me in a prescription for an antibiotic. Today (Thursday) I am feeling sooooo much better. Today at work I started jogging down memory lane again. I find that I am doing this more and more lately. But as I was going down that old familiar road I knew that God was showing me so many blessings that I have received along my travels. All of the great friends I made along the way. The many memories that I will get to cherish forever. I realized that I am blessed in so many ways and this temporary inconvenience of a sinus infection is nothing compared to the pain and sorrows that so many people are feeling today. The young children who went to bed hungry last night, or the person who may have just got that call that a loved one had passed away. How can my pains compare to what they are going through. Then I looked out of my office window and just thought how nice it was to see such a beautiful skyline and to be alive. God’s blessings just keep coming. Even in the cold and sinus season J

Blessings till I post again.

My 1st Anniversary

Tomorrow March 3rd 2009 is the 1 year anniversary of maintaining my weight loss. The official weight loss was and still is 146 lbs. God has blessed me in so many ways and I owe my success to him. Countless times I did not feel like continuing. I just did not see how I could keep going or even maintain what I had accomplished. But many hours I spent in prayer I would ask God to give me the will to go on and the strength I needed to do the work that needed to be done. So here I am 1 year later and I can say that God was faithful to me. The Old Rob never had any will power. And I know that if I had started this journey without him that I would have failed miserably. I hope that my testimony can be an encouragement to any of you who may be facing the same struggles that I too faced for many years. My best advice to anyone who wants to overcome any obstacle they may be facing is to simply start in prayer. A little over 3 years ago when I went to the doctor I was told to come back in 3 months and to loose 30 lbs in that time. I was so discouraged because I knew if I could loose that weight we would not have had that discussion in the first place. I went home and went on a binge for that first week and gained 5 lbs. I stepped on that scale and was so discouraged and disappointed in myself for what I had become. That night when I went to bed I prayed to God and I asked him to give me the will power to eat right and to exercise. I made a promise that if he would supply me with the will power that I would put in the effort and do my part. So tonight as I write this blog I do so with such gratitude and thanksgiving in my heart.

Blessings till I post again.