Further Countdown to Retirement

After today, I have only 6 more work days until retirement. I would have 7, but I am off tomorrow for a doctor's appointment. It seems a couple of weeks ago, my dermitoligist finally biopsied a mole on my back that he had been watching for about a year. Yep, you guessed it--melanoma. I went last week to have it removed at a skin surgery center. I was there and ready for the in office surgery. The nurse even described the football shaped incision that the doctor would do to make it easier to close. He came in and sat down, Dr. Leshin, who had begun the skin surgery center. He said he had looked at the biopsy results and the lab technician who did the analysis reported that there were cancer cells at the bottom of the biopsy. My doctor said he did not feel good about doing the surgery, not knowing how deep the melanoma was. He said he would get me an appointment with a doctor friend of his at WFU Baptist Medical Center. He stated his doctor friend is head of the department. My doctor proposed his friend check my lymph nodes and then remove the melanoma. I go tomorrow for a consultation with Dr. Malcolm Marks, head of dermatology at Baptist Hospital. I feel really good about all this. I may be more nervous than I realize, but I know it is in God's hands and he has always looked after me in the good times and the bad times. He will not place anything on us that is too much to bear. He has always been faithful. I will trust Him.

Countdown to Retirement

I have about 32 working days until my retirement. The guys at work say I'm too happy about retiring. I think they are wrong. Eventhough it is a little scary, I am so excited about this new chapter in my life. I'll be able to be at home everyday with the love of my life, my wife of 37 years. No more waiting til Saturday to get the yard work done, wash the car and truck, painting, woodworking, setting up my workshop.....When will I have time for it all. Answer: EVERYDAY. Sure we will have to watch our budget closely, but we can do that and some expenses will no longer be there, like gas money for driving to work everyday, lunch money, etc. I'm not wishing my life away, but I really can't wait.

On another note, my grandson, Ayden, has started walking. He will be a year old on the 20th of the month and he is doing well just learning to walk. He is such a joy and a good natured baby. We call him the little man. His sister is 6 1/2 years old and she is also a joy when she wants to be. Today was one of those days. She has started cheerleading for her school football(flag) team. She really enjoys it. While I'm talking about my grandchildren, my oldest is Dylan, age 14. He is a great soccer player and an all out athlete. He recently ran a 6:24 mile and 3 miles in 24 minutes. Soccer is the only sport he will play organized. He is great at throwing, hitting and catching a baseball and has a real strong sidearm pitch, but he is just not interested in playing on a team.

That's all for now. I am about out of battery and too lazy to go get the cord.

Here I am. It has been months since I posted on this blog. A lot of things have happened since that time. Recently, I filed my papers for retirement. Thirty-seven years working for a government agency is enough, don't you think. It is amazing what stress can do to your body and how the lack of it can heal. I went to give platelets at the Red Cross near the first of September, which I do once a month. My blood pressure was 132/ 62, the lowest it has been in years.
Since I filed my retirement, my supervisor has taken me off the on-call list and other activities. Boy, it feels good. I'm looking forward to December 1st, my first day of retirement and my wife's birthday. She says this is the best birthday ever. She is also looking forward to my being home with her everyday and so am I. She is the love of my life. We seem to love each other more and more each day. I guess being newly weds of 37 years is the reason. I miss her everyday when I am at work. We argue over who loves the other the most. I don't know how I could love her more or she love me more.
Retiement is going to be different to say the least. I have had a job since I was 15 1/2 years old. But guess what? They are going to pay me to stay home. What a deal!
I will try to post more often, especially after Dec. 1st....

Losing A Close Friend

Last week, I lost a very close friend, John Woodward. I miss him greatly already and will continue through the years. John was my prayer and accountabilty partner and kept me on the straight and narrow way, God's way. I have never seen anyone who was concerned over the salvation of everyone he met. He was eager to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ and how He saves us from our sins and separation from God, to anyone who would listen.
John was riding his bike around the trail of Salem Lake here in Winston Salem when he had some kind of accident and ended up in the water. A jogger saw him and got him out of the water. The medical examiner said he did not drown. They are perplexed at the cause of death. There were no signs of trauma from a fall. Maybe God just took him home to be with Him.
John will be missed by many, illustrated by the number of people who took time to attend his memorial service. I know John is in heaven with the Father and is asking all the questions he could not answer from reading his Bible. We all miss you, John, and we will meet again someday in the Love of the Father God.

These are pictures of Ayden Craig, my new grandson. The bottom photo is of him only 11 minutes old. The other is a little later in the nursery. He was born Tuesday, October 20, 2010, at 3:12 PM. He is doing well and so is Mom and Dad.

Return to Posting

It has been over a year since I have posted on this blog. I don't know if anyone if following it, but I apoligize for the lack of posting. Right now, we are eagerly awaiting the birth of our 3rd grandchild, Ayden Craig, aka Baby Coconut, a name given him by his big sister, Alyson. He is due on Monday, October 19th. I keep telling my daughter, Missy, that he is coming today. She said she is definitely ready. The doctor measured little Ayden on Thursday and says he is 8 lbs. 6 oz. If he doesn't come before, the doctors will induce labor on Tuesday, October 20th. His big sister, Alyson, is anxious to meet her little brother and his Dad, Zach, is also.
A few months ago, my wife, Brenda, finally retired, after working for church offices for 20+ years. She hasn't been able to do all the things she wanted to do due to anemia. She is taking iron supplements and treatments now and is doing much better. I told her she is becoming re-domesticated, cooking wonderful meals and taking care of me. I am still working, eventhough I have been eligible for retirement for about 6 years (30 years with local government). I feel I am getting the urge to be home with Brenda, so maybe, Dec 2010, will be my time for retirement if our budget goes well. Brenda has numerous projects she has planned for me, now and after retirement.
I have a good friend, John, who is struggling with depression after losing a textile job he had been working at for 26 years. Please pray for John that healing would come to him and he can return to the "John" that we know and love.
The slow economy has destroyed many lives through the loss of jobs and businesses. To quote Ross Perot, when he was running for President," If we sign this NAFTA agreement, we will hear this huge sucking sound as our jobs go out of the country." This has been so true. It baffles me that a product can be produced, packaged and shipped half-way around the world and still be cheaper than producing it in the good ole USA. The products can't be of good quality. Just look at all the recalls on electrical and electronic products that come out of China.
It is Saturday morning and I am being lazy. It is 10:20 and I haven't done anything but eat breakfast and drink my coffee. I hope to post a photo of my new grandson in the next few days.

Our 35th Anniversary

My wife and I celebrated our 35th Wedding Anniversary on August 5th, 2008. We went to one of our favorite places, the Pilot Knob Bed & Breakfast Inn at Pilot Mountain, NC. Usually we stay in one of the cabins which are made of the logs from two tobacco barns. This time we chose to stay in the Pilot Knob Inn Suite, which consisted of a large bedroom, a large sitting room with satelite TV and a hot tub, enclosed by four walls and open to the sky. It was a wonderful relaxing time. Full breakfast was served each morning with eggs, bacon or sausage, waffles, toast and jelly, fresh squeezed orange juice and coffee. The Inn Keeper, Jennifer, was very cordial and brought us breakfast to our table.
For our supper on the evening of our anniversary, we dined at the Scuppernong Restaurant which is part of the Old North State Winery in Mt. Airy, NC. The food was delicious and the atmosphere was unique. The restaurant building was formerly a hardware store and was later bought by Belks Department Store. The story is that the front of the store was destroyed by a dynamite blast and the store closed and was not repaired until years later. During the renovations, the skeletal remains of a human arm was found, possibly from the person who set off the dynamite. There was a lot of competition in the hardware business in that day due to the newly opened white granite quarry where dynamite was used to mine the rock. The floors were tongue and groove wooden planks and the ceiling had tin tiles. We would recommend this restaurant for good food and atmosphere.