o/` roamin' thru the night to find my place in this world......o/`

5-8-2006

OK, I like to use song lyrics or titles for my Title. Sometimes I don't though.

I've reached yet another goal. This morning I was at 297.8. First time I've had two mornings in a row below 300. Probably since puberty. heheh. I'm really not sure how long it has been, but it seems like another lifetime ago.

I actually did get to 290 a decade or so again on one of those all liquid diets. Of course, as soon as they put me back on food, I began to slowly expand to above and beyond where I had been even before I started on that program. Granted, it took me quite sometime to get there, but it did happen, and once that occured, I thought I'd never seen the underside of 300 again.

My health seems quite good. No more problems since the ulcer incident 6 weeks ago. I have to remember to take my liquid medicine to coat the stomach 30 - 45 minutes before eating. As long as I faithfully do that, I should not have a problem again. That's all fine and good when I am at home / work, and on a "normal" schedule. However, I have already noticed just with weekends back up at the lake cabin, that sometimes it can slip up on me if I'm not thinking ahead, and once I even realized I had not taken the medicine with me in the car when headed out to eat, so I had to turn around and go back to get it.

It now appears my lake landscaping renovation may actually occur late Fall of this year. The landscape company I am dealing with was ready to start in January, but my banker was changing banks, and I was still a bit unsure if I was going to buy elsewhere and move or stay put. I'm now 99-9/10ths sure I will stay where I am at, so I'm ready to start the landscaping project. However, now of course, is their busy time of the year, so they have put me in the schedule for late Fall. In some ways that is better, so that it will not be all torn up during the prime months of going up there in the summer, although I do go up all year, except in the worst of weather, and of course, not as often in OSU Cowboys Basketball or Football seasons, with KC Chiefs Football adding in a few weekends elsewhere. Now of course, I have a new place to visit a few times a year in Crested Butte South, Colorado, and have plans to use vacation to spend a week up there in July, and one in September (with my Mom so she can see the Aspen leaves turning golden), and another week in December.

So, since it appears I will not be moving from my cabin up at the lake, I am looking to move here in Tulsa. When I last moved, I did get smart and move into a one-story, to alleviate the problems with my knees, etc. However, I moved 6 miles further from work, and into one of the busiest traffic areas of Tulsa. Now I am looking for a move closer to work, which just makes more sense, since I do spend 4 - 5 nights of the week there, and it will be beneficial to cut down on my daily in-town commute, saving me not only time, but gas money as well. I am in no hurry whatsoever, so that gives me an advantage of waiting until I find the right place. Plus, out towards Sapulpa, you can more bang for the buck, and this time I am looking at either some acreage, or at least a place that has the feeling of wide open spaces. OK, there I go quoting a song title again, and now I'm picturing the Dixie Chicks singing o/` Wide Open Spaces..... o/`

Speaking of song lyrics / titles, when I did buy a boat 15 months ago, I did name it "Drift Away", since that's the purpose of a boat. To relax, and drift off into a world away from work and city life. Plus, the morning I was going up to get the walk-through on the boat, the local Golden Oldies Radio Station played Dobie Gray's "Drift Away", so how could I not name it that ?

Move or not up at the lake, I owe a lot of thanks to Brian, the real estate agent I've been using up there to view properties. He's been very helpful and patient. He may end up getting a sale out of me yet, as there is always the chance of some investment purchase, etc. Not sure how much longer he will dabble in real estate, as he is quite the inventive type, and has some ideas to take out on his own to develop and try to find potential buyers. But until then, if you need a good real estate agent up at Grand Lake, let me know. Oh yeah, Lori that is showing me Sapulpa area property is quite good at her showing properties also. She's thorough and not pushy at all, and will give an opinion when asked, but not otherwise. That's a good thing.

Now, my next project is to get this house in better order, whether I stay here or not. With the surgery last summer, plus the hospital visit several weeks ago, along with all my numerous other excuses, I've let myself avoid finishing unpacking, etc. I've managed to do more in the last week than I have in ages, simpy due to the fact that I have out-of-town company coming in Wednesday night from Independence, Missouri. The house will be in better shape than in ages, but still not the way it should be, but it's getting there. Who knows ? Perhaps when it's all in order, etc., I will find I do not want to move after all. I do love this house, and the neighborhood is great also. It's just the trafice that is an obstacle at this point. Especially with the work on the Creek Turnpike at the Exit closest to me. Instead of getting in that traffic snarl, I've been exiting two miles before my exit, and getting in the surface street traffic, which is much less congestive.

Well the Kentucky Derby was quite a race this year. I knew nothing about any of the horses except the name of the Arkansas Derby winner. So while they were covering the Odds Board, I picked two horses just to follow, just due to their names. No other reason. Sure wish I had bet some money on both of them. BlueGrass Cat came in Second. Steppenwolffen came in Third.
Both were long shots, so they paid Place and Show bets quite nicely. I'm now realizing how long it's been since I've been to Hot Springs to the races. Hmmm.... next Spring ??

Closing another chapter in my blog............................