Vital Signs for January 2017.

Started month in 227 pound range and ended in 230 pound range. Sneaky! Time to go back on diet,

Notice temperature spike on the 27th with my three day cold. My normal temperature is 97.7. Jumped to 99.3. My temperature really tells a story.

Lovely Breakfast with Rosa.

Picked Rosa up at 8 am and off to IHOP.. It was delicious. When we returned to Rosa's home we found that the door key was locked in the house. I had visions of breaking a window and hoisting Rosa up to get through it.

I called Rhonda. She called Tina. Tina was nearby on the the way home. In thirty minutes Tina showed up with a key.

Cell phones are wonderful. Each of us had one on us and that made it possible to make connections right away.

Twenty years ago I might have had to break a window.

John installs squirrel houses.

John put in a couple of hours of hard work this afternoon overhauling one squirrel house and installing two new ones. I sat in the shade and watched. My real job was to be on the alert and, if John had an accident, to call 911. John is very careful and experienced. Job went smooth.

It is hard work to put a heavy squirrel house thirty feet above the ground in a pine tree. I have two photos and a video for you to see.

John is on way down after the installation.

New house in squirrel land!

Watch John go up the tree using his tree stand.

Mississippi Genealogical Society Annual Seminar 2017.

There are a lot of genealogists in Jackson, MS. I met some and spent the day with them yesterday at the Society Annual Seminar. What an enjoyable day. Met an old friend, Jim Johnson, who drove from Shreveport for the affair. I met Jim at a seminar in Shreveport. Jim is a nice guy.

The Seminar was held in the Sparkman Auditorium at the Mississippi Ag Museum.

If you are early you can get a seat in the front row. Notice the almost empty hall. That is my brief case in the front row.

Later the hall was full.

The speaker (four one hour lectures) was D. Joshua Taylor. Josh is an excellent speaker with an inexhaustible store of knowledge about Genealogy. I really was impressed by him and enjoyed the lectures.

There were some interesting venders. Notice the gravestone rubbing wax. You can not find that in most stores. Good price too.

I almost bought  a "I brake for Cemeteries" bumper sticker.

Mississippi Ag Museum

Spent several hours at the Mississippi Ag Museum. There were several rocking chairs on porches that I used hard. Went to sleep a couple of times. I enjoyed the Museum. There was a display about arrowheads and Indians. (Even Choctaw) The Choctaws from this area were the first Tribe on the Trail of Tears. Some did not go.

General store inside and porch.

1914 Model T

Choctaw women can be the Chief!

Gonna get out of town!

I have not been gone from my trailer overnight for one and a half years. I am excited about going over to Jackson, Mississippi tomorrow. Will stay one night at the Hilton Jackson.

Looks fancy enough for me, huh? (I usually stay at Motel 6)

I get a special rate because I am attending a seminar nearby on Saturday. It is a seminar hosted by the Mississippi Genealogical Society. The speaker is D. Joshua Taylor.

Joshua is a professional Genealogist. He is very often on TV in various genealogical programs. I have seen him many times. Joshua will give four one hour lectures on various genealogical subjects. (I also get a box lunch.) The seminar will be held in a hall at the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Museum. I am looking forward to seeing the museum.

I plan to prepare a blog/vlog on my trip.

Tommy Ledford, lunch buddy of mine.

Tommy and I have had hundreds of meals together over my years in Ruston. Senior Lunch; several times a week. VFW; a luncheon meeting once per month and breakfast at the VFW Post every Tuesday morning. Plus many other outings. Besides being a good eater Tommy is a real nice, lovable guy. He is one the unforgettable characters that I have met in my life.

We were stationed at Camp Cook in Lompoc, California at the same time during WW II. He was a Sargent and I was in basic training. We never met there. Tommy is a retired plumber.

He very recently celebrated his 96th Birthday. I hope to go to his 100th Birthday Party! Happy Birthday, Tommy.

Septic valves all fixed!

Charles Wooley with RV Solutions came yesterday and finished repairing my valves. He had to manufactured the black water pulling rod. He is a very skilled RV repairman. I will keep his phone number handy. Here is a very short video.

Family Picture

I just came across this picture. It is a nice picture of Jackie and I and our four children in 1957. I like it.

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We were living on Minniehaha Street in Granada Hills. Granada Hills is in the NW corner of the San Fernando Valley. Jackie is holding Mike (1 year), standing in front of Jackie is Nancy (11 years), in front of me is Chris (9 years), who is hugging Kerry (3 years).

We had just moved from Santa Maria. The swing set had moved with us. At the far end of the swing set is an incinerator. It was called the General Pershing. Every house in the tract had a General Pershing in the backyard. (Fancy neighborhood) Unfortunately, it was against the law to use the incinerator. Due to the terrible smog, Los Angeles County had outlawed backyard burning of trash.

Jackie and I were important in those days. Our four wonderful children depended on us. Sixty years later I depend on them. They were and are a blessing.

Big Ass Fans.

This is Miss Smiley. She has been leading my water aerobics class for ten years. So pleasant . I have fallen in love with her.

The other day she told me that the pool was going to be closed for a few days. I asked her why. She said that they were going to install some big ass fans. I was shocked! My sweet Miss Smiley does not talk like this. I really looked askance at her and almost suggested that she wash her mouth out with soap. She said that Big Ass Fans was the commercial name of the fans and the name of the company that engineered, manufactured and installed them.

Two were installed above the pool. They are a recent development in building air conditioning. They turn slow but move a huge amount of air. Circulating the hot stagnant air in the high space gives a good saving in energy costs. They are big! Around thirty feet in diameter.

Saturday night basketball. Tech vs UTSA.

Exciting end to the game. Wish we had won!

RV Solutions (Charles Wooley) to the rescue.

Charles drove up, grabbed his tools and went under my trailer.

After an hour and a half working on his back he brought out the rod that had connected my pull handle with the valve.

One end of the rod had wallered out and let the pull handle pull out. The aluminum had crystallized over 20 years. Charles will get a new rod and return next week to finish the job. You know the meaning of wallered? The treads had enlarged from wear and would not grip.

Septic tank dump valve problems.

Vital Signs for December 2016.

First a brief discussion of my recent weight history. I was on a diet for three months. July, August, and September. Weight dropped from 255 to 222 pounds. 33 pounds. Great! Felt better and my pants fit. Off the diet October. November, and December. Weight up to 228 pounds. Up 6 pounds. Boo! Time to go back on the diet. My blood pressure is increasing.