My day Monday through Friday:

Check the news headlines & weather on t.v.

Yoga stretches, pushups and hand weights

16 ounce cup of decaf coffee

Shower & shave

Spend one hour on internet

One eight oz. glass of vegetable juice, two tablespoons of honey, one bowl of oatmeal, one eight oz. glass of milk, one apple and one handful of peanuts.

Got to work, where I do a lot of walking, sometimes carrying things. Dinner is one sandwich, one small box of raisins, some cheese and crackers and one glass of milk.

Back at home, I have two eight oz. glasses of water, watch some t.v. and then go to bed.

On the weekends, I eat what I feel like cooking and drink what I want, but not to excess.

I feel I've earned it.

There you have it - one boring, but semi healthy routine.

~

So I decided to look for a new padded toilet seat today.

Like everything else today, there are hundreds of options and colors to choose from.

Prices range (from what I saw) from $12.00 to $75.00

I'm not one of those people who think that cost equals quality. My last toilet seat cost me $11.00. I bought it at a discount store and after 6 or 7 years, it's finally showing signs of wearing out - a tiny rip in the seat.

So I bought one for $23.00. Not too much, not too little.

My last mattress cost me $300.00 from a close out sale and I'm happy with it.

It pays to compare.

~

I traveled through three different cemeteries Saturday, putting out flowers on the graves of friends and family.

Originally called Decoration Day, Memorial Day is a time (for me) for contemplation at the grave sites of loved ones I've lost over the years.

I hope your day today is peaceful and happy.

~

... on the Graham Norton Show:


~

There was an old t.v. commercial for Alka Seltzer when I was a kid. It talked about a guy who ate too much:


That could be me right now.

I'll check and see if I have any Alka Seltzer in the house.

There was a park the next town over from me when I was growing up.

It was a venue for Bluegrass bands. My dad's band played there often.

It is now a recovery center.

That speaks volumes about my past.

~

Over 50 years since this Temptations classic was released and it's still true today:


The old saying: 'May you live in interesting times' still rings true.

~

Am I the only one who actually likes wearing a mask in public?

I love the anonymity.

A ball cap, sunglasses, a mask and no one knows me.

I kinda dig it.

It has been 26 years since I hit any live pitching.

I gave up hardball at age 19 because I went to a Major League tryout and confirmed I had, like the Clint Eastwood movie, 'Trouble with the Curve'.

So I shifted my skills to playing softball. I did quite well for another four years, but tired of being the only player on my team that would give 100% all the time. I realized I was being too competitive and walked away from the game I'd been playing in one form or another since I was six years old.

Flash forward nineteen years. A group of ex jocks that I knew from a local watering hole wanted to form a team to play in a local summer league. They wanted me to be their player coach, so I came out of retirement to play. We did well in the summer league, winning the regular season title but losing in the playoffs when our best player didn't show up for our toughest game. A lot of the guys didn't want to play in the fall league and we wound up a .500 team.

One of the guys I couldn't get along with formed his own team the next year. Despite my having the highest batting average on the former team, even though I had to play with a back brace and a nagging quad muscle issue, this guy didn't want me on his team. The result? This 'new' team only won one of 16 league games that year. Even though I was kind of xxxxxxxxxx into retirement, I felt justified and finally quit for good.

This spring, like every spring since for the last 26 years, I get the itch to play. I could play in a senior league if I wanted to, but every time my heart says go, my mind reminds me of the pain and I don't want to put my older body through that any more.

I could coach, but that would be like an alcoholic going into a bar - the temptation would be too much to bear.

I'll always have the itch, but watching is much easier to do and at least works as a salve to ease my anxiety.

~

Next Monday is Memorial Day here in the U.S.A.

I will be placing flowers on the graves of family members and friends.

Other than that, I'm not making any plans.

The old saying is:

Man plans and God laughs.

Message received.

~