"Before The Parade passes by"

Once again, not the happiest of postings. Two weeks ago the partner of my brother passed away very suddenly at the young age of 50. They had nearly 30 years together, but expected another 30 or so. No warning, no signs, just suddenly gone. No word from the Medical Examiners Office yet on the cause, so that will be forthcoming in a few weeks.

The funeral was nearly an all day affair, but very nice. At 9am there was an Osage Indian Ceremony, followed by the Catholic Church service, and then the graveside services. After all that, they fed probably 250 people lunch, and had traditional rites there of passing out Indian blankets to those that had been really close to the deceased, or helpful in someway over their lifetime.
Those in Pawhuska, about 1-1/2 NW of Tulsa, were all quite friendly and gracious hosts for the day.

A month ago, our Shop Foreman was headed home from work, and stopped at a stoplight a mile or so south of the office. Along came a lady behind him that did not even slow down, and plowed in to his car at 60mph, which also then pushed him into the trailer of the truck in front of him that was also stopped. So our Shop Foreman got the worst of it, being sandwiched in the middle, and just yesterday got to go home, hopefully for good this time. He was released once before, but had to return due to difficulty breathing. He's seen more than his share of the Intensive Care Unit. He will be fine, in time, and will return to work, as his job will be held for him, even though it will probably still be weeks before his return.

Two days ago, our fill in Shop Foreman, which had retired from the job years ago (he was the Shop Foreman before the one in the paragraph above), was at work helping to fill in as Shop Foreman for us, when he got a phone call that his youngest daughter was found dead. She was only 41, and the cause is unknown. The coroner should know in a number of weeks. Her funeral is tomorrow. She had been a restraurant manager at one business, and had recently changed jobs to be in training to be a manager at the new restaurant.

Just seems like it's not a good time to be around us or work. Bizarre time. However, it will pass, though it will not be forgotten.

Once again, it does bring up the reminder to live for today........ not tomorrow...... as tomorrow may not come, even without warning. Have your affairs in order...... A Will, perhaps A Trust, a Living Will, and Insurance. Also, a prepaid planned funeral saves the survivors a lot of tough decisions at the time right after your death, the worst time to have to make decisions, etc. Also, if you own your own company, a succession plan is very valuable to have in place. Consult your lawyer for all the above items to have everything done legally, and customized to your wish.

To get back to an earlier topic in other posts, I've lost another 9 pounds in the last month, and now am at 313, for a total loss of 172#. I had a regular checkup today, and my usual physician did an EKG and blood work, as well as checking me out otherwise, to make sure I am doing well at this point, and that there is no reason for concern, etc. So far, all is going wonderful. I'd really like to get below 300 on or before my 52nd birthday in just over a month...... so I'll need to get back out walking, and / or on the stationary bike, etc.

At this rate, I may hit my "optimal weight" by the end of summer or in the fall. My Doc today was quite happy with my progress, and that I do not really have the sagging skin I've seen so much of on the gastric bypass patients getting plastic surgery on some shows on TV. It appears I am quite fortunate, and that my skin is still elastic enough to keep from the big-time sagging. As long as that continues, I may not have a need for plastic surgery. I may be able to get rid of the sags and such the old fashioned way...... exerise, etc.

It's been difficult to give up clothes as I lose. I did not expect that. However, you get used to certain clothes being the ones you feel you look good in, and it's difficult to give them up. A year ago I was wearing shirts that were 5XL. Now I'm wearing 3XL and some 2XL. I've gone from 58 jeans to 44. I've also gone from not telling anyone my clothes size, to not being bashful about sharing that information.

Let's hope the rest of 2006 is less hazardous than this year has been so far. Enjoy.

Wally

http://www.kalssouthernhillschophouse.com