His 62nd Birthday... 5 Years Ago

Today marks Alex' what would have been his 67th birthday. The last time he celebrated his birthday, he was 62. Tina and Kipp took us to the Clark Planetarium and out to eat. We had a good time. He also had just gotten his new driver's license a few days before. He had bought a brand new 4-wheeler for his birthday and was planning on using it a lot during the summer and also to help him with his irrigation.

Alex had been having a cough for over a month. He went to the Urgent Care Center and he was wheezing really bad. They said he just had a cold and gave him anti-biotics. They also gave him a nebulizer for his wheezing. They called later to tell him he had a very slight shadow on his lungs of a very mild pneumonia and they told him to keep taking the ant-biotics. They had x-rayed his heart and they said it was of the normal size.

He did start feeling better but his cough still lingered. He mentioned feeling more tired than usual. He was still very sleepy all the time and fell asleep as soon as he sat down. The week before he died, he was very busy staining the deck and fixing his tractor. He had plans to go get some manure and start his spring garden which he dearly loved doing. He was also in the middle of remodeling his bedroom. We had plans to go on a little spring trip with Marty and his family. The day before we were to leave on the trip, he died sometime during the early morning hours of Good Friday, April 9, 2004. It was less than a month since celebrating his birthday. An autopsy said it was his heart and that it was enlarged but the x-ray he had said it was fine. He had also had an echo-cardiogram a year earlier that said his heart was fine. They said he had had high blood pressure and that accounted for his large heart but no Dr. ever told him he did. I know he suffered greatly from sleep apnea and he would stop breathing for minutes at a time. I am sure that put a great stress on his heart and that caused it beat wildly and cause his death.

I miss him and his fun personality. He was a very good man and a hard worker and would do anything for those he loved. So even though he is not here today for his 67th birthday, I would like to tell him wherever he is that I loved him and I feel his spirit around our yard each day. You can't look out and not see something his hand created both inside and outside the house.

Randy's Birthday: March Birthdays

Happy Birthday Randy

March 13, 1942

Today is Randy's birthday.

We are going to the movie to celebrate. The movie is Watchman. Not really my kind of movie but one that Randy will really love. We are also going out to eat and buy Randy some things for the travel trailer.

Other March Birthdays are:

Jay Riehle: March 14, 1962
Brian Featherstone: March 28, 1982
Michael Opfar: March 31, 1989

And of course, My Alex: March 22, 1942

A Blah Kind of Day

Today it is gray and ugly outside. Not cold, but blah. I woke feeling blah and I am trying to get rid of this feeling so maybe if I write in my blog, maybe it will help.

This diet I am on is a little discouraging. I am a flex diet where I can eat two meals a week on regular food that is not high in fat. Whenever I do that, I gain a pound for the 5 others I lose during the week. And it's very expensive to be on this diet. I thought buying the food from NutraSystems was high enough but then I have to buy all these fruits and vegetables to go with it and if it keeps going like it is, I don't know how much longer I can afford this unless I compromise something else. Anyway, it is easier to plan menus but it makes it harder for Randy because he has to figure out what he is going to eat.

Anyway, I guess it's time for lunch on this blah and boring day. Maybe exercising on the stationary bike will help. Maybe I can take Bella for a walk if I can get up energy to do it. I hate days like this.