VA Hospital in Shreveport.

Well I found SHR-GI 7E7. I was confused (again). Today's appointment was to set up the real appointment for an endoscopy, which will  be on March 17. They will put me in a sort of out of it state. I must have a driver to drive me home or they will get me a hotel room and keep my car keys in a safe for 24 hours. I think I had better do it their way. I think they are serious.

I have trouble swallowing my food.

Swallowing is not a problem if I am careful to chew my food well and I do not swallow faster than the food can pass throught my esauphagus. I have had trouble swallowing for 15 plus years. Once I passed out when food bunched up.  In 2002 I had an endoscopy procedure. The Doctor said that I had a corksrewed esauphagus. I believe that he expanded my esauphagus. My trouble with swallowing seems to be getting greater.   So today I am having an endoscopy at the Va Hospital in Shreveport. This is the message I received from the VA.

MONDAY FEB 28, 2011 2:45 PM SHR-GI BROOKS NEW 7E7 5593 Clinic

That means the seventh floor of the East Tower, I think. I hope I find it! The hospital is very large. I will go very early.

2/27/11 242.8 50.2 136 65 67 96.7 3546 82 65 0

Camping out at the Lincoln Parish Park.

These four tough guys are ready for anything that might be out in those woods! You can ttell by the clinched fists and the mean looks on their faces. They are Ross, David, and Ethan Newberry with Paw Paw John Adams.

2/26/11 243.6 50 122 62 63 96 4474 74 38 0

Bartlett Pears have bloomed!

The row of Barlett Pears by the Louisiana Tech baseball field have just bloomed in the last few days. So have all the Barlett Pears in the vicinity of Ruston. Can Spring be far away? I am watching for the Dogwood blooms.

I noticed the blooms while doing a couple of laps around the Tech track. I had just had a big Applebee lunch with the family. Driving home I realized my steps for the day were low and I needed at least two laps aroung the track. So I headed for the track. I enter my daily steps into my log. I have been striving to keep my steps at least 3 or 4 thousand. I do the steps so that my log will look good. I could lie but I would know the truth. The graph below of my steps for the year show that I am not doing too bad lately. It is a long way from 10,000 but is better than a sedentery 1000. I should strive for a few thousand more.

A visit from JL.

John was visiting with Christian when Katie and Johnny Lynn made a surprise visit. Katie left Franklinton after she got off work Friday evening. She arrived in Ruston at 9:30 pm.

Everyone was happy about the surprise.

2/25/11 243.6 49.5 136 66 64 95.5 4457 76 54 0

Osman's Dream

I am 100 pages into the book "Osman's Dream. The History of the Ottoman Empire. From 1300 to 1923."  By Caroline Finkel. Chris had been reading this book for some time. Bloggers often post what they are reading. Chris posted this book for some time. It was in his backpack when he passed away.  The book is of interest in these times of Christian/Muslim interaction. I am reading the pages that Chris had just read. Chris underlined some passages of text. Reading the book and looking at the underlined text is spending time with Chris.

Chris passed away four weeks ago today. It is getting easier.

2/24/11 243.4 50.2 133 61 66 96.7 1985 78 64 0.8

A Boy and his first Pocketknife.

My seven year old great grandson Ross was in the woods. He needed a sharp stick to impale his hot dog supper and broil it over the fire. Lucky for him he had been declared to be responsible enough to have a pocket knife. He had just been given his very first pocket knife by his grand dad. Now for sharpening a stick!

That was a job well done. I bet that Ross had a great supper.

2/23/11 242.2 49.5 130 62 66 96.5 3851 77 51 0

Boy! Did Baylor wax Tech.

Pretty scene isn't it? It was a nice day except for a cold breeze. This is during the National Anthem. I had the best seat. The hopes of the Techsters were high.

Three hours later Baylor had won both games of a double header. Scores: first game 11 to 0, second game 9 to 0. The Techsters got on base only three times. Baylor sure did not need any rooting from me.

2/22/11 242.6 50 131 62 62 95.9 4347 74 55 0

Who to cheer for?

My grand daughter Joy graduated from Baylor. I am taking a three unit class in water exercise at Tech.

Typewriter, anyone?

These are on display in a store in downtown Ruston, Louisiana.

2/21/11 243.6 50 134 61 64 96.6 4788 74 59 0

Floyd Cramer's grandson and Chet Atkins's great-niece.

They played some pretty music this evening at the Dixie Center for the Arts. The Dixie is the center of the Ruston entertainment district. The grandson played the piano in the Cramer style and the great-niece played the guitar in the Atkins style. They collaborated on some neutral music.

After dark the Dixie lights up.

I was the guest at the show this evening of Justin Hinckley. I met Justin while attending Louisiana Tech athletic events. Justin lives several hours from Ruston but is at almost every game. He is a real sports fan and a real nice guy.

2/20/11 244 50 134 66 75 97.2 3781 75 60 0

Ross John Newberry 7 Years Old!

We (Father David, Mother Joy, Older Brother Ethan, Younger Brother Christian, Grandfather John, Grandmother Kerry, and Great Grandfather Chuck) surprised Ross at Applebees. Aunt Katie, Uncle Justin, and Cousin Johnny Lynn could not be there because JL is not feeling good enough to travel.

There are the Newberrys.

Ice cream on a cookie with a candle on top.

Oh Boy. Watch Grandpaw!

Then the party moved to Kerry and John's. Ross had some presents to open.

There was an Apple King Cake. 

John had removed the baby from the cake so no one would choke on it.

2/19/11 242.8 49.8 137 64 73 96.6 3164 77 57 0

Opening Day of Tech 2011 Baseball Season.

Tech played Southern Illinois last night in their first baseball game of the 2011 season. They won. Their fielding is improved over last year. It looks like it will be a good season.

Tightwad Hill was almost full.

Tightwad Hill is on the side of the railroad tracks that run behind right field. Sometimes a train goes by. 

It must be an exciting place to sit.

2/18/11 243.6 50.2 136 65 69 96.8 2500 76 59 0

Pink night at the Techsters Basketball Game.

Louisiana Tech likes colorful basketball games. Last Saturday was White Out night. You might remember all the white uniforms and white clad fans. Last night was Power In Pink night.

This was to raise awareness of breast cancer. The Techsters looked great in pink uniforms.

The officials had pink shirts as well as some of the fans.

The Techsters won their game. It was the their 400th victory in the Thomas Basketball arena. It was also their 13th straight victory this season. They have not lost a league game! They are good.

2/17/11 243.6 50.5 136 65 69 96.8 3368 70 56 0

Senior Winter Games February 17, 2011.

I am proud of my Certificate of Participation.

I was next. You know, that basket is far away and hard to hit.

I watched a hotly contested bingo game.

For participating and $10 I won this great tee shirt. The Louisiana Tech Kinesiology Department did a great job putting on the Games.

2/16/11 243.6 49.9 140 64 64 96.8 3780 70 56 0

A quiet day on Mitcham Orchard Road.

We are all concerned about my great grandson Christian. He spent last night in the hospital, He had a fever and was dehydrated. They say he had strep throat. Joy spent the night with him. I just talked to her and I could hear Christian in the background. He sounded ready to go home. What a relief!

2/15/11 243.8 49.8 131 62 65 96.5 2751 72 48 0

Key to the row of numbers.

1. Date.

2. Weight, pounds.

3. Waist measurement, inches.

4. High blood pressure, pounds per square inch.

5. Low blood pressure, pounds per square inch.

6. Pulse, heart beats per minute.

7. Body temperature.

8. Number of steps I made in the day.

9. High outside temperature for the day.

10. Low outside temperature for the day.

11. Rainfall, inches. 

I need to walk more. I am going back on Nutrisystem soon. I can not start yet. A group from the Jefferson Corner Liars Club is going to Moons for steak tonight. I have a VA meeting and lunch tomorrow. John and I have tickets for a Wild Game Dinner Saturday evening. It sure is hard to work in a diet.

Chris and I together again, forever.

The ashes of my beloved oldest son Chris have arrived from the mortuary in California. They are in a brown plastic box 4 by 6 by 8 inches.  It is likely that Chris and I will share the 400 square feet of our fifth wheel trailer home until I die.

The ashes of my wife Jackie are in our gravesite at the Arlington National Cemetery. There is a reserved spot in the gravesite for a hole for my ashes. I am reasonably sure that Chris's ashes can be placed in that hole with my ashes. My desire is that a member or members of my family carry Chris's and my ashes to Arlington at a convenient time after my death.

Jackie, Chris, and I could be together for a long long time.

White out basketball game.

The last Louisiana Tech men's basketball game was advertised as a white out game. Everyone was to wear white. The team did good.

The bald or shaved  head belongs to the coach.

The fans did fair. I will admit that I had forgotten to wear white.

ESPN was at the game.

With two seconds to play Tech missed a three pointer and lost by one point. However the Techsters (the Louisiana Tech girls team)  have won 12 straight games.

2/14/11 2432 49.7 136 70 69 96.9 3777 72 46 0