UTI? What's That?

As all of you know, we had a tremendous scare this week. Near death experience? Maybe... you be the judge.

I began having trouble last Saturday while I was at work. I began urinating about every 20 minutes. Not a lot but it felt as if I'd voided enough. Well, this continued through the night up every hour or so in between trying to sleep. Sunday I awoke with a fever and back to the 20 minute routine. BTW, as an aside, I'm watching the Red Green Show. Life is good again. By Monday morning the temperature was still about a 100 degrees. By 11:30 I was shaking uncontrollably with a 103 degree temperature. At this point, I pretty much lost it. I don't remember anything from this point until they got my temperature down in urgent care. Tammy loaded me up in the car and headed off to Beaver urgent care in highland. In retrospect this was probably not the best idea. First, I opened up the car door to get out on the freeway. Then I began to disrobe in the waiting room. They wanted us to go to Banning. When Tammy got really nasty with the staff there, they decided they'd prove that she must be lying. The wonderful triage nurse didn't believe her own thermometer so, after the third different thermometer, she decided I was in critical condition with a temperature of 105.8 and blood pressure was about 70/32.

Now I'm not saying the nurses there are incompetent but, they never were able to get an IV in. After trying 3 times to shove a catheter up my winkie, they gave up, packed me up and shipped me off to the ER at Redlands Community Hospital. One thing they did right was to pack me in ice. Thankfully, the trip to the ER was uneventful. The wait outsidee was a relatively short 40 minutes then they wheeled me in and tossed me into a bed where I remained in the ER for 24 hours. The quality of the nursing staff at the ER was exemplary. They treated me professionally, and with good humor. Something I greatly appreciate. The ER nurse I had the first night was able to put the IV and the catheter in right the first time. When they moved me up to my new home for the rest of the week, things got a lot quieter. Have you ever tried to sleep with a tube in your arm and another in your private parts? Well I'm sure some of you have. Not very pleasant is it? I feel like a human pin cushion, pumped full of drugs etc... Remember the fallacy of dignity? It's like that song, blowing in the wind. LOL, I no longer have any. To make a long story short, I know I know, too late for that. Over time my prostate had enlarged enough to cut off the flow of urine causing a "Urinary Tract Infection" or UTI for short. It's common with women but uncommon with men. The DR. said I had developed septicemia which is f corse very dangerous.

Tammy as always has been a tremendous blessing to me in more ways than I can number. She tirelessly stayed by my side through the worst of the ordeal. Thanks to my Dad and my friend Jason, they came by and visited me... what a nice thing to do. Jason even came by and played dominoes with me one night... fun.

Well, thanks to my doctor and the great nursing staff at RCH, especially Judy and Amber I am on the road to recovery. Near death experience? I suppose if Tammy had taken me to Banning as the people in Highland had suggested, I would no longer be in my current semi-normal condition. You know what though? I have had a great life and I am ready to meet my Savior at any time. I'm not saying I'm ready to throw in the towel, I have a lot of life left to go. I want to see all my grandkids born. To see them grow up would be an even greater blessing. My point is, try to live life as if every day could be your last one. You never know when it could be.

Until next time, I am humbly yours...

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OLD GUYS RULE!!!!!

Christmas Blessings

Well, Tammy has been away for a week on vacation with her sister, Shelley. They went to New York city to see all the wintry Christmassy sites of the Big Apple. They visited Ellis Island, the Statue of Liberty, Central Park and The Empire State Building. From the phone conversations it sounds like they've had a really nice time but, she's also ready to come home.

At first having the house to myself was really nice. Then it was very lonely and quiet. I worked a couple of double shifts and got nice and wiped out last week. That killed some time then Sara came home for Christmas break from school. We've had some fun watching our old favorite Christmas movies.

Tammy flies home from NYC this evening so we're headed to San Diego to spend the night then Christmas Eve morning with her Mom and Joe.

Here are a few of my favorite ornament photos:




Here's a thought about Christmas penned by Spurgeon:

“Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”

Isa_7:14

Let us to-day go down to Bethlehem, and in company with wondering shepherds and adoring Magi, let us see him who was born King of the Jews, for we by faith can claim an interest in him, and can sing, “Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given.” Jesus is Jehovah incarnate, our Lord and our God, and yet our brother and friend; let us adore and admire. Let us notice at the very first glance his miraculous conception. It was a thing unheard of before, and unparalleled since, that a virgin should conceive and bear a Son. The first promise ran thus, “The seed of the woman,” not the offspring of the man. Since venturous woman led the way in the sin which brought forth Paradise lost, she, and she alone, ushers in the Regainer of Paradise. Our Saviour, although truly man, was as to his human nature the Holy One of God. Let us reverently bow before the holy Child whose innocence restores to manhood its ancient glory; and let us pray that he may be formed in us, the hope of glory. Fail not to note his humble parentage. His mother has been described simply as “a virgin,” not a princess, or prophetess, nor a matron of large estate. True the blood of kings ran in her veins; nor was her mind a weak and untaught one, for she could sing most sweetly a song of praise; but yet how humble her position, how poor the man to whom she stood affianced, and how miserable the accommodation afforded to the new-born King!
Immanuel, God with us in our nature, in our sorrow, in our lifework, in our punishment, in our grave, and now with us, or rather we with him, in resurrection, ascension, triumph, and Second Advent splendour.


Please have a most blessed and Merry Christmas. Until next time I am humbly yours...

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OLD GUYS RULE!!!!

Factor It In!

The craziness of post election politics is nearly at a fever pitch. With the election of perhaps the most liberal president in US history, the values that most Americans hold dear are under attack an an alarming and relentless rate. One example: The so-called "gay" agenda was dealt a serious blow with California's passage of proposition 8, to define what marriage is in the state constitution. Did our fore-fathers ever imagine we'd have to do that? I doubt it... The reaction from the "rainbow" side has been shall we say loud? Boisterous? Violent? Virulent? The reaction from the "rainbow" camp just proves there is nothing gay about the gay lifestyle. I can understand the upset over losing. I can even understand civil disobedience when the issue justifies it. This isn't the case here. A choice in the way a person uses their body's natural function in unnatural ways should never become the basis of civil liberties of any kind. I don't believe a group's sexual perversions should create a protected class of people. But thanks to our political leaders, we have. The need to combat the political agenda of those who would destroy this great land has never been greater. In this particular case, the people of California have spoken twice now. One man, one woman is how marriage is defined in California.

The erosion of the USA's values has it's roots in the socialist agenda of the far left politicos. It's no secret that many of our country's leaders look to Europe for a social and moral compass. This is a BIG BIG mistake. Please click the link and watch the video below:

Fox News: Amsterdam's Red Light Revamp

I don't always agree with O'Reilly but he makes some very good points about culture war. Believe me, politics is not the answer. History has proved this out time and time again. It will be no different in the USA. The political arena will never do anything to fulfill our deepest needs. Let's face it, we all have baggage. But it goes even deeper than this. In my own life, I came to realize just how deep it went. I realized that we were all created for one purpose. To have a relationship with a Creator that is loving, righteous, holy and truly magnificent. I also realized that I was in no possible way able to do this in my own strength or in my own abilities. There was a dark chasm that separated me from my Creator. The darkness of sin overshadowed anything that I could possibly think, do or expect to accomplish in life. As a young man I knew there had to be something better. I discovered with the help of three different people that I needed a Savior. They did not know each other. I later came to understand that Spirit of God had somehow made our paths cross. They helped me to see that I needed someone to step into my situation and become the bridge across the chasm of sin to reach God, the Creator. Someone to pay the price for the sin I was born into. That person is Jesus Christ. Born of a virgin, crucified, raised from the dead on the third day. By faith I now understand how He who was perfect from birth, He who knew no sin, became sin in His Father's eyes for mankind's sake. I decided by faith to follow the Bible's teaching of salvation and redemption. I now have a relationship with my Creator through Jesus Christ.

I took this step when I was fifteen. Let's see... I'm over fifty and have been a Christian now for over thirty years. The road has not been an easy one and anyone who says it's easy is being somewhat less than truthful. Life has meaning and purpose. The relationships I have with my family has been and continues to be meaningful and full of wonder. I'm not perfect by any stretch of the imagination so please be patient. God isn't finished yet.

Maybe you are wondering if there is something better out there. I don't know what your situation is but, I do know this. God loves you and has always had a plan to be with you. If this is the case, I'd love to hear from you. If not, thanks for reading this far. Please come back to read what I post in the future. The musings of an old guy tend to ramble a bit but they are what I'm all about I guess.

Until next time,

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OLD GUYS RULE!!!

Coolness

As often happens in Southern California it gets hot again. We had some nice rain last week then it got into the mid 80's again. Some of you may think this is nice... I guess it is but I like a little cooler weather. I miss living where there are 4 seasons. Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter. I like that but, The southern half of this state is boringly warm. A cold night here is in the 40's unless you are in the mountains. Oh well, when I don't have to work for the city of riversnot anymore maybe we can move to cooler climes.

Sara went back to Westmont last Monday. Her schoolmate went home the Tuesday before if I remember correctly. Peter and Melissa successfully moved into their home. Now they're in the never-ending process of making it theirs. Painting, repairing etc... all the stuff a renter can't even fathom. Way to go you two... I am really proud of you. Alicia and Mike are plugging along in Texas, they adopted a new mutt named Fritz. I think I probably already told you. It's been nice lately, I put Skype on the puter. Now we can video chat with all the kids. We got to say hi to Sarah Rose, our grandbaby the other night. Now that was way cool.... B-D

Stellar observers will have taken note of the Lunar observations this week. Venus Jupiter and the Moon are the closest they will be in the night sky for the next 40 years. I took a few pix to mark the event. I share them with you for your pleasure:

How it looked from my front yard

How it looked upside down- a frown for the Northern Hemisphere...

Not to be outdone by the people "down under", I "fixed" it with the magic of Photoshop

A thought from "My Utmost For HIS Highest" by Oswald Chambers.

HAVE YOU EVER BEEN CARRIED AWAY FOR HIM?
"She hath wrought a good work on Me." Mark 14:6 If human love does not carry a man beyond himself, it is not love. If love is always discreet, always wise, always sensible and calculating, never carried beyond itself, it is not love at all. It may be affection, it may be warmth of feeling, but it has not the true nature of love in it. Have I ever been carried away to do something for God not because it was my duty, nor because it was useful, nor because there was anything in it at all beyond the fact that I love Him? Have I ever realized that I can bring to God things which are of value to Him, or am I mooning round the magnitude of His Redemption whilst there are any number of things I might be doing? Not Divine, colossal things which could be recorded as marvellous, but ordinary, simple human things which will give evidence to God that I am abandoned to Him? Have I ever produced in the heart of the Lord Jesus what Mary of Bethany produced? There are times when it seems as if God watches to see if we will give Him the abandoned tokens of how genuinely we do love Him. Abandon to God is of more value than personal holiness. Personal holiness focuses the eye on our own whiteness; we are greatly concerned about the way we walk and talk and look, fearful lest we offend Him. Perfect love casts out all that when once we are abandoned to God. We have to get rid of this notion - "Am I of any use?" and make up our minds that we are not, and we may be near the truth. It is never a question of being of use, but of being of value to God Himself. When we are abandoned to God, He works through us all the time.

Until Next Time I am Humbly Yours...


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OLD GUYS RULE!!!

Fire Here, Fire There, Fire Fire Everywhere

Unless you live on the moon, you've seen and or heard about the destruction taking place in California last week and over the weekend. The Tea, Freeway Complex and Sayre fires have and are still currently burning. Sara called us Thursday evening and said there was a big fire and the campus was threatened. Further, all the students had been evacuated to the gym, an in-place safe shelter. Well, Thursday night was not a very restful one to say the least. Along with 4 other girls packed into her car, Sara was allowed to leave the campus on Friday. She dropped off one in Santa Barbara to be picked up by her parents, 2 in Redlands at family members' homes and brought Karina, a native of the U.K., home to our house. The girls were allowed to leave with whatever they were wearing and had grabbed from their dorm rooms when they were forced to flee to the gym the night before. The school lost some buildings and the faculty has suffered some major property losses.

Saturday was Karina's 22nd birthday. Being far from her parents home in San Ramon, there was not much celebration in store for her. Enter the Ziegler clan... It is fun being a part of her "family" for the short term while she's awaiting permission to return back the to school. We had ravioli for dinner the requisite chocolate cake for dessert and even sang happy birthday for her. We then watched the movie of her choice, "The Sound of Music." I'm not usually sentimental but, I do get a little sentimental when I watch this movie. It's not just the music, although most of it is very upbeat and fun, it's the idea that God has a plan for everybody. It's not always apparent but, it can be discovered. Fraulein Maria discovered her calling was not to be a Nun but to be a wife to Captain von Trapp and a step-mother to his children. Intermingled into the story is the beginning of one of the darkest periods in the history of mankind.

A thought from Oswald Chambers' book "My Utmost for His Highest."

Our circumstances are the means God uses to exhibit just how wonderfully perfect and extraordinarily pure His Son is. Discovering a new way of manifesting the Son of God should make our heart beat with renewed excitement. It is one thing to choose adversity, and quite another to enter into adversity through the orchestrating of our circumstances by God’s sovereignty. And if God puts you into adversity, He is adequately sufficient to "supply all your need" ( Philippians 4:19 ). To read all of this devotional click here.

Until next time,

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OLD GUYS RULE!!!!

Lack of Sleep Does What? I Forget...

Good morning gentle readers. It's been 2 weeks since my last post. Don't let the title of this post fool you, I will ramble on about... ah yes, sleep patterns. During the week after my last posting, I began to develop sinus problems. At first I thought I was suffering from allergies. It seems like everyone around me is suffering from the plugged up sensations of fall in the greater San Bernardino/ Riverscum area. Well, the plugged up feeling lead to a severe bout of night time snoring which is not to be confused with day time snoring. You know one is while you sleep at home in your bed, the other is while you sleep while slumped over your desk with hands on the keyboard or mouse or, while in another particularly "exciting" training session on sexual.... harassment or recognizing drug abuse on the job etc...

Wow, it took me a minute to remember that. You know they say the memory is the second thing to go... I wish I could remember what the first thing was. Anyhow, back on the trail, I'm talking about the type of stuff that's about as exciting as watching paint dry or grass grow. So, that excuse is valid as far as I'm concerned. Now, where was I going with this... Oh yeah, I developed a case of night time snoring that could have awaken the dead. I kept myself awake for 2 nights in a row. The second night I moved into the spare bedroom so Tammy could sleep. The next few nights I started taking various over-the-counter drugs to counter act the plugged up can't breathe snorting drooling sweating sensations I was having. Oh, and the sore throat came too so I thought maybe I was coming down with something. I went to the drugstore bought some lozenges and some breathe right strips. I ran the vaporizer, took nyquil, which really doesn't work anymore thanks to all the stupid ignorant selfish jerks that use methamphetamines to get a short-sighted and deadly thrill. I have to sign for the good stuff, just like I'm buying ammunition for my rifles and pistols. Now where was I.... these rabbit trails are getting monotonous aren't they? Bottom line here is, I still think it's allergies. I am using nasal spray, a vaporizer and the breathe right strips, they hold your nose holes open, to sleep. Finally after 2 weeks of fitful at best sleep, I can say I slept pretty well the last 2 nights. There is the other thought though. I don't go back to work until Wednesday... Stress does weird things to a person's psyche and body.

Now for the family update: Tammy is studying very hard to take her series 7 test for work. I think once she gets the test under her belt, she'll probably get her 8 and maybe even the series 9 too. Then she'll probably flush UBS for a better job. YOU GO GIRL!!!! I'm as proud of Tammy as anybody can be. She's also making preparations for a Christmas trip to NYC with her sis.

Melissa and Peter put in an offer for a house and it was accepted! They will be buying their first house. Way to go Melissa and Peter!!!!

Alicia and Mike adopted a male dog named Fritz to keep the effervescent Isabel company. They think he's a collie shepherd mix. I hope they'll send some pictures. They even gave poor old Fritz and Isabel a bath yesterday.

Sara is studying very hard and pining some for her sweetheart Matt who is still in the U.K. She sounded pretty good yesterday when I talked to her. One thing she and I share is a strange affinity to really bad goofy Sci-fi movies. The worse they are the better we like it. The worst and the funniest, what a combo. "Plan 9 From Outer Space" aficionados unite! Character flaw you say? I don't think so... B-)

Here are some photos for your enjoyment:






I took these last week in the backyard. I hope you like them.

Here's a thought for this week from Spurgeon:

“So walk ye in him.”

- Col_2:6

If we have received Christ himself in our inmost hearts, our new life will manifest its intimate acquaintance with him by a walk of faith in him. Walking implies action. Our religion is not to be confined to our closet; we must carry out into practical effect that which we believe. If a man walks in Christ, then he so acts as Christ would act; for Christ being in him, his hope, his love, his joy, his life, he is the reflex of the image of Jesus; and men say of that man, “He is like his Master; he lives like Jesus Christ.” Walking signifies progress. “So walk ye in him”; proceed from grace to grace, run forward until you reach the uttermost degree of knowledge that a man can attain concerning our Beloved. Walking implies continuance. There must be a perpetual abiding in Christ. How many Christians think that in the morning and evening they ought to come into the company of Jesus, and may then give their hearts to the world all the day: but this is poor living; we should always be with him, treading in his steps and doing his will. Walking also implies habit. When we speak of a man’s walk and conversation, we mean his habits, the constant tenor of his life. Now, if we sometimes enjoy Christ, and then forget him; sometimes call him ours, and anon lose our hold, that is not a habit; we do not walk in him. We must keep to him, cling to him, never let him go, but live and have our being in him. “As ye have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him”; persevere in the same way in which ye have begun, and, as at the first Christ Jesus was the trust of your faith, the source of your life, the principle of your action, and the joy of your spirit, so let him be the same till life’s end; the same when you walk through the valley of the shadow of death, and enter into the joy and the rest which remain for the people of God. O Holy Spirit, enable us to obey this heavenly precept.

-----------------------

Humbly until next time,

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OLD GUYS RULE!!!

Overdue

I know this is overdue but, since the kids left not much has been happening here. A welcome respite you say? LOL, I agree. The last couple of weeks have been filled with activity but mostly at work. I had to attend 3 days of training to learn about the latest version of our Operations database, an application called OPSSQL. When it's up and running it can make life easier for us but, the City in it's quest for cutting expenses has to let us spend the time necessary to use it to it's fullest extent. Herein lies the problem, most of us are working lots of overtime... I guess it's cheaper than hiring somebody. Lot's of people out there want work but we're kind of a specialized field. Tammy cleaned her sister's house and watched her cats for her while she and her hubby were away playing somewhere. She studied some too I think and spent some time lamenting our grand daughter's departure. I spent a fair amount of time lamenting her departure too.

Tammy's recovering from the emotional roller coaster ride of having the grandbaby close then not then back again then gone for a long time. Probably until we can visit her at Whidbey or on a holiday or something like that. Melissa and Peter are still enroute to their new home town, Alicia is working on building her Sensaria business and Sara is studying while IM'ing her boyfriend Matt who is in England. Ahhhh, life is good in spite of the turmoil in financial, political and world affairs circles.

Well, I need to meet a friend for breakfast this morning so I'll leave you with this thought from Spurgeon:

“It is a faithful saying.”

- 2Ti_2:11

Paul has four of these “faithful sayings.” The first occurs in 1Ti_1:15, “This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.” The next is in 1Ti_4:6, “Godliness is profitable unto all things, having the promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come. This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation.” The third is in 2Ti_2:12, “It is a faithful saying-If we suffer with him we shall also reign with him”; and the fourth is in Tit_3:3, “This is a faithful saying, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works.” We may trace a connection between these faithful sayings. The first one lays the foundation of our eternal salvation in the free grace of God, as shown to us in the mission of the great Redeemer. The next affirms the double blessedness which we obtain through this salvation-the blessings of the upper and nether springs-of time and of eternity. The third shows one of the duties to which the chosen people are called; we are ordained to suffer for Christ with the promise that “if we suffer, we shall also reign with him.” The last sets forth the active form of Christian service, bidding us diligently to maintain good works. Thus we have the root of salvation in free grace; next, the privileges of that salvation in the life which now is, and in that which is to come; and we have also the two great branches of suffering with Christ and serving with Christ, loaded with the fruits of the Spirit. Treasure up these faithful sayings. Let them be the guides of our life, our comfort, and our instruction. The apostle of the Gentiles proved them to be faithful, they are faithful still, not one word shall fall to the ground; they are worthy of all acceptation, let us accept them now, and prove their faithfulness. Let these four faithful sayings be written on the four corners of my house.

Until next time.....

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OLD GUYS RULE!