Bits and Pieces » Personal

Grumpy the Groundhog

Jonco — Fri, 25 May 2012 19:19:09 +0000

This hearty and hefty little fellow, whom I shall call Grumpy, lives in my back yard. That is, when Trixie’s not looking.

He actually lives in the wooded lot next door but spends his sunny afternoons in my back yard. He spent about 30 minutes out there this morning just foraging around. He, or one just like him, has been a regular around here for a couple of years.

Lucky Lotto

Jonco — Mon, 14 May 2012 21:54:25 +0000

Today, May 14^th (5/14) is my son Dave’s birthday. We got together with him over the weekend and gave his a lottery scratcher ticket. He sent along this image of his ticket when he scratched it this morning.

Happy Birthday Dave!

Pirate Dog Costume

Jonco — Mon, 14 May 2012 14:16:01 +0000

Thanks Russ

Gus and Granny Jo

Jonco — Mon, 14 May 2012 02:11:35 +0000

Keeping each other company Gus rests with my mother-in-law, affectionately known as Granny Jo, during a Mother’s Day visit. Jo has Alzheimers and doesn’t talk much anymore. Gus doesn’t talk much either so they get along fine. Jo turns 85 next month. Gus will be 7 in August.

1890 Replica Light Bulb at 1,000fps

Jonco — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 21:28:27 +0000

On my recent visit to Fort Myers Florida I purchased a replica bulb from the Thomas Edison Summer Home and Museum. Last night we filmed the bulb in slow motion being turned on and off. It’s pretty cool to watch the different colors as the bulb heats up and cools down.

The Bowlegged Bowler

Jonco — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 13:23:24 +0000

This is my grand-niece Brianna, (she’s my nephew’s daughter) taking a stylistic approach to bowling yesterday at the local alley. Brainna is 6 years old and she is grand!

Borderline Diabetic

Jonco — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 21:03:39 +0000

While at the doctor on Monday for my 6 month check-up and blood work-up he told me that I’m borderline diabetic. I seem to recall him saying something similar the last time but he gave me no medications or instructions. This time he prescribed Metformin (500 mg tabs) and also got me a One Touch device for checking my blood sugar levels daily.

He told me to test twice daily but I can see no reason to do it after I’ve eaten. I understand an early morning test after I haven’t eaten since the night before. I can get consistent results that can be compared to see how I’m progressing. I understand the big thing is your A1C test that indicates your 3 month average. So, I’ve just been testing every morning before I eat anything. My morning sugar levels have been between 117 and 150 this week. The one time I checked it about an hour or two after I ate dinner it was 198. Doing the test is easy once I figured out the massive instruction sheet that came with the device. I thought my finger would get sore from the little pricks but you can hardly feel it.

From what I understand the ideal blood sugar level is under 100.

I know I need to eat better and exercise. I’m not going to give up all the things I like but I had gone off the healthy food wagon a while back. This week I’ve done really good on eating. I’m still going to splurge every now and then with pizza and foods I enjoy but I’ll try to eat smaller portions and make better choices. Giving up my “ice cream every night” hasn’t been too bad so far. I’ve also done some walking in the evening, but not nearly enough. I need to get out of this office chair a little more and move around a little.

Me and Mr. Mike

Jonco — Sun, 25 Mar 2012 03:46:39 +0000

We had breakfast Saturday morning with Mike Firesmith at the Denny’s in Valdosta Georgia. He didn’t realize how tall I was and I didn’t realize how young he was. We got along just fine and discussed all of you in depth. Nah, seriously it was nice to meet Mike. He’s very articulate and talks like he writes. He’s quite an interesting person.

After breakfast we stared right into the sun for a photograph hence the squints before heading our separate ways.

Florida Trip Update

Jonco — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 02:16:58 +0000

We spent three and a half days visiting my brother at Miramar Lakes complex in Fort Myers Florida. He is there for the month and invited us down for a few days. We crammed a lot into those days. We shopped, beached, took a sunset sightseeing cruise in Naples, walked through a nature preserve, ate waaay to much, toured a $1.5 million home, visited the Thomas Edison and Henry Ford summer homes. We shopped some more and ate even more and played cards every night.

We’re now on our way home. On the way out we stopped at a Flea Market in Fort Myers. Then we headed to Port Charlotte for lunch and a quick visit to my Aunt Iva’s grave. It’s hard to believe she’s been gone over two years.

We made it to Valdosta Georgia for the night. We’re having breakfast with Mike Firesmith in the morning before heading on towards Atlanta. Anyone around there interested in a quick meet-up / late lunch around 2:30 or 3:00? Hopefully somewhere not too far off of I-75.

Sunset on the Gulf

Jonco — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 13:01:25 +0000

We took a sunset cruise in the Gulf of Mexico the other night. We’ve been keeping pretty busy except for yesterday afternoon when we took some time out for a nap on the beach.

we’re going to be starting the long drive home today. More pictures to follow.