I HAVE COME TO AN END HERE

Well friends, I’ve considered this for a long time and things change. When I began this blog nearly two years ago, I had a very clear focus. I thought life here at The Home” was funny. In many ways I still do. No doubt some comments came across as mean spirited. That was never my intent, but all do not share my sense of humor.

“The Home” humor has now become a commonplace routine that has become boring. I have drifted away from that some time ago and moved on to whatever was on my mind. For those of you who read regularly you are aware that I had very little to nothing to say at times. I enjoyed talking about churches and government especially as it related to social security. I will stop griping about the issue if they will stop calling it an entitlement and return all the money they took from me. One of these days I am going to figure out exactly how much that was.

I have enjoyed writing and will continue to write, but I am going to base it on growing up in the 50's. The "Happy Days" from the point of view of a kid growing up in a Christian home. I had a blast and some of you will identify with those days.
Check me out at www.wildernesswandering-csw.blogspot.com

ENTITLEMENT - BALDERDASH

I received this in an email. Admittedly I have not checked the math. Not that that would help. I’m lousy at math. All I know is that this resonates with my spirit. I have said it before and I say it again. Social Security is not an entitlement program. That is my money they are still withholding I Paid social security for age 18 until age 58. I paid not social security for five years near the beginning while I was in school. I never made enough money after age 58 and began collecting social security at 62 so I could survive. So I paid into this “entitlement” program for 35 years and most of those years I paid the entire amount as no employer matched my funds. I was consider “self employed.”

They took my money with a promise the invest it and return it to me at retirement. Using the word “entitlement” is a manipulative attempt to make me and everyone else believe we are getting something for nothing. I am getting nothing for free. With my “benefits (both social security and medicare) I still do not come close to receiving the value of my investment minus any interest my money should have earned.

This is not an “entitlement,” it’s my money. The government forced me to contribute as an investment in my future retirement and now wants to steal what is left. Theives.

THE EMAIL

This is another example of what Rick Perry called "TREASON in high places"!!!

Remember, not only did you contribute to Social Security but your employer did too. It totaled 15% of your income before taxes. If you averaged only $30K over your working life, that's close to $220,500.

If you calculate the future value of $4,500 per year (yours & your employer's contribution) at a simple 5% (less than what the government pays on the money that it borrows), after 49 years of working you'd have $892,919.98.

If you took out only 3% per year, you'd receive $26,787.60 per year and it would last better than 30 years (until you're 95 if you retire at age 65) and that's with no interest paid on that final amount on deposit! If you bought an annuity and it paid 4% per year, you'd have a lifetime income of $2,976.40 per month.

The folks in Washington have pulled off a bigger Ponzi scheme than Bernie Madhoff ever had.

Entitlement my butt, I paid cash for my social security insurance!!!! Just because they borrowed the money, doesn't make my benefits some kind of charity or handout!!

Congressional benefits ---- free healthcare, outrageous retirement packages, 67 paid holidays, three weeks paid vacation, unlimited paid sick days, now that's welfare, and they have the nerve to call my social security retirement entitlements?

We're "broke" and can't help our own Seniors, Veterans, Orphans, Homeless.

In the last months we have provided aid to Haiti, Chile, and Turkey. And now Pakistan ......home of bin Laden. Literally, BILLIONS of DOLLARS!!!

Our retired seniors living on a 'fixed income' receive no aid nor do they get any breaks while our government and religious organizations pour Hundreds of Billions of $$$$$$'s and Tons of Food to Foreign Countries!

They call Social Security and Medicare an entitlement even though most of us have been paying for it all our working lives and now when it’s time for us to collect, the government is running out of money. Why did the government borrow from it in the first place? Imagine if the *GOVERNMENT* gave 'US' the same support they give to other countries.

Sad isn't it?

BIG MIRACLE AND OTHER THOUGHTS

I'm driving the BUS for The Home now. I like it. I have to pull myself up to get in the drivers seat. It is a little high. Then when I get out I have to get into position so I can drop to the ground about 8 inches. I do wish my legs were longer. We have had two successful outings with the wheelchairs going. You can’t believe how happy that makes me. We left twice before without those two as I could not get the lift to work. I cannot take the disappointment they faced. I think I have the lifts little secrets figured out now.

I got a note from My friend Brent that he and Liz, his wife, are extras in the movie Big Miracle. He was my roommate on my cruise to Alaska a few years back and then he and his wife moved to Alaska a few months later. They auditioned as extras and were accepted and appear in six or seven scenes. My whole family plans to go see Big Miracle on Tuesday as a family Valentines gift to each other. I was in Poulsbo with a group today just to look around and enjoy this quaint little tourist town so bought a few very nice chocolates for the night. We all plan to study Brent's appearance on the screen schedule so we don't miss him in the movie. I believe his longest time on screen is the restaurant scene behind Drew Barrymore. He and his wife are eating. I do wonder if they actually ate anything. We are all looking forward to it.

I preach again on this weekend. Brent sent me a note earlier talking about messy lives. I am using that as a theme for this series. No one gets through life without some mess or another. Mostly we all have several messes. No one is untouched. I will use examples from some of the great characters of Scripture: Adam and Eve (they first parents had their son kill his brother – how hard is that?), Abraham (the father of our faith told what we call a little white lie. Sarah was his sister, very far removed, but he neglected to mention she was also his wife), King David (where do we start – the man after God’s on heart was an adulterer a murderer, and a weak minded man when it came to his daughter’s rape), Peter (denied Christ three times – I have heard several people say “I would not have done that.” Really), Paul (He got so angry at Barnabas for wanting to take John Paul on a missionary trip, that it ended their team relationship, but expanded the mission), and maybe even my own life. I am starting with a clip from "Hoarders." I also took a few shots of my own apartment at it's worse, but don't know yet if I will use them. I suppose it will be a matter of whether I am willing to be embarrassed.

While I reconsidered off and on right up through Friday, I am not applying for the Resident Commissioners position with the Housing Authority. There is just way too much unknown. I have no idea what I would be getting into. While I would like to see some things changed, I like the ministry I have here. I have added driving the bus. That is enough for now.

Things are going fairly well around here. It’s calm. There were even two mortal enemies on the bus to Poulsbo today and were able to completely avoid each other so there were no conflicts. That's a step in the right direction.

I have also decided to return the PC computer I bought. Maybe I never said I bought a new computer, but I talked about it. I really cannot afford it. I will muddle along with my love-able old Mac. It may be on its last legs, but so am I. I will keep it until it dies. When that happens, I will most likely give up the newsletter I do and go back to using the Library computers for emails and blogs. When that happens I will save $50-60 on the cable line. That will be a good thing.

HOMELESS

I had every intention of writing last night, but I got so caught up in Richard LeMieux book “Breakfast at Sally’s” that I was up reading until nearly two o’clock a.m. and still didn‘t finish. So I just kept on reading this morning until I was done. What a book!

Richard gave me a whole new understanding of homelessness and the broken, depressed lives that haunt those streets. My heart began to break. Tears rolled down my cheeks. I clearly reconsidered those needy people and their struggles.

I have heard the complaints that they are lazy, dirty, stinky, disgusting excuses for human beings. They are nothing but drug addicts and alcoholics. Why don’t they get a job? Richard takes us on his year and half journey on the streets of Bremerton. He had a van to keep him dry (most of the time) and his dog Willow to keep him company. I wept for his deep depression and enormous rejection. He was a wealthy man who lost everything: his business, his wife and his children. Not him alone, but those he met.

With no home address, no phone and no bank account most essentials are blocked for them. Job applicants are told, “We’ll call you.” Apartments require first and last months rent and the present one. None have that kind of money. Richard tells the story of a physically deformed homeless man given a check for his birthday. A friend at a tire store have him $20 so he could buy a headset to listen to his country music. He was thrilled and asked if Richard would take him to the bank. They went where the signer had a bank account. They required two pieces of identification. He had one outdated bus pass. That was not good enough. I hate banks. I hate the rules had limit the needy. They had the power to see if that account had the money. But that was never considered.

I am a friend with Katrina who now lives at The Home. Before moving here she had lived in her van for nearly a year. She knows Richard and also knows all the places where to get a free warm meals. She has lived here nearly a year now and still struggles with deep depression, She has a broken down van that is not presently running and she does not have the money to have it repaired. She will not get rid of it because she fears she will be homeless again.

Katrina had a father who abused her, then a husband who repeated the horror. She ran. She was frightened and rightly so. I got to know her during the time she helped me on the bread runs. She required much of my patience. She is loud, dogmatic authoritative and a devoted democrat who is always right. She would not be making it now if it were not for government programs. In actuality, none of us in The Home would be here without government programs. I understand democrats a little better.

Katrina often runs to my apartment when she is nervous, upset or confused. Monday was one of those days. Her rent was increased by $40. She was panicked that homelessness was back in her future. The rent was raised, but she had not yet heard what her assistance would be. She can handle it for a while by cutting even more of her necessities back.

I have always known she was depressed and fearful. I am not sure I understood her fears. Her loudness comes from years of fighting and arguing with those in her life. Her desire to be accepted is so great she often jumps into conversations with very dogmatic statements and feels compelled to tell everyone how to do just about everything. That comes from her desire to be helpful. When she is instructing me about my health, good, and exercise — I listen and thank her whether it is helpful or not. She is very kind and gives to others beyond her means, She had volunteered for an extended time at The Salvation Army serving meals. She is a giver because she knows what it is to do without.

Many of the homeless view Jesus as one of them. He had no place to lay his head. He had no home and he was a wanderer not knowing from where his next meal would come. But most are angry with God. They are angry at the lack of compassion, understanding and kindness; but they mostly are angry with God for not helping them get out of their situation. God wants to help them, but He does it through people. Through me!

I am a changed person. Read the book.

A MEAL AND SALVATION

Today a group went for our monthly “Meal Out.” We went to the Airport Diner. They have the best fish and chips. I was approved to drive the company bus back in June, but this was just my second time on a trip. Finally letting me drive seemed to take forever.

The bus holds 14 people. We had fourteen sign up to go. However, we had one person drive. It ended up being a good thing. Maria is still made at me. This has been going on for nearly one year. She does not forgive and the bigger problem is that it is her fault. She had no intention of riding in the bus with me driving. I have to laugh. She acts like a child and pouts when I am around. I ran into her at the mailbox a couple of days ago and said, “Good Morning” as cheerfully as I could. She frowned and turned her head away and said nothing. I expected that. So when I left I said, “Now you have a wonderful day.” I am determined to treat her with love regardless of her responses. In fact, maybe she isn’t mad at me, but embarrassed by her own actions. I think I’ll choose to see it that way.

I have tried twice before to take wheelchairs on the bus, but the lift has never worked. Twice I have left a couple of wheelchair tenants while the rest went off. I hate that. But I have since learned all the little tricks to make that lift work. So I was very excited as Chas was able to go with us, and the Airport Diner is one of his favorite places. In fact, I was giddy. I had trouble with some of the straps that hold the chair in place. If I had two chairs, we would have had a problem. I could not find all the straps needed for two chairs.

I’m reading “Breakfast at Sally’s” by Richard LeMieux. Wish I could pronounce his last name. It is the story of a homeless man’s inspirational journey. He was homeless in Bremerton so the book is having a wonderful impact in our area.

I just finished the chapter titled “I Get Saved.” It reminded me of everything I hate about pushy overly religious churches. They over use the God word’s, which only makes me wonder if his faith is real. I was so irritated with the pastor that I wanted to go find him and punch his lights out. He owned a car dealership, repossessed cars and was a slum landlord. And he and his wife jetted all over the country for entertainment. He loved the shows in Las Vegas. I know all are not bad, but the way he talked about women I could see him going to gawk at the showgirls (my imagination). Worst was is clear distain for the poor,

Richard was asked to attend the church to meet a woman who was going to provide a dry place for him to live for a while. At the service he was called out by name to be saved. This tiny extreme Pentecostal church all ended up laying hands on him and praying for his salvation. The only way he could figure to end this was to “accept Jesus.” I didn’t blame him. I blamed the church. I know how he felt. I have had that same experience as a child. It is threatening. You come to Jesus out of fear, and rarely do it with a sincere heart.

You can’t hear my pain, anger and frustration, but emotionally I would like to put the church out of business. They call themselves Bible believing fundamentalist and I find that embarrassing. I want to find anew term to identify with. I think I’ll just call myself a God lover.

WE'RE PEOPLE TOO!

Katrina came to see me yesterday. She was confused about her February rent bill. She had made her normal monthly payment by the due date, but got a notice that she had not paid the full amount. She had contacted the office to find out why. She was told she had been sent a notice of a rent increase for an additional $40 a month. Se had not received the letter informing her of the change, so asked for a copy of the letter. She was given copies of two communications and they were both different. One was a year old. Strangely, it was the higher price. She read in one of the letters that the funding for this subsidized program would run out at the end of 2012. To even last till that point, rents had to be raised.

On the average, seniors received a social security increase of $35 a month this year. As soon as it was announced, we all wondered if we would have any more money with this increase, or would it all be taken away. The rent increase will consume it all and a little more. With the increase in income, several lost some of the food stamps money. Food had gone up. Most are literally further behind than last year.

We expected this. We were emotionally prepared for this. The rent increase is significantly higher than expected, but no one is shocked. Well, I am! Not at the rent increase that consumed the raise, but at how it is being handled. I will not be affected until November as I signed a year lease. But Katrina is the second person I know of who did not receive the notice of her rent increase and was asked to pay more, with the comment that they should have received notice. Maybe they should have, but they didn’t

Something is screwy in headquarters. We have always felt like they believed we were lucky and should be thankful that we have such a nice place to live. We are both lucky and thankful, but I believe we need to be treated as human beings — customers, not necessary evils. We are here because we need the financial assistance. That’s true, but it’s no excuse for treating us like we are a problem to them. If we left, they could fill our apartment immediately. So what. We all deserve respect, humane treatment, and kindness and dare I say love. All have suffered loss. Most are widowed. They have never been on their own before getting here. Many have never handled their finances. Many do not understand what is going on or why these things are happening and management is not telling anyone anything. “Read your contract” does not help. It may give them the right, but many don’t understand why the increase is so steep, or why no one will talk to them. This is the generation of direct and personal communication. They don‘t email and they don’t text. When they write a letter, they expect and answer. Being ignored is annoying.

I have been here three years. I have never met a board member and have not met the new hosing director or any of her immediate staff and she has been her since September, in another building of course. Our on site manager may not listen to us about any problems or concerns we have. It must be in writing so it can go to the big boys and girls. No one who has ever done that has had a response.

They are currently looking for applicants to serve on the Housings Board of Directors. They sent an application to everyone, but did not include a job description or outline of expectations. No one knows what the board does. If I believed there was even the slightest possibility of making life better for our people, I would apply even though I am “committeed” out after the hundreds I had sat in on. Too much talk and not enough action! The resident committee member is appointed. All the rest are elected. Most likely more concerned about reelection than people. I’m an old Christian education pastor and teacher. I still believe everything is about people, not programs. Regretfully we have no sense that the people here matter at all. Government — you can’t live with them and you can’t live without them.

THREE TOPICS, ONE NOTE

I want to write tonight but am having a hard time focusing the right subject. Several are running through my head and none are stopping long enough for me to grab hold and go for the ride.

I mentioned that my dietician was concerned that my blood sugar readings were too low. So without consulting with my doctor I am conducting my own little experiment. I had already figured out that if I had low blood sugar numbers two hours after the evening meal, I needed to eat to keep the number high enough so as not to nearly faint. As a result I was defeating my weight loss goal. For the past few days, I have stopped taking my insulin at night and have not been eating after supper. The result is that I am not waking up in the middle of the night with low blood sugar and I am not waking up multiple times to go to the bathroom. I am also beginning to lose some weight. Minor, but a start. Also, I feel better. I have believed I have been over medicated for a long time. He and I are going to have a serious talk at my next appointment.

I blew it this morning at coffee during a discussion of what kind of fruit Adam and Eve ate. There were some interesting suggestions. All decided it was not an apple. I don’t know why they did that. Every picture I ever saw was of them eating an apple. Can all those artists be wrong? I cannot remember how the conversation shifted, but we moved on to a simple discussion of the first couple. One of our women always (yes always) expresses her opinion in a strong way with a tone that says I have spoken and that it the final word. Few ever challenge her as she will argue to the end that she is right — and she keeps getting louder and only gives up when everyone else shuts up. In her very dogmatic way she pronounced that Eve was Adam’s second wife. I was so dumbfounded I turned to her and said, “Where or earth did you ever get that absolutely ridiculous idea,” then explained the rib being taken from Adam and Eve being created. Maybe others of you have heard that second wife idea but that was a first for me and I felt that if it wasn’t challenged some would begin to wonder if it might be true. She answered my question with, “From my childhood.” This was the first time I ever heard her stop arguing. The discussion ended with everyone around the table confirming that they understood Eve was number one. I could not believe my ears and was ready to pull out the Bible and take they through Genesis 2-3.

The California Supreme courts decision this morning announcing that it was unconstitutional to have a referendum on Gay marriage so they overturned the previous decision to ban same sex marriage, mucked up my hackles – whatever those are. To me, it was just one more place where government was getting into it with the churches. I thought there was a separation of church and state. Technically, these may not be religious issue vs. the state, but it sure raises the roof in religious circles. The Catholic Church, The Mormon Church and National Association of Evangelicals have already spoken out. This may have even raised the profile of Mitt Romney, as he was very outspoken against gay marriage. It may have also sealed his fate with that voter group.

I spent a fair amount of time trying to see if scripture defines marriage. It doesn’t, but it has plenty to say about same sex relationships, and it is not supportive. In scripture all marriage in used in terms of a man and a woman. That is also true historically, culturally and politically. To me, marriage is just one more word the rainbow coalition wants to reinvent. They have already confiscated “gay,” “rainbow” and now they want marriage. I for one want them to have equal governmental rights. That would not benefit them alone, but same sex heterosexuals who share a life and home together. But I object to the term marriage being used. I don’t know what is wrong with civil union. I am sure they want to feel equal with heterosexuals. I will go along with that as soon as they produce offspring without outside help.. Leave “marriage” alone. They already have all the rights they have fought for in California. Find another word or expression like “shacking –up.”

A NEWER COMPUTER

I decided on Friday that I would bite the bullet and get myself a PC. I was feeling that I maybe a little too ignorant about this strange new piece of technology, at least strange to me. I have become so use to the Mac and having played a little of some PC’s I still liked my old faithful best. But old faithful is clearly coming to the end of its usefulness. It is close to losing its life. I need to determine where the best location is to bury the poor baby.

My Mac is acting weird. Periodically, little boxes appear in funky places for no reason known to me. When I open my emails, the screen automatically drops to the bottom of the page. No, I don’t know why. It takes a while to get the page to stay at the top so I can get into the new material. The sound now tells me everything it is doing: what is opening, closing, the title, etc. I have turned the sound off because it is so annoying. I mentioned before that I have ruined the screen. It is so scratched up I struggle to read some things, especially in daylight.

I began my search for a computer on the computer. I found the article “The Basics of Buying a Personal Computer” I am only leaving my Mac because of cost. Being on a limited income automatically removes the possibility of upgrading to a new Mac. So here I am, choosing to get a PC computer I would rather not, but am practical enough to know my limits. If I want a newer computer, I must move to a PC. It sucks.

I know what some things mean but “core” was new to me. It was introduced in 2006 and refers to the number of processors in the machine. That was also new. You can get anywhere from one to four processors in the core. I’m still not real clear on why I need more than one, but the more powerful the computer the more cores it needs, I think!

I figured that i3, i5, i7 had do with something getting more powerful or at least costing more. Both are correct. Mine does not say it is i7, but it has four cores. I learned quickly that if I did not buy the latest technology, but one that was just once removed from the current models I could save a pile of money. Often more than 50%, so once I got all my information clearly in mind, I looked for a next step down from brand new.

At Best Buy, the models were clearly separated. I stayed in the second tier aisle. I looked at every computer and managed to determine the 2 or 3 most powerful machines available. All their computers were more economical than two others stores I visited. My kids also told me to check there. I would get the best help with them.

I had pretty much settled on two computers when a woman next to me grabbed a salesman and asked way more questions than had ever crossed my mind. She had this poor guy tied up for twenty minutes or so. I could have easily cut that in half by asking her to stop being so repetitious. That didn’t happen. When she was done and walked way without purchasing anything, all I needed to know was the clear distinction between the one she was interested in and the one next to it. These were my top two choices.

I told him exactly what I wanted to use the computer for and what I thought I needed (wanted): Word, Quicken and a very good graphic program — preferable Photoshop. I didn’t tell him I preferred Photoshop, but he said there was nothing better. However, I would need to upgrade the memory. Well, I didn’t do that and I didn’t buy Photoshop, Word or Quicken. I decided to learn more about this new fangled piece of plastic before going hog wild. I had already decided to work both machines for a while and gradually shift over completely to PC. The computer has a simple modified version of Word (I will need the full program in time). I will purchase Quicken ASAP to keep my finances straight.

My pastor owned and operated his own sign shop and does beautiful graphic work. So I asked him what design programs he used. Photoshop. There is nothing better. He knows what I do and he does not believe I would be satisfied with anything else. He is going to help me get an older version (cheaper). I can then upgrade later, if I need to.

So I came home with HP. My kids came over to help get it set up. I am going to have to get a wireless connection. I had planned to simply switch the Internet connection between the two, but the plug to my desktop is very difficult to reach. If the other costs too much, I may have to relocate my CPU. But I think I would rather sit in my recliner to play on the computer.

I’m slow at getting things up and running fully. It will take time, but then, what else do I have.

FALSE ALARM

I am really not very forgetful, but I did it again. I set off the smoke detector in my apartment. It’s stupid, but I told Martin (our really great maintenance man) that I keep doing it so he will have job security. We all really like him and want to keep him a long time. I set if off so he will have something to do. Many maintenance men have of come and gone and I have only been here three years.

I set it off twice in the first week of Martin being on the job. Then I set if all again within his first month.

You would think this isn’t a big deal, but it is. The alarm can only be turned off from a master control switch locked away that only Martin can enter. He has to be called. No one here has his number, so we have to call the maintenance hotline that then they track him down on his handy-dandy cell phone. At least yesterday he was on the grounds. The second and third time he was off the grounds and it was not during work hours. Once he was with family and the other time I pulled him out of church.

Now the master alarm cannot be shut off until the smoke clears in my apartment so as to stop my personal inside alarm from screaming. I actually caught this problem before the alarm was triggered. I smelled it, jumped up, ran over, turned the exhaust fan back on the stove and throught all was well. No! It was still set off.

The same thing caused my alarm to screech on all four occasions. The first three times I chalked it up to stupidity, carelessness and — lets not get into it. Each time it went off after I finished cooking a meal. I thought I was turning my stove stop top off, but instead I turned it to the highest setting. You would think I would have smelt it in plenty of time. The apartment is small, but sinuses keep me from noticing. This was the first time I caught it before the alarm went off.

There are important procedures to follow when this happens, and it happens often around here. 1) Do not open your door. Initially the alarm is only going off in the apartment where the smoke originates and in the master control room where there is only a beep. In my apartment it is an ear blasting sound designed to make us all deaf. If you open the door and the smoke hits the detectors in the hallways, alarms ring all over the building. Then there should be an evacuation and the fire trucks come automatically. That has happened, but not with me. The irony of this procedure is that no one leaves the building. They go looking for where the problem began. I am sure that if they saw flames they would leave. At least I think they would. Who really knows?

2) One should open all their windows. 3) Turn on all fans. We have one built in the bathroom. I have two other floor models that I quickly put in the windows. It still takes a long time to clear the smoke. In the meantime I was getting a headache, 3) All through the days, others will be asking if you did it, why you did it and then laughing at you, not with you.

Well something different happened after this experience. I told Martin that when I finished cooking my breakfast eggs, I know I turned the switch off. I thought I had done that on all occasions. When I heard the click, I left. Instead of going off, it locked onto the highest heat. Martin and I got playing with the switch and found it to be defective. He is going to change it out. I will have no more excuses.

So there! It wasn’t really my fault and I took all this time to simply say, my smoke detector when off and it wasn’t my fault.” But where’s the fun in that.

NEXT BLOG: I bought a computer

NEVER TO OLD TO LEARN

I went to see my dietician this morning. It’s way cool to have a one on one with someone who can help me get a handle on what to eat and what not to eat. I like that guy who wrote all the books on “Eat This Not That,” but I can’t remember any of that when I’m shopping. I am trying to get better principles stuck in my head, permanently.

I am on a limited salt diet now and all my friends said, “Why don’t you try sea salt, It’s different than real salt.” Ahah! They’re wrong. After today’s meeting all I can say is baloney. They are the same. Sea Salt is just trendy and highly promoted. Sodium is sodium. Sea sale granules are just bigger. There goes that recommendation. Foiled again by people who I call friends.

She gave me a sheet that lists spices that can be paired with various meets. I love that. Now I can add something other than salt and pepper. I like to add a little flavor to my food and this gives me great direction. I have never known what spices work with what foods, and because I don’t want to waste food, I don’t experiment too often. .That has limited me to about a half dozen spices. I can hardly wait to begin the experiments. I don’t know why the hospital or my doctor didn’t help me with this, but I got what I need now. Yeah!

I am a very trusting person. That’s good and bad. I don’t always ask the questions I should. She is in disagreement with my doctor on the number range that should concern me with my sugar count. I have been with three other doctors since I have had diabetes. They all agree with her guidelines. The problem is that when my tests two-hours after supper are under 110, I know they will be between 40 and 70 in the morning or I will be woke in the middle of the night with those low number. If you don’t know, when it gets that low I am dizzy with black spots in front of me. In other words I am getting near to passing out. Whoa! That brought me up short. I always assumed I was doing something wrong. Of course, when I eat after the evening test it is to raise my numbers. I am counteracting any weight lose. That explains a lot.

I am so dumb. I should have dealt with this a long time ago. Maybe my dad was right. “It had better be really serious to go to a doctor. They are just too expensive”. When I was ten or eleven I was cutting the outline of a six shooter (cowboys were big when I was a kid – Roy Roger, Gene Autry, Hop-a-long Cassidy). My parents were not going to buy me a toy gun, but dad was letting me cut one out on the gig-saw and than I was going to shape it with files. My hand slipped and my right thumb hit the blade and bounced off when it got to the bone. Blood was gushing and dad wrapped a rag around it. When the bleeding slowed down he took me inside and cleaned the wound and wrapped it up good. “You’ll be fine.” He was right about that. It healed and I had a cool scare to show my friends. My dad n ever seemed to care whether there were scares as long as I was going to live. He didn’t treat me any different than himself, but I swear he handled pain better than anyone I ever knew. He would dig splinters out with his pocketknife – fortunately, only on himself.

They even took me to a family dentist who did not use anything to deaden pain. He didn’t believe in it. I didn’t know any better. You just gripped the arms and hung on for dear life. I didn’t know there was Novocain until I was married and needed a dentist on my own. Of course, I still hold on for dear life even though there is no pain. Its just habit! But I come out with strained hands and arms from squeezing till I leave handprints in the hard plastic. Those were what old people call “The good old days.” I at least laught about it — now!

It’s amazing what we learn from our youth that hangs on through out life. Some of out habits are pretty strange.

WHAT NEXT

OK, here it is, the latest you should…or you will die. I’ve got bad news for everyone. You are going to die no matter what you eat. I’m already off sugar (he, he), have lowered my salt intake and am trying to avoid fat. You know what happens when you do all that. Your food no longer has any taste. Apparently, if you want to have a long life — eat cardboard. I’ve tasted pizza that I am sure is made of cardboard

Sugar Should Be Regulated As Toxin, Researchers Say

A spoonful of sugar might make the medicine go down. But it also makes blood pressure and cholesterol go up, along with your risk for liver failure, obesity, heart disease and diabetes.

Sugar and other sweeteners are, in fact, so toxic to the human body that they should be regulated as strictly as alcohol by governments worldwide, according to a commentary in the current issue of the journal Nature by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF).

Oh boy! Am I in trouble! Between the church, the scientists, the doctors and my friends, there is very little I can do. Read on. My old high school friend sent this to me.

IF I CAUSED THE FOLLOWING, I AM VERY SORRY.

BEGINNING 2012

As we progress through the beginning of 2012, I want to thank you for your educational e-mails over the past year. I am totally screwed up now--- have little chance of recovery. 



I can no longer open a bathroom door without using a paper towel, nor let the waitress put lemon slices in my ice water without worrying about the bacteria on the lemon peel. 



I can't sit down on a hotel bedspread because I can only imagine what has happened on it since it was last washed. 



I have trouble shaking hands with someone who has been driving because the number one pastime while driving alone is picking one's nose. 



Eating a little snack sends me on a guilt trip because I can only imagine how many gallons of trans fats I have consumed over the years. 



I can't touch any woman's handbag for fear she has placed it on the floor of a public toilet. 



I must send my special thanks for the email about rat poo in the glue on envelopes because I now have to use a wet sponge with every envelope that needs sealing. 



ALSO, now I have to scrub the top of every can I open for the same reason. 



I can't have a drink in a bar because I fear I'll wake up in a bathtub full of ice with my kidneys gone. 



I can't eat at KFC because their chickens are actually horrible mutant freaks with no eyes, feet or feathers. 



I can't use cancer-causing deodorants even though I smell like a water buffalo on a hot day. 



Thanks to you I have learned that my prayers only get answered if I forward an e-mail to seven of my friends and make a wish within five minutes. 



Because of your concern, I no longer drink Coca Cola because it can remove toilet stains. 



I no longer buy fuel without taking someone along to watch the car, so a serial killer doesn't crawl in my back seat when I'm filling up. 



I no longer use Cling Wrap in the microwave because it causes seven different types of cancer. 



And thanks for letting me know I can't boil a cup of water in the microwave anymore because it will blow up in my face, disfiguring me for life. 



I no longer go to the cinema because I could be pricked with a needle infected with AIDS when I sit down. 



I no longer go to shopping centers because someone will drug me with a perfume sample and rob me. 



And I no longer answer the phone because someone will ask me to dial a number for which I will get a huge phone bill with calls Jamaica, Uganda, Singapore and Uzbekistan. 
 


Thanks to you I can't use anyone's toilet but mine because a big black snake could be lurking under the seat and cause me instant death when it bites my butt. 



And thanks to your great advice I can't ever pick up a dime coin dropped in the car park because it was probably placed there by a sex molester waiting to grab me as I bend over. 



I can't do any gardening because I'm afraid I'll get bitten by the Violin Spider and my hand will fall off. 



If you don't send this e-mail to at least 144,000 people in the next 70 minutes, a large dove with diarrhea will land on your head at 5:00 p.m. tomorrow afternoon, and the fleas from 120 camels will l infest your back, causing you to grow a hairy hump. I know this will occur because it actually happened to a friend of my next-door neighbor’s ex mother-in-law's second husband's cousin's best friend's beautician! 



Oh, and by the way...

A German scientist from Argentina, after a lengthy study, has discovered that people with insufficient brain activity read their e-mails with their hand on the mouse. 

 Don't bother taking it off now, it's too late. 



P. S. I now keep my toothbrush in the living room, because I was told by e-mail that water splashes over 6 ft. out of the toilet.

THE SEARCH FOR A NEW COMPUTER

I don’t think my computer is long for this world. It works — sorta, but it is acting up as bad as a two year old.

I have always been a Mac guy. When I got started with computers I visited a number of stores to try and get a feel for what a computer really was and what it did. More importantly, how did it work and could I work it. You would have thought I crossed the border into some foreign country. I could not understand the language and did not have a book to help me translate. I asked several times if they spoke English and all assured me they did, but then they would launch into this gobble-di-gook that had no relation to the language I knew and understood. It was even worse when they would have me sit in front of a computer and follow the steps as they attempted to explain them. Where is my sledgehammer?

I have never been good with foreign languages and it didn’t take me long to decide I did not have time to return to school and learn this new forked tongue. Frankly, I gave up on computers.

Jim Sellers was pastor of the Portland church at the time and served on the district board. He kept saying, try a Macintosh. Finally he convinced the board to let him get one and bring it in for us to try. He could not have arrived at a worse time. We were working on our district newsletter. We did it the old fashioned way with scissors and glue. Good old cut and paste.

Believe it or not, I took a course in “commercial art” (no called graphic art) at the University of Omaha. My dream was to become an architect, but I thought this would be a great backup plan. I had wanted to be an architect since I was twelve. I bought house plan books while my friend bought comic books. It was OK, I always read their comics. Wouldn’t you know it! I washed out in architecture (but meet a lot of girls in the interior decorating class -only boy in a class of 100). At the same time, the shoe store where I worked asked me to consider management training. If I did, I would have my own store in less than a year in any part of the USA I wanted. Being one who tended to take the path of least resistance, I took that path and abandoned all hope of my eight-year-old dreams.

Obviously God had other plans. Eight months later I left Omaha to experience the great white north — skiing, skating, snowmen, snow forts, etc. I could hardly wait to be in the mountains. Omaha is flat as a pancake.

Omaha is a waffle compared to Saskatchewan. I should have looked that up in some picture book. Every photo I had even seen of Canada included Mountains. I was tricked.

After a few years of confinement in the monastery for the socially ignorant, I went into church work and began using all my U of O training (without extra pay).

I do get off track, don’t I? When Jim brought the Mac in, he sat me down and stayed with me for a couple of days and we produced our Newletter on that little box of a machine. Now having some computer literacy I know I can no longer afford Mac. I want it, but we don’t always get what we want. It’s not fair. Life isn’t fair. Guess what. I have to learn a whole new language AGAIN. I have some better comprehension, but there are too many options. They say, “What components do you require?” How do I know? What can I get that I can move the hundreds of Mac photos and artwork I have on my hard drive and CD’s? Nothing. Huh! You mean it would be like starting all over and rescanning everything? I could not use any of the formats I have saved for future use? WHAT!

So, yes, I am frustrated. I have a couple of speaking engagements coming up and will be able to afford a low-end computer. But I then have to buy programs. At a minimum I need (want) Word and Photoshop. Photoshop will cost more than the computer. I’m stuck. At least I feel stuck. What happened to packing word processing programs with computers?

I am not going to give up. I am reading “Understanding Computers for Seniors”. Helpful. What I really want is for someone to do all the work for me and just tell me what to do. I know that doesn’t work. I’ll keep studying and then find a translator to go shopping with me. I already know that person does not live here. I’ll ask around church.