Like a three-legged guy in an ass kicking tournament...

All things considered I'm doing well. However getting old sucks and there's no getting around it no matter how hard you try. Do all of the right things and you still decline. It saddens me when I see people I know, who are much younger than me die, which forces me to contemplate my own mortality more often than I'd like.

Other than that, things are great on the home front. My kids and grandkids are doing great. All have jobs with a future, are not on drugs, are loving and respectful and a joy to be around. I couldn't ask for more in that part of my life.

So we (My wife and I) soldier on and try to make the best of what we have.

quote:

Originally posted by stickman428:
Winter is always a difficult time for me. I suppose the older I get the more I understand why people move to Florida or warmer climates. The cold just gets to me more now than it used to. It puts me in a sour mood most days.

Overall I am doing good. I’ve found renewed interest and ideas for a book I’ve been writing for a few years now. That’s been keeping my mind busy and has been an adequate replacement for the outdoor activities I have put on hold during freezing cold weather.

quote:

Originally posted by pbslinger:
Other than estrangement from my daughter and three of my grandchildren mostly due to covid and jab issues, and our country getting destroyed by puppets controlled by global daddys, better than a guy my age should. Kicking ass with athletics and body is holding up. Love where I live, love retirement, love projects I'm doing like my 1962 GMC 4WD Suburban I've owned since 1978. Buddy dropped off a 1972 Norton for me to fix up and looking forward to that.

pbslinger, You have some INTERESTING projects! My uncle always owned a suburban so over the years I became fond of the classic 60’s & 70’s suburbans. You really don’t see many classic Suburbans all that often anymore.

That 1972 Norton project sounds interesting. If you ever feel so inclined you should make a thread about the Norton and the Suburban projects. I’d love to know more about those projects.

Here's a little bit here: https://sigforum.com/eve/forum...160073694#1160073694

She's not quite ready for her closeup yet Mr DeMille.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrUc0yLsSfo&t=10s

I'm doing okay, some relatively minor health issues aside (diabetes, and COPD), both controllable through medication and diet. Ay 68 years young, I've been retired for eight years now. Life could be worse.

I’ll be honest, the past few years have been rough.

A lot of stress, change, and uncertainty. Covid crap, elections, putting mother in law into assisted living, retiring earlier than expected, wife’s medical issues, my own medical issues (I get two new cervical discs next week), and the death of my father and a couple close friends has really put me through the wringer.

On the bright side I’ve lost 140 pounds. I turn 60 in a week and I am in the best shape I’ve been in since my USMC days in my 20’s (except for my knee and neck ). I went from size 52 to size 34 pants, can ride 80 miles on a bicycle and can hike 7 miles in the snow (I have a knee that isn’t happy about it though).

Only thing that is getting me through it is coming to grips with the fact this is all temporary and God’s plan for me. I was blessed to be born in the greatest country on earth, I have food in my belly, and a warm place to sleep. I have real and “virtual” friends, a purpose, and peace of mind.

Final score, life is good.

Thanks for asking, Para. I'm glad to hear you're doing well and really appreciate you and everything you do to keep this place the way it is.

For me, since my body decided to stop making insulin just over a year ago, every day is a fight with my damn blood sugar. But I get up every morning determined to kick its butt, and so far I'm winning that one. It's built determination and self-discipline into my life to a degree that I've never had before, so that has been a benefit.

I'm getting used to working the day shift...miss the good times with the night shift crew, but it's nice that I get to interact with normal decent public regularly at work now instead of just the criminals. My time at home is much better, too...I'm happier and don't fall asleep every time I sit down. I get to take daily walks with my wife of 17 years and enjoy the talks we have together while doing that. I feel more connected to her than I have in years.

This past week it snowed on my days off, so we built a massive snowman in the front yard with the kids...it's 9' tall and the middle ball weighed like 400lbs and took ramps and all of us pushing to get it up there, lol. I've been shooting a lot with the boys and the youngest has really been getting excited about fishing so I'm looking forward to doing that with him this upcoming spring.

Sure life still has it's stresses, but they feel less significant as I've put more priority on the more truly important areas of my life. I've got it good!

Life is good. I was joking with a coworker the other morning that if I got killed on the particular job we were going on “I’d get taken in the prime of my life”. And life has really been good to me in the last few years.

To all those that are cynical and frustrated. Unplug from the internet. I stopped just about all of it three years ago, and my outlook is much better. I’m Still well informed, but EVERY news piece you read is about spin and making money. YouTube is garbage that is wrapped around clicks and likes.

I woke up this morning, life is great! Since I shouldn’t be alive after my widow maker, I have a new appreciation for each day I am alive. Just turned 59 and just started to try retiring. Having lots of money is just not as important as it used to be so I am focused more on enjoying life! No real health issues other than the heart and small aches and pains. Still very active.

Thanks for asking!

Well, about 6 hours ago I woke up on the right side of the grass again, so I am outstanding! Thanks for asking and I'm glad you're doing well too.

I wish I could sneeze and tie my shoes without pulling a muscle. I wish my dog was younger. I have reached the "get off my lawn" phase of life so as long as the various crises don't cross the property line, I'm not too concerned. That said, I do believe the world is going bat shit crazy.

Thanks for asking Para.

Given whats happening in our society, I have to confess that everyday life is just grand for both me and the wife. Idyllic might be a term to use. I'm just getting started on my retirement, and that is working just great. Our son graduated a couple of years ago, has a great job, is entirely on his own, and will treat us to several visits a month for dinner. Life is grand.

What a great way to start a Sunday Para. Thanks.

Personally, doing great. Off from work for 6 weeks - I call it practicing for retirement which will be in 6 years or less. Not bored at all, which is a good sign.

What a truly amazing thread - based on a "platitude" we use daily... Thank you for initiating, Para!
It truly helps me realize how good I have it, between the mentions of cancer, divorce, financial problems, illnesses and our political and socioeconomic problems -- I am blessed. Very impressed with 911Boss' 140 lbs weight loss (as I need to loose 50)...

Thank you again for an inspiring thread and blessings to all, K

Not bad, all things considered. I retired about 3 1/2 months ago - yeah I'm still counting it in weeks - and overall I'm a lot happier now than I was a year ago. I don't have to put up with the office PC crap any more (being continuously told that I'm a racist just because I'm white was a big reason why I decided to retire earlier than I had planned on). I moved away from Portland to a much smaller town in a much redder state, which has had a huge positive impact on my outlook.

When it warms up a little I'm going to get back into shooting more regularly, and a few things that have been neglected for years (camping, photography). I may even take up some fishing, which I've never had either much patience for or much success at in the past.

My parents are in an "assisted living center" in Portland now and are not happy about it, but neither of them are capable of fully caring for themselves anymore. My sister is left being their primary support since I moved, and she's pissed about that and not talking to me. But I talk to them once a week or so, which is honestly more often than I did when I lived just across town from them. And my brother lives about 60 miles from here, as does his daughter and her family, so I still have family in easy driving range. My niece is thrilled to have Uncle Jeff near by - she wants me to take her out shooting, another thing I'll do when it warms up a bit.

All in all, things could be a lot worse.

Thanks for asking Mike, and am glad all is better on your end.

Similar to others, in late 2019, I had heart issues, and have been diagnosed with heart failure. I have heart pains everyday, but doc says just something I have to live with.
I turn 50 in March, so this has had a profound impact on my life. I have no children, so now have to worry about "heirs" to things. However, I just keep plugging on.

Otherwise, the wife and I finally built a home, all debt free. We just recently (Dec 2021) installed solar for our house also, so no electricity bill, ever. BTW, to have power run to our house would have been well over $100k, as we are that remote. It's nice to know that should I keel over one day (the cardiologist says I could have "sudden death", great....), the wife has everything here to live comfortably, and it is all paid off.

We live decently. Our dogs are happy. The cupboards and ammo hoard are stacked deep. We watch the world from afar. Can't ask for much more.

Very well. Thank you.

RMD

Para first thank you for asking. So many of us on here myself included don’t really get into our personal lives and let known what’s going on. Partially because we don’t want to bother others on here, maybe we have our own way with dealing with issues in our lives.

Because you asked, we my wife and I are doing fine, each day I thank God for the blessings given to us in our life. This past two years has been a transition from full time RVing to a house we had built in Branson. It’s been a busy Fall we (my wife and I) installed an irrigation system and planted a yard. Took a week off and then it took 41 days to build and put in a fireplace.

I am fighting the distractions of our government and media. I am trying to prepare for certain possibilities. I am not a full blown prepper, but I do believe in having things in place to make life easier in case of power outages or other events. Wiring in a portable generator tap and transfer box.

Keeping busy is going to be the next challenge in retirement. I say retirement because I have always held jobs while workcamping these past 13 yrs. From gate guards for oil fields in Texas, Tiki bar clean up in Surprise, AZ to grounds supervisor at an RV resort in the Black Hills. Hobbies will help woodcarving, learning to play guitar.

Now being done with all that we have been enjoying family and friends.

Thanks again for asking.

Thank you for asking Para. I'm doing well. At 73 I'm healthy overall with a little arthritis in the hands and knees but I still shoot pistol and some trap. Do some trout fishing and hiking and cut all my own firewood. I have a wonderful wife and daughter and some great friends. I intend to continue my plan that "it's better to wear out than rust out".

I'm good, thanks for asking.

I am blessed to live in freedom in the greatest country that world has ever known.

I have plentiful food, safe water, a warm house, I have excellent sanitation services, electricity and natural gas are amazingly trouble free. Freedom to go where I wish when I wish. I have transportation, health care, and much more. Reasonably good health is a blessing. I never have to worry about having a safe place to sleep, or where my next meal is coming from. Opportunities abound.


I have been incredibly blessed in many ways in life and in some ways I have had a rough road to walk, but that's ok.

It's easy to bitch gripe moan and complain about things and many people do. YOU are blessed. I have a family member who has issues and does nothing but complain 24/7/365.
There are countless dead and gone people who would LOVE to be back alive on Earth again, and if you could ask them, they would say that they'd never complain about a stormy cold gray dreary day. They'd never complain about this and that, fair and unfair, etc. It's something to LIVE through!

Bloom where you are planted and play the cards you are dealt.

Can you imagine being born and living under a brutal dictatorship? Born into a terrible war zone? Born where you are taught to hate others? To have others hate you for no reason? Born into famine, rampant disease with awful health care?

Be glad for what you have. For one thing, it's far more than most others in the world have.

In the final analysis, my Lord and Savior sent his only Son to be born into the world and to die for my sins. I am promised to spend eternity in a wonderful place beyond description. What can be better than that?

So YES, I am doing very well, thank you very much.
.

Thanks for asking, "if I were doing better I'd have to be twins".

Best shape I've been in for a decade or 2. My various physicians all suggest whatever I've got I'm as likely as to die 'with' rather than 'from' but no guaranties....

I've been promoted this past year to Official GREAT grandpa....

Thanks for a great educational/informational/recreational environment. My best to you.

As others have said, thank you. Since I learned to release what I can’t control and prepare for what I can, I’ve found peace again. Since I’ve learned the value of selflessness and applied it to my character where I can, my marriage is stronger than ever. We’ve had some setbacks relative to some of our boys. We’ve missed some goals and had to be flexible on what we hoped for. But I can feel the hand of the Lord moving in our lives. Every day I get to hug my in house grandchildren, read to and play with them. What more could a man ask for? What more could he want? We are well and hope the same for you.