Sylvia joins me in wishing you and yours a happy, healthy and prosperous 2013.

The house is quiet today.  Sylvia is with her father for a few days.  Next week, he’ll be flying to Florida to spend a couple of months with Sylvia’s youngest sister.  Until then someone will be with him each day.

Maybe I’ll watch some movies . . .  Let’s see what would be good for the New Year celebration?  At Christmas, I watched Die Hard andDie Harder, which are set in that time period.  What about New Year?  Any ideas or suggestions for me?

I’m going to try to be more active this year.  You may recall I tried Zumba and was two weeks recovering from a 45-minute workout.  I think I’ll ease into this.  Step one: Reach for coffee cup.  Two: Lift.  Three: Bring to lips.  Four: Tip.  Five: Drink.  Six: Straighten cup.  Seven: Return cup to previous position.  Eight: Relax.  Repeat this several times.  Yes, that will work for starters. 😉

In March, I moved this blog from Blogger where it had been for over three years.  The new home is a self-hosted WordPress site.  I have a hosting package on HostGator where this blog and my personal Webpage now reside.  The move to HostGator was an excellent move for me.  It costs less that what I had been paying and technical support is located in the USA. 😀

I miss Google Friend Connect.  I can continue to follow you that way, but you cannot reciprocate.  I also feel bad that when you leave a comment it doesn’t show your Blogger profile photo with your comment.  Instead, you’ll be arbitrarily assigned an icon.  Do you dislike that too?  Would you like to have a personal image appear when you leave a comment on WordPress blogs?  Here’s how.

You’ll need to setup a Gravatar.  It’s easy and it’s free.  Just visit their Website. There is a short video on the home page that explains what Gravatar is all about.  Take a moment to watch that.

Next, enter your e-mail address in the place provided and then click “Get Your Gravatar.”  A link will be sent to your e-mail inbox.

When you receive the e-mail, click on the link provided.  This will take you to Gravatar, where you will complete your account setup.  You will be asked to provide a username and password.  When that step is completed, you can manage your account.

You’ll want to upload an image to your profile.  You’ll see that image the next time you leave a comment on a blog that supports Gravatar.  This one does.

I hope to see you on my comments page.  Have a good week. :yea:

Posting in cooperation with:

Lin expressed the desire to see me in action during a Zumba class.  Here you go gal . . . just for you.

Having fun in Missy’s Zumba class!

At least, that’s what I think I looked like in class.  You know how that works, right?  You can’t always trust your feeling.  Here’s proof.

Feeling may have no connection to reality

Since Zumba class, I have developed a problem in my right heel.  It’s the beginning of a bone spur.  I’ve had this before, and with the right stretching exercise, rest and time it should return to normal.  Perhaps no Zumba for a while. 🙁

Speaking of making a spectacle . . .  Last week I picked up my new glasses.  They didn’t seem right, but I gave my eyes a few days to adjust and to try them out in various conditions.  Yesterday, I went back to see the optician.

She asked me several questions looked things over very carefully and stepped into her work area.  She installed new nose pads that grip and don’t slip.  They really do work well.  She also set the glasses a little higher on my face.  Wow!  What a difference.  They work like they should. 😀

Finally, the arthritis in my right hand is kicking up again.  I’ll be minimizing my time here at the computer for a while.  This is beginning to seem like a pattern to me.  I don’t like it. :banghead:

If I “go missing,” I’m probably okay except for that hand.  But I’ll be thinking about you.

First, the Family Friday meme has a new home.  You’ll find it here on Blogger.

This week, we take a break from reporting on those that have gone before.  My thoughts are never very far from two men.  I hold them close to my heart and keep them in my prayers these two are my sons.  They are very different in some ways, and yet much alike in others.  I especially remember their early days.

There are two photos that I particularly like.  The first was taken near the barn on the place where we were living in 1971.

Bryant and Suzy Q

He had picked out this dog because her red matched his red.  The smile tells you exactly the kind of youngster he was as does his attachment to Suzy Q.

Two years later, the dog was back with the original owners.  We were living in Costa Rica.  The language school that Sylvia and I were attending organized an outing–a visit to the dormant volcano Irazú.  We went.

Scott is not happy sitting here by the volcano

It’s really not as bad as it looks.  Later, it began putting out more steam.  And we ran for the bus.  Some of the students were trying to calm the driver while others were rounding up the rest of us.  When we all got back and quickly boarded, the bus driver took off.

Just a few weeks earlier, an earthquake had done heavy damage in Managua, Nicaragua.  Tremors were not uncommon and a few years earlier another “dormant” volcano had covered San José in volcanic ash.  You can understand the driver’s anxiety.

While his older brother ended up in the business world, Scott became career military.  He is now retired from the USAF.  He stays active by teaching martial arts.

My strongest desire for my sons was to see them become men of integrity.  They have done that and filled my heart with joy.

This evening, Sylvia and I will be attending a Zumba class.  Can’t you see us now?

Already I feel energized!  Revved up.  Calories burning.  Fat melting away.  No . . .  Wait.  Is that fear?  Trepidation?  Probably all of the above.

Missy has been holding Zumba classes in our church’s community center.  I’ve been there a couple of times doing other things while her class was in session.  It looked like fun, but that high impact workout would not do well for arthritic old me.

Over the last four years we have watched as Missy has trimmed up and her energy level has gone way up.  Today she has pep in her step and her eyes sparkle.  For the last couple of years, she has been teaching regular Zumba classes.  Not only has she become an instructor, but is certified to teach water classes and now Zumba Gold, which is for folks like me.  I’m out of excuses.  I’ve been backed into a corner.  There is no escape. :surrender:   I’m going to have to man up and do it.

If you don’t see any posts here after this, you’ll know I didn’t survive. :beam:

I had my eyes examined last week.  It had been about 13 months since my last eye exam, and that was not a pleasant experience.  I had been going to this business for over 10 years and had been mostly satisfied with the experience.  That was until last year.

Since my previous visit, we had upgraded our medi-gap insurance and optical had been added to our coverage.  The receptionist asked for my card, which I handed to her.  She took one look and quickly handed it back to me.  Sorry!  This is from Connecticut and we don’t accept this.  However, I was informed before I left that they had sent a “memo invoice” to the company.  (What does that mean?)

During the exam the optometrist informed me I had cataracts beginning to form and I would have to return in a year for another evaluation.  He also said, you have no symptoms now and this is not impairing your vision.

My prescription had shifted and I needed new glasses.  The optician took me through the process and I wasn’t very pleased with how that went.

Later, I returned to have the new glasses fitted.  The optician had a low cut top that seemed totally inappropriate for a professional person who has to work around people the way an optician does.  She “adjusted” the frames and sent me on my way.

The next week, I received a notification from our insurance that they had paid for my glasses.  I had to get a cash refund from the company.

I had to go back to have the frames readjusted.  It didn’t work any better.

I did not return to that place.

Sylvia

Sylvia had an ocular migraine earlier this year that was so bad that she feared that it was a detached retina.  Our primary care physician sent her to an ophthalmologist.  He found no problem and explained to her the potential causes for what she had experienced.  We were impressed, not only by the doctor, but by the entire staff.

That’s the eye care company that I went to this time.  I called and setup and appointment, then downloaded new patient forms from their Website.  I brought the completed forms with me to the appointment.  They copied insurance cards and returned them.

A while later a gal from the office came out and told me that she had called my insurance company and explained what would be covered.  (What a change!)

Up-to-date technology waited for me in the exam area.  And I was soon tested.  The optometrist came in and carefully examined my eyes.  I mentioned that I had been told of early stage cataracts.  She got serious as she gave me her full attention.  “The lenses of your eyes will yellow slightly with age due to ultra-violet light exposure.  That’s all you have and it is completely normal.  You have nothing to worry about.”

The optician was very helpful in explaining options in frames and lenses.  Completely professionally and appropriately attired.

What a contrast!  Color me happy. 8)

I’ve just put a bit of polish on the new home for Family Friday.  I hope you like it.

I’ll be posting the Family Friday Linky on that site on Thursdays at 6 PM Eastern Time.  It was a lot of work to setup the blog and design and create a banner, badge and favicon for it.  But it was fun.

See you tomorrow.

I’ve got a [digital] construction project going for Family Friday.  I’ll update this post when it is ready.  Meanwhile, I’m taking regular breaks to stretch and to look out on an absolutely beautiful day.  I hope your day is going well.

Chuck (2:21 PM)

Pet peeves . . . we all have them.  What is yours?  The other evening as Sylvia and I were returning home after dark, I was reminded of one of mine.  We met a fellow coming toward us on the narrow road with his fog lights on.  It was a clear night.

If you live in town, you probably don’t run into these bozos.  Out here in “the sticks,” they are all too common.  Okay, I know why they do it.  You turn those babies on and it lights up the night.  You can see what’s in the ditch–on both sides of the road.  You can see so much more than you can with just your low beams.  Also, our county is one of the top in the state for car v deer incidents.  So I do understand.  I just don’t appreciate.

Those fog lights cast a wide beam.  That includes into the face of oncoming drivers.  Aarrrgh!

Do you ever experience that?  How do you feel about it?

And what’s with drivers that pass you on the expressway, and then as soon as they are just clear of your front bumper, they cut right over to your lane?  :frustrated: