I'm a handyman

In a few weeks the wife and I will be driving to North Carolina so I can help with the remodeling on the sister-in-law's house. Her husband has a few physical problems making it hard for him to do much of the work. There are several projects I'll be working on. The front entry needs a new floor starting with the subfloor, which is water damaged, and then laying a hard wood floor. The SIL wants me to take out a flourescent light in the kitchen and replace it with some track lighting. This will probably require some rewiring of the AC power in the ceiling. I am to repair, read cover up, some termite damage - - the termites are gone. Also I am to install some trim, around a door, some shoe molding and some crown molding. And more. I have a long list but many of the things are routine maintenance items that have just been left undone.

I'll load up my tools and head off in the morning of the 16th. First its to St Louis hoping to arrive after rush hour and then east on I-64. We're planing to over night in Lexington. The next day its on to Charleston then south on I-77 to I-74 and then on to Raleigh on I-40. If the weather is bad, I may go south from the St Louis area and pick up I-40. I don't like I-40 as it is wall-to-wall trucks. Another option if the weather is bad is to just delay the trip for a day or two.

The wife will enjoy visiting with her sister and, believe it or not, I will enjoy the handyman work.

Ouch, Ouch

As I was being prepped for my Colonoscopy, a nurse was poking a needle into my right arm, and it hurt. She first poked me in the inside of the elbow and could not get the needle positioned correctly. Normally when I get blood drawn for tests my Doc wants, the lab techs get the vials of bloods from there easily and with little pain. Then the nurse poked me in the middle of my arm below the elbow, and it hurt. Also could not get the needle positioned correctly there. So I told the nurses that in times past, IVs were usually put in the back of my hand. The nurses said something about diabetic veins, implying that the problem they were having were due to my veins. I don't think so, as I have been told by the lab techs I had good veins. Anyway the other nurse then placed the needle in the back of my hand without much pain.

After a forty minute wait, I was wheeled back for the procedure. They had me lay on my left side and then put three medicines into the port on my right hand. The next thing I knew I was in another room. They said they removed a couple of small polyps. They will call in a couple of weeks to let me know about them. Other than being tired, no after effects.

All in all, it was not too bad. The worst part was drinking the "clean out" liquid. I drank it until the output was clear. Not clear like water, but clear like apple juice. I was told that the yellow color was from bile. And of course I didn't like being poked with the needle. But hey, the nurse has to learn how on someone.

Colonoscopy

Yes I am having one Thursday morning. This means dry toast for breakfast and that's it for Wednesday as far as eating. Then Wednesday evening the fun begins. "The clean out." First a laxative and then four liters of a vile liquid to drink at the rate of one glass every ten minutes or so. Fun, fun, fun. NOT!! Guess I'll be "sitting" a lot Wednesday evening. The information from the GI's Doctors office says that I will "have sedation to make you comfortable during the procedure." I hope so.

This is not my idea of a "diet procedure" but maybe I will lose a couple of pounds.

I don't think any thing is wrong with me, it's just that my Doc is proactive. Which is good, I think.

January should be the official dieting month

Yes I gained about eight pounds over the holidays. Now I must lose them.

We had a bunch of women in the house over the holidays. My wife's sister, the sister's daughter and my wife's brother's daughter. Four women in the house. They had a great time and I hid and watched TV to stay out of their way. The older niece, in her thirties, has visited with us for the last several Christmases. She loves to buy a bunch of rich cakes and pastries, which I can usually eat very little of, but this year she also bought a box of dark chocolate candies. I was too weak to not eat a bunch of them. I just love dark chocolate. The younger niece, she's seventeen, does not know much about cooking, so the others were working with her to learn more about cooking. One day they spent most of the day making cookies. They were good! Of course I ate too many.

So the holidays were eat, drink and be merry for January we will diet.

Sounds like a country song to me.