How do you sleep?

I guess everyone has a unique way of sleeping. I usually sleep on my side. I have four pillows, two regular size, a bolster type, and a small travel pillow. I keep a heating pad under the pillows, just in case my back hurts. My sleeping style was developed from my snoring and having carpel tunnel syndrome. I wore wrist braces for five years while sleeping, until I had carpel tunnel release surgery on one wrist in 1996. After that I was no longer bothered by it, because I learned to keep my wrists straight while I type and while I sleep. I have my head on one pillow, I hug the other one, I keep my wrists straight on the bolster pillow, and the travel pillow stays tucked under my chin to keep my mouth closed! I have found that the best to prevent snoring is to breathe through your nose, and that little pillow has worked wonders for me. I have also discovered that I have less sinus problems, because my nose stays clear. My bedroom is my inner sanctum. I keep it cool and dark. I can close up my bedroom even on the sunniest day and make it as dark as night in there. This works great if I take a nap in the daytime. I never slept enough when I was working. Now that I am retired, I always make sure that I sleep eight hours a night. If I feel a little fatigued in the day, I take a short nap, then I am refreshed. Ahhh! I am so lucky, I love my life!

Busy with the Band

On the past two Saturdays we have been attending the band competitions. In the Largo competition the band won First Place in Class 1-A, Best Drum Major, and Best Auxiliary. The next weekend in the Tampa competition, the band won First Place in Class 1-A, Best Music caption, Best General Effect caption, Best Visual caption, Best Percussion caption.

The PHS band is a small band, with only 60 total members (that includes auxiliary flags & dancers). There was a record high in Tampa last Saturday, and when they took the field at 3:30 PM, the temp gauge read 99 degrees. They went out there like troopers in those hot polyester uniforms and gave it their all, putting on an awesome show. All the parents were screaming them on to victory.
Next weekend we start over again at another competition.

Deck

Over the past weekend we painted the deck and we were not pleased with the color. I got some more Behr deck paint yesterday, and spent all day on the re-paint. I am still not happy with the color.
I was looking for dark brown, but the chips on the chart just don't match the real color, it's sort of a reddish-brown, even though the color was named "chocolate" (I was thinking dark chocolate not milk chocolate!) Anyway, I guess I will get used to it.

I wore my "CROCS" while painting with a big roller. I didn't notice until several hours later that I had ruined my shoes with paint spatter all over them! I was so disapointed, 'cause I love those shoes, so I tried to clean them. Dish soap and one of those potscrubbers did the trick! All the paint came off, then I polished them with some Pledge.



These are some cool, comfortable shoes!

Criminal minds

This time of year folks are turning off their air conditioners and enjoying the wonderful fall weather. Watch out. Don't leave the house with the windows wide open, or you might get an unwanted visitor. I have arrested a lot of burglars. Most people think that these guys sneak in during the night. Not true. They are lazy; they like to work between 10 AM and 3 PM - when you are not home. They knock on your door. If you don't answer and a dog doesn't bark, an open window is an invitation for them to enter and steal your stuff. They like to take small stuff like money and jewelry. They forgot to bring a bag, so they usually take a pillowcase off your bed to carry the loot. They can be in and out of your house in minutes. It just doesn't take that long to ransack the place. Sometimes burglars will do several houses in the same neighborhood. Once outside they find a big shrub or hedge to hide the pillowcase. They will come back later to collect the stuff. (that way, even if they are caught right after the crime - you can't prove that it was them) If you really must leave your windows open, get those inexpensive screw on locks that only allow the window to open four inches. Yeah, they could break the window, but they won't - I told you, they are lazy. They will skip your house and go to your neighbors. I never answer the door if I am not expecting you (so call me first - maybe I will answer the phone!) A lot of people knock on my door in the day. I wish I could keep that damn pack of dogs quiet! I sure would have a suprise for the burglar!

photostamps.com

You can order specialty stamps with any photograph on them. They cost quite a bit, but I like to put them on our Christmas cards. You have to take them to the post office and ask that they hand stamp them, so that the postmark doesn't cover the photo. I make the boys dress up in suits. (it is just about the only time that I can get them to dress up) I let them pose anyway they want. What a difference a year makes!

We had to buy them new (bigger) suits this year. They have to shop at the mens store now.

They are still posing the same way.

New graphic

The band trailer finally got the photo-graphics on last week. They used all photos taken by me! The band director designed a collage with some of the kids photos and the tiger mascot. It really gets a lot of looks when I am going down the road. It is also a lot easier for me to get through the stadium gates now; they just wave me through now that they know who I am. This Saturday starts our month of competitions. It is an exciting time for all the band members. It is a lot of work, but also a lot of fun for the kids and the parents. We have had our first taste of fall weather here, it got below 70 degrees this morning! I hope it stays that way the rest of the month.

postscript: Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you - when I took the trailer to the graphics place they asked me to BACK it into their garage. I had about a two inch clearance on each side. I was quite nervous but kept saying to myself, "what one person can do - another can do!" Practice makes perfect when backing a trailer, I just go really slow and they think I'm a pro.

>>>> ???? <<<<<<

I went to the doctor this morning and all my tests are negative, my vitals are good, all my blood work was normal. ("whew!") The doctor said that the pain could have been caused by a gall stone, or maybe a soft stone that passed. He said these things can happen even after a gall bladder is removed (great). Anyway, I am not in pain anymore, and after a flu shot and a pneumonia shot - I "skipped" out of the doctors office feeling like a person with a death sentence reprieve. I have vowed to lose some weight and keep my blood sugar under control. I would rather take a "poke in the eye with a sharp stick" than go to the doctor. I don't know why I am like that. My mother loves to go to the doctor, even though she can't hear a word he says! Maybe I should go more often, and not just when I think I am deathly ill! Perhaps I should go just for a check-up once in a while! Well, no, I probably won't do that. Anyway, thanks to all of you for your concern.

I have called out sick

I have been neglecting my blogging lately due to illness. I fell ill last week with bad pain in my upper back. It felt exactly like a gall bladder attack; only I don't have a gall bladder - it was removed in 1980. I went to the doctor and they ordered the usual battery of tests. CBC, labs, x-ray, abdominal ultra sound. My heart was enlarged on the x-ray, so they threw in an echo cardiogram. I took myself off my cholesterol meds (pravastatin) and the PA told me to stay off of them until the test results are in. My regular doctor is on vacation, and I see him first thing next Monday when he returns. In the meantime, the pain is now at a manageable level, I am feeling better everyday. I suspect that I could have formed some more "stones" in the common bile duct. This happens in about one percent of the gall bladder cases. (so I am told) Anyway, I hope that it is not something more serious. Keep your fingers crossed for me! I plan to catch up on my blog reading tomorrow!