Met my goal ---- well, sorta.

I had a medical condition a few years back that had an unexpected side effect -- weight gain. As a result of the medication and the treatment used to kill off the condition, I put on 30-some pounds in just a couple of months. Ughhhh!

So, once I got off the medical regimen, and once I got my strength back, I really looked like a fat old man. I thought it would just come off. Yeah, right. I was playing golf, and we were going through the moving process from Ohio to here, so I figured that should be enough exercise.  Then along came some other setbacks, so the weight kinda found a home for a while. I figured the weight was better than the illness, which could have killed me (!) so I would address it later.

Well, eventually all of that had an impact on my back and knees and I went through a series of doctor visits, X-rays, and MRIs. Long story short, the last doctor I went to was a big-time hip replacement guy and he said everything was fine.  He said I just had to lose some weight (he went to Yale to give me that diagnosis!) and then he came up with an aquatic therapy recommendation. OK.  Why not. I started that in May of this year and worked at it for about 6 months. Really good therapists.  Got to where I could RUN a mile on the in-the-water tread mill. It was pretty good stuff.  When they dismissed me (at the end of October) I just kinda would hang out for a while and then decided to join a gym.  Now going 2-3 times per week.

Anyhow, the bottom line is that I had set a goal back in May of getting down under 220 pounds (from 250 pounds!). I set a date of Thanksgiving to be there.  Well, two days before Thanksgiving, I hit 220, and tried on my old Army uniforms to see if they would fit.

Not too bad.  And no, I'm not sucking it in!! The buttons are not pulling apart! My next goal is to get to my Active duty weight of 203.  However, if I get to 210 by the first of the year and my knees and back are still functioning, I'll call it a success. Hooah?

I saw this quote the other day - don't know the author, but it kinda fits this situation. 

One day you will tell your story of how you overcame what you went through, and it will be someone else's survival guide.

Hooah

Continuing education ...

My next-door neighbor, who is an actual native of North Carolina (one of the few natives around here with all the move-ins from all over the country) has given me a number of sayings and bits of wisdom that are actually helping with my "North Carolina continuing education" process.  So between her and her husband (who is also a native), I plan to apply for semi-native status (do you suppose this is a real residence category?) before too long. 

Check out the latest installment ...

 

When she gave me this bit of local knowledge, I was really surprised at how  close to  "southern Hi-o" talk a lot of these sayings really were. I really remember growing up using #6 before trips in the car on Sunday afternoons. So this list, along with my childhood "fetchin' up" has really spared me a lot of misunderstandings, and that has made my education a bit easier.  I'm also sure that a number of my Army buddies will attest that some of them (like numbers 2,3,4,and 8) are pretty close to official Army knowledge and talk.

Now, I bet you thought the above-listed items were all I have come across since I have been here...WRONG!! Check out these gems that I came across (and thanks to the North Carolina  Life and Language Project) ..

1.  "I speak North Cackalacky."  The most probable origin is that it developed from a kind of sound-play utterance once used to parody the rural ways of people from Carolina. In the 1940s, “Cackalacky” was used in a somewhat derogatory way by outsiders. For example, servicemen assigned to rural bases in the state in the 1940s referred to their environs as “Cackalacky,” deriding the rural ways of native North Carolinians. Though it may have been intended as an insult, over time the term was re-appropriated by natives, and it is now embraced affectionately as a positive reference to state identity.

2. "Dingbatter"  At the time, outsiders on Ocracoke and other Outer Banks islands were referred to as foreigners or strangers, but the term dingbatter seemed like a perfect way to describe the lack of common sense sometimes exhibited by tourists who tangle their fishing lines with commercial fishers and think the middle of Highway 12 is a walking trail. To this day, outsiders on Ocracoke are referred to as dingbatters, though it is losing some ground to the blended term touron, a combination of tourist and moron.

3. "Might Could"   The expression might could is hardly unique to the Tar Heel State. It is as widespread and Southern as kudzu! But in North Carolina, it is so common that it is barely noticeable – unless you are a Yankee transplant.  I'm told that this is a favorite expression of politicians around here. It means one "might"  do something and "could" do it - but may or may not do it!

I'll keep working on my education.  Hope y'all have also learned some things in the process so you don't end up ...

All Goobered Up!!

Hooah

Boy, it's tough to keep up ...

This is another entry in the series called "YES -- this is why we moved here."

I have had a lot of good, quality time with my 14-year old grandson, Quinn.  He is sharp as a tack, and one of the things I really like doing with him is going to the shooting range.  Q is a Boy Scout (First Class) and a couple of the merit badges he was recently working on were the shotgun and the rifle badges.

If you are not familiar with this system, Scouts have a large list of educational areas that they study and can earn "merit badges"  when they have mastered that particular area.  Among other things, Scouting has a rich history of teaching boys about outdoor life.  This dates back to its earliest days.

So anyhow, these two merit badge areas were something I could help him with since I've had MORE than my fair share of time on a range.  We started with a .22 Henry rifle. No recoil, easy to shoot and fun. I should mention that he is already quite proficient at archery, so shooting this rifle came easily to him.

                         

This is one of our targets.  He was shooting at the big circle.  I shot at the little box in the lower right.

So, what to you think -- Him?  Me?  Toss-up?  Nah ... I think he got me.

And if you think this is good, you should see him shooting the 20 ga. at clay birds at the trap range. Very good!! Maybe some time I'll tell you about my experiences with the 20 ga. pump ... pretty embarassing. Oh, and one other thing -- he learned how to clean both of the rifles afterwards. Oh yeah!!

All-in-all, it was a proud moment for him and me when he received both of these merit badges.  Good job.

Merit badges are your doorway into countless possible lifelong passions. Take your time and enjoy them!

Hooah

What a view ...

Pam and I recently traveled to Ohio on some family business, and had a little bit of time so we decided that on the way we would finally stop off at Pilot Mountain outside of Mt. Airy, NC.  We have driven past that iconic landmark hundreds of times and even played golf at a course located near there with the guys on the Man Trip outings. But we had yet to actually stop there and go up to the top.  So this was a chance to check an item off our bucket list.

This was one of the team pictures from a recent trip.  I believe this was 2021.  We didn't play there in 2022.

As I was saying, we had always wanted to stop at this site because it was always mentioned in the Andy Griffith's shows, and Pam's brother, Chuck, always talked about it. He was such a huge fan of that show.  Anyway, it was a beautiful day, so up we went.

It was pretty cool once we got up there. Actually, it was COLD. But what a view.

It was quite a winding road up to the parking area.  Really reminded me of the bus ride up the alps on the way to the Eagle's Nest. Switchbacks, 10-15 miles per hour, with the edge of the road right on the edge of the mountain. YIKES.

So, once you got to the parking area, you still had to hike up to the end of the walkway ... and that wasn't even the top of the mountain.  To get there you had to hike some more and then I don't think you could even get to the actual top. We didn't go there.  Weren't dressed for it.  No -- that isn't the real reason ... we are too old to be climbing around on mountains.  That's what they make telephoto lenses on cameras for. 

As we were getting ready to leave, we decided to stop at the gift shop.  I'm usually a sucker for gift shops and this one was worth the stop.  In fact, we bought a couple of Christmas gifts for our grand children there, and I bought a lego (a knock-off brand I think) "eagle" to put together.  It consists of miniature pieces complete with "directions" that must have originally been written in some language and then translated into English (poorly translated). I tried it once, Quinn tried it once and gave up, Heath took one look at it and passed.  So here it is:

I'll get to it one of these days.

We met some nice people up there and thoroughly enjoyed that little diversion to our trip. That's one of the nice things about having some time available -- one just never knows what's up the road, 'round the bend. All you have to do is go there. Makes me appreciate Emerson's quote a bit more:

"It's not the destination, it's the Journey."

Hooah

Aw, c'mon, coach!!

I don't think I ever told you all about one of the funniest times I ever had as the head wrestling coach at Troy high school. We had a dual match one evening between my guys and the wrestlers of Springfield North High School, and it was at their school.

There were some people around the area who might not have known my team, because they were saying that Springfield was far and away the better team. My guys and I obviously knew better, but it was kinda funny watching the Springfield guys warm up with a real cavalier attitude, laughing and not knowing that they were in for a real bad whoopin'.

So, just in case we needed any motivation, I kinda made up a little story and fed it to them.  

Springfield North in those days was a pretty affluent school.  They went out and recruited all the good athletes in that town (which was a pretty good sized district) and they kinda walked around with their noses up in the air. Plus -- they had something that pretty much no other high school in that part of Ohio had -- a swimming team and their own pool, right in the middle of their athletic building. 

So, I was pretty sure my guys knew they had a swimming team and a pool, but I was also pretty sure they didn't know where that pool was. I told them that it was under the floor beneath the wrestling mat they were competing on.  They would just push a button and the floor would retract, revealing the pool's waters. I'm pretty sure that I also told them it had been reported that there had been instances in the past where the floor just started to open and the mats fell into the water. I told them that they had better go out there quickly, get the takedown, get the pin and get off the mat -- just in case.

It was a thing to behold.They went out there like mad men.  It might have been the quickest meet we ever had,  Even the referees were amazed. Out of the 13 matches we had 6 or 7 pins, with several of them in the first period.

After the meet was over and the guys got dressed and came out to the gym to get ready to leave, I saw some of the sophomores kinda lifting the mat, looking for the place where the floor came together.  And just when I was about to tell them the story, some of my seniors  came running out and jumped up and down behind them.  The Sophs thought the floor was opening and hightailed it right off that mat!! Everyone had a big laugh. I doubt that anyone other than the sophomores believed my story, but they didn't let on.

Oh yeah, we educated some doubters that night and made it happen.

There are three types of players: those who make it happen, those who watch it happen and those who wonder what just happened. (Tommy Lasorda, former Los Angeles Dodgers manager and two-time World Series champion.)

Hooah

So close, but so far away ...

One of the nice things about living in North Carolina is our proximity to sporting venues, both college and professional.  Since moving here and enduring that asinine period of time known as "COVID" we have managed to go to several Durham Bulls baseball games, two college football games (Wake Forest vs. Army, and NC State vs. Syracuse), two hockey games (Carolina Hurricanes) and a couple of baseball games for a local minor, minor league team called The Carolina Mudcats and a NC State vs. Duke basketball game (NC State killed 'em in front of a sold-out PNC arena).  And I guess if I wanted to stretch out some, I could probably go to any of 3 or 4 professional golf events in this area too.

Another nice thing is that we have been able to continue the MAN TRIP golfing extravaganzas  all this time, and I think this year's trip will be the 16th year for it. Everyone must like it -- they keep coming back.  Heck, I know some guys who's marriages didn't last 16 years!  But then, this is golf, not married life.

So here it is, the end of January.  The grass here is green, but needs to be weeded and fed.  Plans have to be made as to what new items will be added to the yard landscaping.  Vacation plans have to be drawn up and agendas need reviewing (you know -- gotta get all those doctors scheduled and visited). So what is missing?

Well, here's two things I can think of right off the top -- the Cincinnati Reds and maybe homecoming at Ohio University.  Might have to see if we can fit a "road trip" in to catch those two things this coming fall.

Oh yeah, I haven't even gotten to the grand kids and their activities we have gotten to see and be part of.  Why just last night, Quinn (our oldest grandson) received his First Class Scouting badge.  That was really neat to see and be there for. Anything he does now in Scouts will take him past my level of achievement in our scouting troop back in Zanesville.

We've got some pretty exciting stuff lined up for them this year -- hang gliding lessons for Quinn, and an old-fashioned train ride for Heath.  

I guess I've been neglecting the blog for a while (has it really been since August?) and have been fooling around in FB land. I have been called to task by some of my olf friends and blog followers, so I guess I had better get back to it.  I might mess around in both arenas for a while, but the blog is my first love so we'll see what happens. Stay tuned.

So these are just a few pictures of some of the things we've been doing  and some of the upcoming entries I will be writing about. Until then...

“I do not want to get to the end of my life and find that I just lived the length of it. I want to have lived the width of it as well.” (Diane Ackerman)

 

Hooah

Giddy-up L'il cow-poke ...

A couple of our grandkids were here to spend the night this week so we decided to take them back to the horse farm we had visited a little over a year ago.  At that time, one of the horses they were riding, Kitty, was expecting a colt at some time and they were anxious to get back to see the young colt, which the owners had named "Pistol." 

But before they were able to do any riding, they had to do some "barn" time which involved brushing a horse and checking the feet for dirt clods. 

 

 

Of course, when all of that is finished, it's time to saddle up. I think the saddle probably weighed almost as much as Heath does.  But they finally got everything done.

 

 And off they went into the sunshine. Giddy-up l'il doggy.

 

 

Thought I would include a team picture from this event.  The horse liked the smell/taste of Vivian's hair.

Another fun day with the grandkids.  Doesn't get much better than this.

Courage is being scared to death but saddling up anyway. ..

Hooah