My health and My house
Got back from my annual physical and breakfast with Marisa at Shari's in Portland.
Dr. Cooper could find nothing of concern through a physical exam. My blood pressure is just above normal, but he finds the meds I am taking keeping down reasonably well (I now have a routine which I follow that assures I do take all the meds asked of me). Weight 166 pounds, height 5 feet 10 inches...so my body mass index is good. Blood flow, lungs, prostate...everything is observed as fine.
I told him about the feeling I have when still...like my muscles or skin is tingling...but he didn't seem concerned. For now chalking it up to one of those growing older things.
Next year need another colonoscopy. Oh fun. I am not worried: I have plenty of fiber in my diet, my last one showed my colon had no polyps and the annual physical has shown no issues around the very end of the colon.
Also will need to get a Herpes Simplex III vaccine shot (Shingles). Even though I had treatment for a flare-up of this normally dormant virus a few years ago, he says the vaccine should prevent future flare-ups for the next decade (and, yes, so will keeping my stress level low, as that is what lowers my immune system and allows the virus to return).
I did get a flu vaccine this year.
Also had a blood draw for various blood tests, including a new one for some sort of cancer antigen. I have had difficulty with body-produced chloresterol and triglycerides being a bit above normal, but don't think the fatty liver enzymes will be a problem with my more reasonable weight (when I was 20-30 pounds heavier it was a concern).
Breakfast was good and needed: I didn't have time to slip in a good dinner last night before 8:30 p.m., the cut-off time for a fasting blood test this morning. I had an omelet and fresh fruit with coffee.
Weather to-day: very nice, partly sunny, calm.
In the mail to-day: my mortgage check was returned! I wrote Thousand... on it, not Twothousand. Good to know they still actually read the checks these days. Now I have to rush the new check in a new envelope with a new stamp!
I am taking Thursday and Friday as vacation days for next three weeks to use half of my remaining 2018 vacation days. More than that was not really possible and my manager said I could transfer the remaining to 2019. So that is the plan.
I hope to-morrow to go to the city archives and see if they have any pictures of my house, House60.
While I was thinking of that, I decided to do a new search on the original owners and was able to trace down to some people still living, around my age, in Oregon. I don't like to reach out like this as it might be considered an intrusion, but I have to try.
Once I tried to reach one family member who is now in his 80s (his son, I believe, is an engineering contractor about my age based in Portland but I didn't contact him). He remembers the larger lot with a pond in front and the peach tree in back, but that was as much as I could get from him...and no pictures. The peach tree was still back there when I first moved in, but was not doing too well (earwig infestation) and then was yanked when building Badhouse. Still, he confirmed that the Badhouse lot was once owned by the owner of House60, which old insurance maps also seem to demonstrate. I learned to-day that his wife was at one time involved in running antique malls or shops in the Portland area.
I am hoping I will have mild weather enough to put in my gate on one of the coming weekends or vacation days, but my real attention may be to cleaning out the basement.
Dr. Cooper could find nothing of concern through a physical exam. My blood pressure is just above normal, but he finds the meds I am taking keeping down reasonably well (I now have a routine which I follow that assures I do take all the meds asked of me). Weight 166 pounds, height 5 feet 10 inches...so my body mass index is good. Blood flow, lungs, prostate...everything is observed as fine.
I told him about the feeling I have when still...like my muscles or skin is tingling...but he didn't seem concerned. For now chalking it up to one of those growing older things.
Next year need another colonoscopy. Oh fun. I am not worried: I have plenty of fiber in my diet, my last one showed my colon had no polyps and the annual physical has shown no issues around the very end of the colon.
Also will need to get a Herpes Simplex III vaccine shot (Shingles). Even though I had treatment for a flare-up of this normally dormant virus a few years ago, he says the vaccine should prevent future flare-ups for the next decade (and, yes, so will keeping my stress level low, as that is what lowers my immune system and allows the virus to return).
I did get a flu vaccine this year.
Also had a blood draw for various blood tests, including a new one for some sort of cancer antigen. I have had difficulty with body-produced chloresterol and triglycerides being a bit above normal, but don't think the fatty liver enzymes will be a problem with my more reasonable weight (when I was 20-30 pounds heavier it was a concern).
Breakfast was good and needed: I didn't have time to slip in a good dinner last night before 8:30 p.m., the cut-off time for a fasting blood test this morning. I had an omelet and fresh fruit with coffee.
Weather to-day: very nice, partly sunny, calm.
In the mail to-day: my mortgage check was returned! I wrote Thousand... on it, not Twothousand. Good to know they still actually read the checks these days. Now I have to rush the new check in a new envelope with a new stamp!
I am taking Thursday and Friday as vacation days for next three weeks to use half of my remaining 2018 vacation days. More than that was not really possible and my manager said I could transfer the remaining to 2019. So that is the plan.
I hope to-morrow to go to the city archives and see if they have any pictures of my house, House60.
While I was thinking of that, I decided to do a new search on the original owners and was able to trace down to some people still living, around my age, in Oregon. I don't like to reach out like this as it might be considered an intrusion, but I have to try.
Once I tried to reach one family member who is now in his 80s (his son, I believe, is an engineering contractor about my age based in Portland but I didn't contact him). He remembers the larger lot with a pond in front and the peach tree in back, but that was as much as I could get from him...and no pictures. The peach tree was still back there when I first moved in, but was not doing too well (earwig infestation) and then was yanked when building Badhouse. Still, he confirmed that the Badhouse lot was once owned by the owner of House60, which old insurance maps also seem to demonstrate. I learned to-day that his wife was at one time involved in running antique malls or shops in the Portland area.
I am hoping I will have mild weather enough to put in my gate on one of the coming weekends or vacation days, but my real attention may be to cleaning out the basement.