Got awake about 6 o'clock!! Anticipation!!!!

I was to exited about seeing a lot of bikes to sleep longer. Going to a rally is a great mood lifter. I called Bruce to let him know I was up, and did not oversleep. No answer, so I left him a message. On the way to his house I passed the turn off for the legion. The fire police were setting up the traffic cones for the grand event. There is always a big turn out at these events. It is advertised on the net.

I got to Bruce's house and saw him inside in his chair. I walked down the small hill and knocked on the door. His driveway is steep like mine, but his goes down to the house. Here he was asleep on the chair. He finally slept most of a night. He usually is awake all night. Probably knowing he would be enjoying himself at the rally relaxed him so he could sleep! I woke him up, and we went down behind the house to his garage to photograph his Harley.

After the pictures we left for the rally. We were both exited to be around our kind. Bikers! As soon as Mary loads the pictures on her laptop I can transfer them to my Mac and I can start loading them to my blog. I even stopped and caught a horse with a buggy behind so you can see our local Lancaster tradition. The anticipation to see my pictures builds, at least for me!

We walked a couple miles seeing the bikes. At least it seemed that far. Bruce said he needed to sit down so we want to Mary's van. I parked right where the bikes turn into the parking lot. Turns out it was a great move as we set there more bikes were filing in so we stayed there. It was the perfect vantage point. We sat there two more hours watching the bikes coming and going. We had a great time! You can see the pictures

It was 35 degrees when I left to get Bruce, but that doesn't dampen the biker spirits going to a rally. We are a tough breed, even in our later years!

Mary loaded all my rally pictures on her laptop and sent me an e-mail with all the pictures. I found I have to load them one at a time, that is why this page took so long to finish

Better view of chevy V8!

Russian Ural,two wheel drive,link to sidecar wheel.

                                                                                           

Bruce's hawg patiently waiting!

Boss Hoss 400HP. Cycle!

 Boss Hoss 350 chevy with four barrel carb. A real man's bike!!

On the way home from the rally, saw a horse with a buggy behind.

Flashing lights and siren on my motorcycle!!

I'm putting flashing lights and siren on my motorcycle so next time I haul Bruce to the emergency room I can give him a taste of the cycling experience since he can't ride his own cycle. He must get permission from the doctor, and take an exam on the computer before he can drive because he had a stroke. He is really bummed out sitting home all the time, that is why I get him out when I can. We went to breakfast this morning, and we are going to a cycle hang out tomorrow at the legion. Checking out the bikes will cheer us both up I hope. Nothing like looking at bikes now that it is warming up to raise our spirits. Although today it was in the 50's, the wind was fierce. I had Kyler out at his sandbox, and it was brisk. It was 78 in our florida room, so Mary was enjoying her sanctuary.

I am picking Bruce up tomorrow between 8 and 9 AM, and it is only about two miles to the legion and the bikes. I am taking my camera so I can post some pictures. I want to take a couple pictures of Bruce's bike in case he can't ride for a while. Yes we have to realize all of will reach the time when our lives will drastically change. I hope it is not soon for both of us.    Faith is the belief in what you cannot see.    And my faith is strong, I just hope it is for Bruce too. He is bullheaded like me, but that only goes so far. Your body cannot cash the checks your mind writes for so long. Eventually your body will not respond anymore. Right now Bruce is recuperating from his stroke. I hope he recovers enough to ride his cycle this summer. I know what it means to be independent and on your own. It means a lot to us bikers. I'm glad I have Mary to help me cope with old age. The people like Bruce who are alone are at a loss. They must fight by themselves, and that is harder.

I will help Bruce as much as I can. By getting him out to cycle and car shows it will help him cope. It helps me too. I had coffee and my daily banana with Mary and saw her off to work again. I like it that she only has 6 miles to go to work. She leaves here at 9:15 and she clocks in at 25 after nine. I like to see her off. We hug when she leaves. The personal touch helps a lot. At least to me!

Well another page for my blog. I just sit at my keyboard and it flows out of me. Having a big mouth helps. I hope you get encouraged by my adventures. Remember every sixty seconds you are angry you lose one minute of happiness. I am  trying to impress that on Bruce. When he gets angry which is a lot, it can raise his blood sugar. I don't want to use the lights and siren on my cycle to drag him in to the emergency room again.

Little bullhead

Yes Kyler our three year old grandson is here with his 9 year old sister. The 14 year old sister stayed home tonight because she has softball practice tomorrow. I am having trouble with my eyes right now. Don't know if I can keep writing. Need o get to sleep, did not get much rest last night. Going to breakfast with Bruce tomorrow morning at five thirty. He likes to get there early so he can get his favorite table. We are meeting his friends after eight. Yes we will sit there and drink coffee for 2 1/2 hours. He needs to get out with people. He sits home all week now that he can't drive yet. We talk about the old times, and the adventures we had. I hear Mary trying to calm Kyler down so he will sleep. The horrible threes I hope will be over soon. I doubt it thought. He is a handful, I don't see how our daughter puts up with him day and night!

I programed Bruce's new cell phone. Getting him to carry it is another problem. I keep telling him to carry it, even at home in case he has another stroke. But the mind even at 66 pretends it won't happen again. His being alone with no one to check up on him worries me. The visiting nurse comes a couple times a week, and she has my phone number. As long as I don,t hear from her again, I feel better. I know how it is to be recovering and not being allowed to drive. It happened to me too often. But I had Mary to run me around. It is handy having a registered nurse for a companion. She gets on my case when I do not listen to the Doctor. Bruce has no one to keep him straight.

It is ten friday night. I called Bruce earlier to check he is O K. and tell him I can pick him up at five thirty in the morning, Mary is not working and I can use her van. My van has little gas and we can't fill up till she gets paid. We had some extra bills, and money is short again. We will survive, we always do. The LORD has seen fit over the years to see us thru every time we needed extra money. Now is no difference. Bruce is complaining because of all the bills from his problem, and he has not worked for a lot of weeks. He is doing better, but has trouble with balance yet. I have the same problem with my bad knee. It is getting worse. I just hope I can hold out a few more years before I need a knee replacement. We are wearing out, piece by piece. Like Mic Jaeger says, what a drag it is getting old,but it beats dying! Tell me how you view your golden years. You young people will learn in future years. We complain, and doctor for our problems, and do the best we can. We have no choice. Science has not found a way to trade in our bodies for a fresh one yet. Maybe in a couple hundred years?

Kyler when he was a couple years younger, and not so bull headed and didn't yell so much!

Friday morning stats!

Yes, I survived another night. Mary was off work, so I slept better. I read Bob Quinn's info and I must figure how to get all the info he sent on his life into a post so you can read his life story I will consult with Marcy, she knows everything about this new fangled computer stuff. I on the other hand am just learning how to use this MAC computer. I was not a wizard on the PC I had, and my boys said the MAC was better for me. It is not as likely to get a virus, and fry like my PC. I need a machine that is dummy proof.

I will try copying Bob's info and see if I can post his page. Mary's printer is a scanner too. I can link in with the wi fi. He suffers from agent orange from his tour in Vietnam. He has two books published on the internet and needs the money to improve his retirement. Like me he likes to write. It helps a longing in our souls to pour our thoughts on paper. It keeps us out of trouble! And away from the dreaded TV so much.

I will go down suicide driveway to get the morning newspaper so I can check I am not in the obituaries this morning. I like to see if anyone I know went on to their reward. When you get older, you like to check every day to see how many friends you have lost. I wonder about all the people I knew when I was young and had hair on the top of my head. I wonder if those folks had as good a life as I have had. Yes hooking up with Mary was the best thing I have done in this life. I could not have found a better life partner than Mary. Sometimes we have differences, but we always make up. I know she would do nothing to hurt me like some wives. She does nothing out of spite. She has no bad bones in her body. I'm just glad she stuck around all these years while I was changing and growing. I needed to realize what I had and appreciate it. Now I do.

My light in the florida room burned out last night, so I must take down the cover and get the number of the fluorescent light to go to Longeneckers hardware to replace it. I get a lot at the hardware store. I have had a charge account there since we moved here in 1972. It is an all purpose store for anything to put in or fix in the house. They tell you how to install or fix your products in the house too.

My computer just announced it is eight o"clock so I must get going and fix the light. I also want to go to the gym today. And we have go to Laura's and watch the grandkids so she can take the 14 year old to an appointment at 4:00. A busy day today again. Being retired and home all the time is nice. Just some days busy!

If you like what I am writing or dislike it let me know. Thank you Randy"HOSS"Caldwell

This is Mary's sanctuary, so I have to get the light working right away. I want her to enjoy herself when she is home. She works hard and deserves a nice place to unwind and get away from me!!

I went to the store and got a bulb to put in Mary's light. She had off last night so she would like to eat breakfast in her sanctuary, the florida room. This light is hooked into my dusk to dawn circuit and comes on every night to put some light in the kitchen. One of the extras I wired in when we built the house. There is also a light in the skylight to throw some light on the stairs and living room. When you come in the front door at night it is nice to have light to get in the door.

I also have lights outside that come on every night. And in the garage at the four steps into the washer dryer room. I like to think ahead and supply light so no one falls. In 32 years living here they have been a good help in navigating at night and cost little to have on.

Yes I was a boy scout, and like to be prepared. I also pulled the boy scouts in the parades for fifteen years. And the girl scouts too. Maybe that is why I don't know where the time went by so fast, we were busy all the time. Now is the time we slow down a little bit. We can't keep up like when we were younger. We still like to do a lot of things, we just have to rest in between. LOL

LORD thank you for all you have done for me for over 65 years, but most of all for giving me Mary!!

Well its thursday night,Bruce and I are still breathing,so far!!

Its funny how we look at life. We think that being alive is something owed to us. But it can be taken away at a moments notice. I know it happened to loved ones close to me. When my dad died when I was only 35 years old it was a shock. He still functioned. He lost a lot of years he should have had left. He was only 75. When my mom passed she was about 89. In poor health and her mind was going fast. Neither suffered a long death and for that I am thankful. I hope I can pass fast like my parents. To lay around and suffer is not the way to pass. I think you die in the time it takes is in reference to how you lived your life. If you were bad, you suffer. If on the other hand you lived a good life, you don't have to suffer long. I don't know if I am right on this or not. It is just something I feel. I hope this is how it happens. Good for good would be a nice thing. When your time is here, I don't think anything can change it. You will die when the Grand Ruler of time says so! 

Too many people waste their time in the living years. I hope I am not one of them. I try to be good, and help others. I give to help people. I try not to judge others. I talk to GOD and ask help for others. I don't know when my time will come to give up these living years. But I have fulfilled my part of life by passing on my DNA to my future generations. I hope when I pass my future generations will mourn my passing, and rejoice in the fact I hurt no more and I have gone to a better place. Not curse GOD like I did when I was young. I know better now. Life is a small time here on earth. Enjoy it while you can. Do nice things to others. Love your family, and tell them so. I hug all my kids and their spouses. I hug my friend Bob from florida. I hug Dave I used to ride cycle with.

Well I'm back, I took a break to watch the news. I like to catch up on the local happenings three times a day and see what the weather will be. Its raining heavily, but it is better than snow and ice. I also took a peanut butter filled chocolate oreo and milk treat break. I learned the milk part from the youngest granddaughter. Mary always complains I eat the snacks too fast, but she keeps on buying them. Just buys them less times to ration out my cheating on my diet. She wants to keep me alive! Even though I do try to eat healthy, but I cheat sometimes. I have little will power as I stated before.

I have to check the info Bob Quinn sent me to do another page about him. He suffers from agent orange effects from his time in Vietnam. He just had his second book published, and I said I would give him a plug on my blog to help him sell books. Like I said, I like to help people. I have gotten a lot of help over the years and like to return the favor.

Let me know what you thing about my outlook on the living years. Does it make sense to you. I have changed my outlook on life as I have aged. Learning life's hard lessons has changed me for the better I think. I try to help others more now that I am an old fart. We all need a purpose in life. Mine now is helping others. Trying to live a good life. I hope I am doing a good part of what I should be doing.

  

This is Kyra, my DNA passed on to the third generation. I am so proud! Now she can drink two power drinks at a time!

Got a call from Bruce's nurse, he needs to go to Emg.Room ASAP!!

I called him back and said I would be right over. He has no one else to count on. I picked him up and we went to Lancaster to hospital he was in for his stroke several weeks ago. I thought it better to go where all his info would be. I sat around for over three hours and they finally said he would be out in about ten minutes. As he walked out the hall to the waiting room I yelled at him, you were gone so long I went home for the cycle, and we can stop for a couple beers on the way home. The one nurse chimed, count me in, I get off soon! Everybody is a comic like me. Bruce said, that sounds good to me. I try to find the humor in everything, and I usually do.

When the nurse called Bruce said his blood sugar was at 451. It is usually around 180, no wonder the nurse was alarmed. After three hours of an IV his blood sugar was down to 241. Bruce said he was hungry, so we stopped in Arbys near his place and he bought me a junior roast beef sandwich. On the way to the hospital he kept saying I'm sorry to bother you, I told him he can buy me breakfast saturday. It seemed to make him feel better. He worries a lot, and that can affect his blood sugar. I told him I used to worry till I got sick. I took a bio-feedback course 30 years ago to relax and it helped. What really helped me was getting on bi-polar medicine Like I told you before. It changed my life totally. Bruce must learn to settle down and accept what is going to happen. You can always make it better when you are not exited. That is easy to say, but hard to do.

I sent Marcy an e-mail that I was leaving right before our weekly call. She asked how Bruce was and that she would pray for him. Marcy is a really a good person. I have made a lot of good friends this last year since I have been working my business. I hope Bruce gets good enough till summer that we can ride together some more. If he can't ride his bike, I will take him on mine so he gets the feeling again. I told Mary a couple years ago I wanted to go to the drags again and smell nitromethane fuel again before I die. She had Jeff our younger son take me. We had a great time watching and smelling the cars racing. I know Jeff will make a good Pastor. He likes to help people. Just like Tim our older boy works so good with autism kids. We have very caring kids, and their spouses too. Mary and I am very proud of out whole family. I am glad I gave up my business and instead worked on having a family. So many people in business don't have time for their family, and lose them.

You must spend time with your kids, so they learn to be good parents when their time comes. Too many kids grow up now that they have no good parent figure to look up to. They never learn how to interact with other people. They are scared for life. We must help young children to grow up to be good people. The world needs good people to function. I see a lot of good people, and some bad ones. You read about the bad ones in the paper. The good ones you don't hear as much about. Too many people are in trouble with the law. We need to cleanup our act. Doing away with GOD in our lives does not help the problem. It only makes it worse. Well I am on my soapbox again! Maybe if I'm on my soapbox enough it will help most people to stay on the good side of life.    Today's action becomes tomorrow's habit, and habits are hard to break!!    

I had coffee with Mary tonight while she is getting ready for work. I treasure the times we drink coffee and talk about life and other important things. It being just the two of us now you would think we talk a lot. But with the way she works, she sleeps a lot of the time I am up. And that is why I stay awake a lot when she works so I can see her in the afternoon when she is up. I sleep late in the mornings like she does instead of taking a nap in the afternoon so we are awake together. We do our together shopping afternoons. We try to spend time together, but even now it is hard to spend time together. We have different things going. Like today I was going to be here for supper together, than this thing with Bruce. But that was more important. Health comes first. Everything later. Well I have bent your ear long enough for now. Spend time with your family, and help friends!

Just so you know today is national Peanut butter and jelly day.To honor it, I had a peanut butter and hot pepper jelly sandwich for lunch. I hope you honored our national holiday too! 

If you agree or disagree with my views on life, let me know what you think? Thank you! Randal"HOSS"Caldwell

Mother, please remember we want no snow or ice for at least six months. Thank you pretty please!!!!

One last post for today!!

Yes tonight has been a good night for my big mouth. I have not done this many pages in one night as I have done tonight. Being locked out of my blog last week built up a volcano in my feeble brain. When I release it, it keeps coming and coming. I know this is my last page for tonight as I will go to sleep soon. I hope! Yes I am pushing you to stick up for yourself, and get going with what you have too. That is because I like to watch T V, and sometimes I don't get going like I should. But being home all day and night I can get away with loafing sometimes. I have 24 hours to be on the computer, not like when I was working too. When you have outside demands pulling on your time I know it is hard on your nerves. I am glad I am retired now. The demands on my time are different now. I help Bruce recover from his stroke. And help my Daughter with her kids. I left Tim and Sarah's dog out when she was taking medicine that made her go often, and not on the rug, but outside. I like my life now. Mary and I have coffee together before she leaves for work. A long time we did not eat together when the kids were involved in school activities and I traveled for work a lot of years. Sometimes I was away a week at a time working far from home.

Mary and I did what we had to to provide for our kids. Now we are helping the grandkids. It is a never ending cycle, but we love being involved in their lives. We could not move to florida like some people, we would miss the kids too much. I hope my ravings help make your life better, when you read what we go thru. You are not alone in this crazy thing called life. We all have to put up with the same things. Like I said before.  Life is 10% of what happens to you; and 90% of how you respond to it.  I must stress that since we are older, we respond a lot better than when we were young and stupid. Being older and not as stupid helps a lot with coping with what life throws at us. My bi-polar medicine has helped me a lot too!

Yes our life is good right now.And next year when Mary is not working full time it will be better. The money will be less, but we will make it up somehow. We always do. God has looked over us all these years, I know HE will continue. Let me know if my ravings have given you a chuckle. Check out my web sites for the help you need to get ahead in life.

Like when we were young and stupid. And reckless. Now we know better, I hope!

Mary is leaving me again!!

Ye,s she is leaving me again. She is going up to see her sister. Since Donald her sisters husband died this winter Mary is going to help her in the garden. Call the police and tell them I am having a wild party again like last time she went up to Shirley's. LOL big time. I will write a page that night, and go to bed early, I hope I can sleep that night. Maybe stuff my face with something I am not supposed to have.

Yes, I am going to be unsupervised again. It does freak me out. I hate being alone. I like to talk, you learned that from my many posts. But Mary needs to spend time with Shirley. I will invite Shirley to come down to our place overnight sometime this summer. She needs to get away from home and all the memories.

She and Donald were together over 55 years. They raised four kids. I miss him, I can't imagine how it is for her. I keep thinking we will go up there, and he will walk in the kitchen and I can kid with him like old times, and we will all laugh. It took a long time to sink in when my dad died, too. When you are used to seeing someone and they are taken suddenly it is hard to fathom.  Mary said when we were at my Mom's after my Dad died she expected to see him come down the steps and smile like he did when he saw the grandkids.

I am at  the age where I check the paper every day to see who I know that died. It seems to be more and more sometimes. I look to make sure I am not listed there. I am going to the gym to work out, and try to eat better, not so much junk. I will start walking around the development again this summer. Yes, I am trying to extend my living years as far as I can. I have too much to live for nowadays. The grandkids that have not been born yet. The grandkids growing up. And Mary and I enjoying the golden years. Yes, life means a lot more to me now than when I was young and single. I should say young and stupid! It is funny when you are a teenager your parents are stupid. But when you hit the early twenties how much smarter they become.

I just hope I can stay smart for a lot of years yet! I don't want to wind up in a lock up place because my mind is going away from me. Us men usually don't last till our mind gives out, which is a good thing I think. Women are the tougher sex. They live longer than us guys. GOD knows most men cannot last without a woman to look after us. I've had a great lookout for me for 42 years so far. I hope I can say that when I reach 60 years of marriage. Well my soap box is feeling like I used it enough tonight. Yes this is not an April Fools Joke either. Just my feelings on life as an old fart sees them! Let me know what you think.

Hoss and Snug 42 years!

Yes this May 20 we are married 42 years. It does not seem possible the time went so fast. I realize I worked a lot of overtime all my life, and working around the house took a lot of time too. But I am old, and don't know how I got so caught in my life that it passed so quickly. Yes we had a lot of good times along the way. I guess the more you enjoy your time, the faster it goes. My Father told me when I was young, "The older you get, the faster time flies". And he is gone over 30 years already!

I look at my friends and can't figure why they look so old? I have a lot of people come up to me and say, "Aren't you Hoss?" I quess I look pretty much the same. At least that is what they tell me. People remark I don't look 65 years old, but believe me I sure feel it. I don't have much grey hair, just skin colored! I guess that is why I don't look as old as I feel.

I feel young when I see a movie that takes me back in time. Or when I am riding my motorcycle. Or when a friend from my single years comes to visit. The triggers of the mind are a funny thing. I have trouble remembering something Mary told me days ago, but something that happened when I was a teenager I remember like it happened yesterday.

My computer, my mind, has suffered a lot of hits over the years. The many trips to the hospital in the ambulance I don't remember because I was unconscious every time. The healing and the pain don't seem as bad now as when I was going thru it. When you wake up after an accident the first thing you do is take inventory to see if everything works. A doctor told me when I was young not to pick up someone unconscious, let them wake up and move so you don't make their possible problems any worse.

My cycle accident I woke up for a few seconds and the girl from the ambulance had her legs kneeling holding my head from moving. I also know after an accident not to take the helmet off someone. Let a trained paramedic do it so you don't inflict any more damage on head and neck!

Do you really think I don't look 65 years old?

Let me know what you think of my "reminiscing" pages. I hope you get some insight into life from what I went through. And learn even an old fart can fight for our rights. Don't let anyone push you or yours around. And you must start on whatever you want to do.  The secret to getting ahead, is getting started!! 

LIFE: I am not telling you it is going to be easy, I'm telling you it is going to be worth IT! It sure is for me! 

Thank you Randal"HOSS"Caldwell

Yes today everything is right with the world, TODAY!!

Mary is out working in the garden, she ate her lunch out on the sun porch. With a great sunny day today it is 74 degrees on the porch. We talked to the three year old grandson earlier, My friend from Florida Bob sent me a pair of Red Green's suspenders he got at Red's show. And both Mary and I are not hurting too bad at the moment. I haven't even taken any pain pills today yet. All is wonderful in our world today. I hope it stays like this for a few days. Rain tomorrow again, at least we are not in a drought like California. I cannot rave about anything bad for the moment.

Yes life is good for Mary and me. We have worked hard and planned for a good retirement. I know we will be around to see our grandkids grow and learn too. Even the ones that are not born yet.  The secret to getting ahead is getting started!!  And Mary and I have trouble getting started sometimes. But the important thing is we get started. We might not be as fast as we were years ago. But we will not give in to pain and stiffness. We are fighters, and so are our kids. We never give in. Sometimes we learn when to retreat to fight another day, but we go back to fighting what life throws at us. Winter is over for another year. We will take the snowblower off the tractor and attach the belly mower for a different fight with Mother. Till next winter when we will fight Mothers snow and ice. We will fight as long as we are breathing too. To give up is not in out vocabulary. Our kids have learned that too. We will survive. Maybe just a little slower!    My birthday card last year from my best friend in this world!!

The inside of the card reads..    a LONG time ago! Happy Birthday.     And she wrote  Happy 65th Birthday!! Love Snug    

Over the years she has absorbed some of my sense of humor. Thank you SNUG! I love you too!!

That was last July 31 when I hit the big 65. I don't feel much different from when I was young and had hair. Just I move a little slower and limp a little. I walk with a cane when I have to go steps or walk far. But my attitude of not giving up is the same. This old dog has some tricks left yet! I hope I am around lots of years yet so I can use them!

Yes this is not an April Fools Joke!!