Change is Never Ending

What a Difference a Year Makes

1959duke — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 15:02:51 +0000

One year ago today I wrote my first blog post.

This is the photo that accompanied it.

This is that sweet girl several months later, doing her own laundry.

This was taken at Christmas, 2011.

Like Baby Z, my blog has grown over the past year, thanks to YOU. Your posts and comments have inspired and encouraged me; I look forward to another year with you, celebrating life.

Christams Music in Your Heart

1959duke — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 21:18:19 +0000

As the years go by and family politics often get in the way of your plans there is always on constant. Those Christmas songs that touch your heart in a special way. It’s been a tough year in many ways and I just wanted to see my mom at Christmas but she decided to go be with my sister in Chicago. We were invited to drive from Nashville to Chicago to join them. That wasn’t going to happen. The “kicker” was my 10 years old niece was tired of not being at home at Christmas. So my sister caved in to a 10-year-old. When you allow children to make adult decisions these things happen. My mother is into her 70′s. This could be her last Christmas. So we are going to be with my step-daughter and her family. One of the good things about that is that I get to give her a bunch of stuff I don’t want.

So enjoy your favorite songs for they may be the only things you have to hold on to.

Tagged: Christmas, death, Relationships, Understanding, wisdom, Women

Christmas In Dixie

1959duke — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 21:27:50 +0000

There has been some rain in Music City USA today and that hasn’t been a bad thing. We have had some pretty warm weather for this time of year. This is my 17th Christmas in Dixie. Its different from living in the Gateway to the West. Winters up there can get really cold and snowy. There is a part of me that misses that and there is a yearning to return home. However as we grow older we realize that there are circumstances that are beyond our control. That is the case this year. The really tough part is my mother is past 70 now and you begin to think of how many more she will have. As with life itself nobody knows for sure when their time will come. I find it funny that people try and project the future. I have enough problems recalling what happened 2 hours ago let alone what is going to happen somewhere down the road. So it will be another Christmas in Dixie. Not the worst thing on earth.

Tagged: Life, life-experiences, love, musings, Understanding, Women

Reflections of The Pain

1959duke — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 14:45:30 +0000

Its been over a year now since the battle with my health started. In some ways there has been major progress. In other ways we have hardly moved an inch. That begs this question? Isn’t that how life goes? You make progress on some things while something else never seems to be going anywhere. There does come a point where you are thankful for the first and stay frustrated over the second. The hard part is taking the second part and just realizing it very well may never change. Especially in our culture today in which we want instant results. Some of the finest medical people in this city have looked at my shoulder and they are stumped. We have started some pain management to see if that gives me some relief. The next logical step would be narcotics and that simply will not happen. I will live with the shoulder the way it is before we go down that road. That is just a non-starter for me. At some point you do need to take back some control and say enough is enough.

Tagged: health, Life, Men, Pain, Relationships, Suffering, Women

Contrary To Popular Belief

1959duke — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 21:02:10 +0000

Contrary to popular belief I am still on this side of the sod. There are days I wish I wasn’t but that’s another story for another time. The shoulder is no better than it was last spring. We have no idea why. Maybe using that chainsaw wasn’t such a bad idea after all? Then again there may be an issue with the insurance company fussing about paying for such a radical step!

Somewhere through all the surgeries and stuff I changed and with that it does bring uncertainty. In ways I’m less tolerant of nonsense or maybe that is just getting old. For those of you that have not followed the story its a long and storied one. One of the things that got lost was me taking the time to write. It just did. Along with that something much more important got lost. That is my relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. One would think that after what I have been through that would not be the case but it is. I had breakfeast a few weeks ago with a Pastor friend trying to find the answers. I’ll just keep plugging away and maybe the answers will come.

Tagged: Church, Faith, God, life-experiences, Understanding, wisdom, Women, writing

Free Shipping?

1959duke — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 14:21:03 +0000

I heard on the news this morning that most people buy online things that include free shipping. Which of course is stupid. These companies are simply adding the cost of shipping into their cost. Part of that is because its easier for them. Trying to figure out rates is nothing but a headache. I know for me its easier to do it like that. Trying to figure out the postage to Alaska from Tennessee is a nightmare. My advice is try and use as many flat rate boxes as possible. Even then it can be a tricky situation.

Tagged: e-bay, life-experiences, musings, thoughts, uncategorized, wisdom, Women

Another East Coast Problem They Decided to Give the Rest of Us!

1959duke — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 13:08:10 +0000

The question was asked where the term ” Black Friday” came from. I went to wikipedia and looked. Here is what it says:

The day’s name originated in Philadelphia, where it originally was used to describe the heavy and disruptive pedestrian and vehicle traffic which would occur on the day after Thanksgiving.^[4] Use of the term started before 1966 and began to see broader use outside Philadelphia around 1975. Later an alternative explanation began to be offered: that “Black Friday” indicates the point at which retailers begin to turn a profit, or are “in the black”.^[

^{Thanks for the headache!}

Tagged: black friday, help, Life, Men, musings, Shopping, thoughts

Black Friday Myth

1959duke — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 01:27:55 +0000

The hype has started about Black Friday and all the sales and what great bargains that are out there. The truth is Black Friday has not been the busiest shopping day of the year for years. I get up at 4 a.m. because of my wife’s work schedule. There is no way I am doing that to go stand in some line and get trampled on.

While building my store it has amazed me how people are ripping people off especially on postage. I won’t do that. More and more I offer free shipping. It makes my life and everyone else’s easier. I had an employee of the Postal Service say that she has worked for them for 32 years and she doesn’t understand how it works. Often I offer free shipping and send it priority. Maybe that is a sign of old age. (http://stores.ebay.com/dealswithduke) I had an old-time fisherman give me this advice about fishing. “Keep it SImple”. The really bad thing about Black Friday is that people are lulled into concept that they are getting a deal. In reality all they are getting is scammed!

Tagged: black friday, e-bay, Life, life-experiences, Men, Shopping, thoughts, uncategorized, Women

Interesting People Along the Way…………….

1959duke — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 20:58:07 +0000

As I have dug more and more for stuff for my e-bay store one of the things that is fascinating is the people I meet along the way. They are of all sorts and kinds. Most are willing to help and just “shoot the breeze” about almost anything. It is a world all into itself and frankly most have no idea exist. People pass these little shops. Many have a mis conception that Flea Markets are Dumps. That is not the case at all. Some are nicer than some homes I have been in. Of course there are some places that you really need to be careful price wise. A couple of weeks ago I found these Max Burton 12 volt heaters and other things at a flea market. It neat to see what people will buy. All I know is that I am meeting some neat people along the way. If its 3 a.m. and you can’t sleep check out my store http://stores.ebay.com/dealswithduke and that will put you to sleep without a doubt!

Tagged: ideas, Life, life-experiences, Relationships, thoughts, wisdom, Women

Banty Rooster Takes Over

1959duke — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 12:15:04 +0000

I met with my primary care doctor and she is about 5 ft. nothing. We talked about the future of my shoulder and she made it clear that there will be no more surgery. It was like I let you boys play with this for the last 18 months and that stops as of today. In ways it was refreshing to have someone look out for me. The system just pushes you though. We will start some pain management next month but that’s ok. One of the things she stressed was that I need to go back to having a life. It was nice to wake up this morning knowing that I don’t have to go to Physical Therapy or another doctors appointment.

It’s a rainy morning in Music City U.S.A but in ways that rain is a very relaxing feeling!

Tagged: health, Life, life-experiences, Suffering, Understanding, wisdom, Women