DATE: Monday. September 2, 2013. Day 2
LOCATION: Majestic Hotel in Chicago.
I had a pretty good night of sleep considering it was the first time I had slept with my son in probably 40 - 45 years. (He is 52 now.) John and Brad were still sleeping so I put on my walking clothes, did my doctor ordered physical therapy (for the bursitis in my right hip), did a few yoga stretches and took off for Wrigley Field. It was less than a mile and I easily found my way. I scouted out the Captain Morgan Bar and Grill located outside but connected to the left field corner of Wrigley. I checked out some of the bronze statues of former Cub greats. Believe it or not there really are some. The most famous of course is Ernie, (Let's play two), Banks. Some others were Billy (Sweet Swinging) Williams and Gabby Hartnet plus many others.
Heading back to the Majestic Hotel I got lost. I walked by a laundromat. I was grateful that there was a lady sitting outside waiting for her clothes to dry and talking on her cell phone. She looked at me and I told her I needed help, I'm lost. I told her I wanted to get back to the Majestic Hotel - but she didn't know where it was either. So she called the Majestic for me and told the guy on duty where we were. He gave her directions and away I went. But not before thanking her and wishing her a good day.
John and Brad were all showered and ready to go when I returned. I took a quick shower and we all had breakfast at the hotel - it was a full breakfast. At 10:15, the three of us walked up to Wrigley - we sat outside at the Captain Morgan Bar and Grill on Addison Street. Our server was a cute young gal named Amber - she had a bubbly personality and had kind of a pudgy bottom. She said she wasn't going to spend the winter in Chicago - too cold - she was going to Houston, Texas to spend the winter with her boyfriend. We got 20 ounce Bud Light draws for $8.00 - not a bad price.
The game was at 1 PM - Cubs lost to the Marlins by a score of 4-3.
After the game we met one of Brad's former colleagues at the captain Morgan Bar. . His name is Jesse Rowell - his wife is Liz and their two kids are Nolan, age 5, and Eli, age 1. Eli kept us entertained by finding things to eat off the concrete. Liz and the kids had to leave so Jesse took us down the street to the famous Murphy's Bar which is located on Waveland and Sheffield and right across the street from the famous Harry Caray statue. Murphy's is also right next to the rooftop seating we see on TV when watching the Cubs.
When I first met Jesse at Captain Morgan's he kind of disgustedly looked at the cap I was wearing. I was wearing my Orange Bowl cap from 2010 when we beat Georgia Tech. So why did he look rather disgusted - because he graduated from Georgia Tech and had watched the game. He did not have good memories of that game - he told me so.
For supper we went to a Mexican Restaurant. Our server was Javanna, an immigrant from Croatia. She spoke perfect English and had a great personality. She was an accomplished piano player and wanted to have a career in the music field.
We saw ten MLB stadiums and obviously Wrigley is the oldest and the least fan friendly. It was built around 1914 so that explains a lot. There was no Americans With Disabilities Act at that time. The concourses are narrow and hard to maneuver. Also the toilet situation is not the most accommodating compared to the other nine. They finally have made some improvements with potties on the upper deck. We used to have to walk down ramps to the first floor in order to take a pee (and nearly pee in your pants on the way.) That's why, when I used to go to Cub games 10-15 years ago, I would never drink a beer at Wrigley because I was afraid I wouldn't make it in time.
Monday, September 30, 2013
Friday, September 27, 2013
Day 1: Major League Baseball Trip
Today is Friday, September 27, 2013. This is my first POST since August 30. I've taken a month off and will begin today with the story of our baseball trip from September 1 to September 17, 2013.
Day 1: With brother John's KIA packed to the hilt the three of us took off from Anamosa at 8:07 on Sunday, the 1st of September, 2013. We arrived at Miller Park in Milwaukee at 11:45 AM. We tailgated a little and saw our first game - The LA Angels beat the Brewers by a score of 5 to 3. We thought the parking fee of $18.00 was a little high. After the game we took off for Chicago arriving at the Majestic Hotel in Chicago at 7:10 PM. The Majestic is less than a mile from Wrigley Field. We unloaded and got to our room with two queen size beds. Brad got instructions on where to park the car, came back to the room and we were all hungry so we found the ROCKS Bar and Grill - it was less than a half mile from the hotel. When we got back to the hotel we met four guys in their fifties who were on a baseball trip also (but not as long as ours). We found out they were from Lyon County, Iowa and had seen the Cubs play that afternoon. We had a good visit with them because Iowans are always easy to talk to.
Then four guys from Des Moines (they were in their early twenties) came out of the hotel and all seven of us engaged them in conversation. They were going barhopping again, just as they had done the night before. They probably shouldn't have because of what they told us had happened to them the night before when they were at a bar. One guy had bruises around his eyes and forehead and another had bruises around his wrists from being handcuffed. Anyway, this is what they said happened. These four guys from Des Moines were in a bar and were trying to hustle some Chicago girls. The local Chicago boys did not want to see their chicks hustled by some guys from Iowa, So some of the locals attacked the Iowa guys and a fight ensued - the bartender called the cops. The cops came and had one of the Iowa guys on the floor, handcuffed him and took him to jail. The other three Iowa guys asked the cops to watch the bar's video of the fight to see what really happened. The video convinced the cops that the Des Moines guys didn't really do anything wrong - so they let him the one guy out of jail.
Then this one guy tried to explain to us the whole scenario of the night before.
He said: "Theoretically, it wasn't a real arrest."
"Theoretically, we weren't in a fight."
"Theoretically, we didn't do anything to deserve to be attacked"
"Theoretically, he didn't go to jail."
He used the word "theoretically about 5-6 times. I guess he liked that word or had just learned it.
Brad, John and I laughed about "Mr. Theoretically" the rest of the trip.
We went to bed about midnight. Brad and I slept together - it was different to say the least. But we got used to it after a couple of nights.
Day 1: With brother John's KIA packed to the hilt the three of us took off from Anamosa at 8:07 on Sunday, the 1st of September, 2013. We arrived at Miller Park in Milwaukee at 11:45 AM. We tailgated a little and saw our first game - The LA Angels beat the Brewers by a score of 5 to 3. We thought the parking fee of $18.00 was a little high. After the game we took off for Chicago arriving at the Majestic Hotel in Chicago at 7:10 PM. The Majestic is less than a mile from Wrigley Field. We unloaded and got to our room with two queen size beds. Brad got instructions on where to park the car, came back to the room and we were all hungry so we found the ROCKS Bar and Grill - it was less than a half mile from the hotel. When we got back to the hotel we met four guys in their fifties who were on a baseball trip also (but not as long as ours). We found out they were from Lyon County, Iowa and had seen the Cubs play that afternoon. We had a good visit with them because Iowans are always easy to talk to.
Then four guys from Des Moines (they were in their early twenties) came out of the hotel and all seven of us engaged them in conversation. They were going barhopping again, just as they had done the night before. They probably shouldn't have because of what they told us had happened to them the night before when they were at a bar. One guy had bruises around his eyes and forehead and another had bruises around his wrists from being handcuffed. Anyway, this is what they said happened. These four guys from Des Moines were in a bar and were trying to hustle some Chicago girls. The local Chicago boys did not want to see their chicks hustled by some guys from Iowa, So some of the locals attacked the Iowa guys and a fight ensued - the bartender called the cops. The cops came and had one of the Iowa guys on the floor, handcuffed him and took him to jail. The other three Iowa guys asked the cops to watch the bar's video of the fight to see what really happened. The video convinced the cops that the Des Moines guys didn't really do anything wrong - so they let him the one guy out of jail.
Then this one guy tried to explain to us the whole scenario of the night before.
He said: "Theoretically, it wasn't a real arrest."
"Theoretically, we weren't in a fight."
"Theoretically, we didn't do anything to deserve to be attacked"
"Theoretically, he didn't go to jail."
He used the word "theoretically about 5-6 times. I guess he liked that word or had just learned it.
Brad, John and I laughed about "Mr. Theoretically" the rest of the trip.
We went to bed about midnight. Brad and I slept together - it was different to say the least. But we got used to it after a couple of nights.
Friday, August 30, 2013
Pete's BLOG-Day 26,582. Two day until the MLB trip.
Today is Friday, August 30, 2013. My stats today: 10 minutes of yoga, 10 minutes of lifting weights and 45 minutes of walking = 2.5 miles for an August total of 51.5 miles. My weight was 162.0 pounds.
Quote from Martin, age 10. When Martin was asked what people do on a date, he answered with this: "On a first date, they tell each other lies, and that usually gets them interested enough to go for a second date."
My THOUGHTS today: I haven't done much blogging this summer - sometimes it's good to take a break and come back refreshed.
Brad is here again. He and Lene took a 3-week vacation to north central Minn. including seeing his cousin Andrea and Aunt Marlys in Alexandria. Then they headed to the Black Hills and Denver and finally Kansas City. The visited Up With Friends in Minnesota, Denver and Kansas City.
Lene flew home to Denmark last Sunday. Brad is staying - he is in-between jobs right now so that means we can fulfill one of the items on our Bucket List. That item is a Major League Baseball Trip. Brother John is coming to Anamosa tonight - tomorrow the three of are going to the Hawkeye-Northern Illinois game. Then on Sunday we take off for Milwaukee to see our first game. After Sunday's game we'll travel to our hotel in Wrigleyville and see the Cubs play on Monday. We plan on having some fun after the game in some of the sports bars around Wrigley Field. We'll stay at our hotel in Wrigleyville Monday night and travel to Cincinnati on Tuesday. That's the first 3 days.
I'm bringing my computer so if I have time each day I will try to keep things up-to-date.
Quote from Martin, age 10. When Martin was asked what people do on a date, he answered with this: "On a first date, they tell each other lies, and that usually gets them interested enough to go for a second date."
My THOUGHTS today: I haven't done much blogging this summer - sometimes it's good to take a break and come back refreshed.
Brad is here again. He and Lene took a 3-week vacation to north central Minn. including seeing his cousin Andrea and Aunt Marlys in Alexandria. Then they headed to the Black Hills and Denver and finally Kansas City. The visited Up With Friends in Minnesota, Denver and Kansas City.
Lene flew home to Denmark last Sunday. Brad is staying - he is in-between jobs right now so that means we can fulfill one of the items on our Bucket List. That item is a Major League Baseball Trip. Brother John is coming to Anamosa tonight - tomorrow the three of are going to the Hawkeye-Northern Illinois game. Then on Sunday we take off for Milwaukee to see our first game. After Sunday's game we'll travel to our hotel in Wrigleyville and see the Cubs play on Monday. We plan on having some fun after the game in some of the sports bars around Wrigley Field. We'll stay at our hotel in Wrigleyville Monday night and travel to Cincinnati on Tuesday. That's the first 3 days.
I'm bringing my computer so if I have time each day I will try to keep things up-to-date.
Thursday, August 22, 2013
Pete's BLOG-Day 26,574. Final comments on medical bill
Today is Thursday, August 22, 2013. Mt stats today: 10 minutes of yoga, 10 minutes on the ball and 37 minutes of walking = 2.0 miles for an August total of 35 miles. Me weight was 163.8 pounds.
QUOTE from Anita, age 9: Is it better to be single or married? Answer from Anita: "It's better for girls to be single but not for boys. Boys need someone to clean up after them."
My THOUGHTS today have to do with final comments on Ruth Ann's medical bills.
In my last post I unloaded on Ruth Ann's $5,578.65 medical bill for two nights in the hospital. Since then I went to the hospital to try and get some answers about my concerns. The lady I talked to was real nice but overall I didn't get much satisfaction but she did print off an itemized list of every charge on the mailed bill we got.
So, what did I learn or not learn?
1. I learned that for every hydrocodone-acetaminophen, clonazepam, lisinopril pill they gave her she was charged from $5.30 to $5.45.
2. I learned that for the two physical therapy charges the first one was for the PHYSICAL THERAPY EVALUATION for $159.99. The second PT charge was entitled THERAPEUTIC ACTIVITY DIR EA 15 M. The charge was $107.85. I'm assuming the 15 M means 15 minutes - which would be accurate (I was there when he did it.) As far as the EVALUATION we have no idea when they did this. For almost $160.00 it must have taken them hours and hours to decide what to do with Ruth Ann for 15 minutes.
3. The explanation for the OBSERVATION CHARGE was like this - I guess it had to do with how many hours the nurses had to keep an eye on Ruth Ann. The charge was $530.00.
The list of what I didn't learn is much longer. Here are some examples:
1. PR ED LEVEL 5 VISIT - the charge was $263.00.
2. ETHANOL (ALCOHOL); NOT BREATH. - the charge was $200.25.
3. OXYGEN SUBQ DAY - the charge was $621.00.
The lady I talked to was the receptionist. In fairness to her she was not the expert but she said she would try to help me. The financial/billing lady was not on duty so this gal tried to help me and actually knew quite a bit, considering. She was very nice and admitted when she didn't know something. She said I was welcome to come back and talk to the billing lady.
How much of the $5,758.65 bill was actually paid? Here it is.
Medicare SEQUESTRATION reduction 7/5/13 -$32.57
Medicare contractual write-off - 7/5/13. -$3,098.57
Medicare actual payment - 7/5/13 +$1,595.71
Our BC insurance payment - 8/0/13 +$1,015.04
Total payments and adjustments = -$5,758.65
So Jones Regional Medical Center got paid - $2,610,75 for Ruth Ann's 2-day stay. That looks much more realistic to me than $5,758.65
QUOTE from Anita, age 9: Is it better to be single or married? Answer from Anita: "It's better for girls to be single but not for boys. Boys need someone to clean up after them."
My THOUGHTS today have to do with final comments on Ruth Ann's medical bills.
In my last post I unloaded on Ruth Ann's $5,578.65 medical bill for two nights in the hospital. Since then I went to the hospital to try and get some answers about my concerns. The lady I talked to was real nice but overall I didn't get much satisfaction but she did print off an itemized list of every charge on the mailed bill we got.
So, what did I learn or not learn?
1. I learned that for every hydrocodone-acetaminophen, clonazepam, lisinopril pill they gave her she was charged from $5.30 to $5.45.
2. I learned that for the two physical therapy charges the first one was for the PHYSICAL THERAPY EVALUATION for $159.99. The second PT charge was entitled THERAPEUTIC ACTIVITY DIR EA 15 M. The charge was $107.85. I'm assuming the 15 M means 15 minutes - which would be accurate (I was there when he did it.) As far as the EVALUATION we have no idea when they did this. For almost $160.00 it must have taken them hours and hours to decide what to do with Ruth Ann for 15 minutes.
3. The explanation for the OBSERVATION CHARGE was like this - I guess it had to do with how many hours the nurses had to keep an eye on Ruth Ann. The charge was $530.00.
The list of what I didn't learn is much longer. Here are some examples:
1. PR ED LEVEL 5 VISIT - the charge was $263.00.
2. ETHANOL (ALCOHOL); NOT BREATH. - the charge was $200.25.
3. OXYGEN SUBQ DAY - the charge was $621.00.
The lady I talked to was the receptionist. In fairness to her she was not the expert but she said she would try to help me. The financial/billing lady was not on duty so this gal tried to help me and actually knew quite a bit, considering. She was very nice and admitted when she didn't know something. She said I was welcome to come back and talk to the billing lady.
How much of the $5,758.65 bill was actually paid? Here it is.
Medicare SEQUESTRATION reduction 7/5/13 -$32.57
Medicare contractual write-off - 7/5/13. -$3,098.57
Medicare actual payment - 7/5/13 +$1,595.71
Our BC insurance payment - 8/0/13 +$1,015.04
Total payments and adjustments = -$5,758.65
So Jones Regional Medical Center got paid - $2,610,75 for Ruth Ann's 2-day stay. That looks much more realistic to me than $5,758.65
Saturday, August 17, 2013
Pete's BLOG-Day26,569. Part II-Medicare going broke.
Today is Saturday, August 17, 2013. My stats today: 10 minutes of yoga, 10 minutes on the ball and 27 minutes of walking = 2.0 miles for an August total of 26.0 miles. My weight was 163.2 pounds.
MY THOUGHTS today continue on the bill we got from the Anamosa Hospital for Ruth Ann's 2-day stay in the hospital in May. Yesterday, I vented about the physical therapy part and the drug costs part. Today I want to show the rest of this draconian bill. Here goes:
Part 4:The part called MEDICAL COSTS was for $621.00. Question: What exactly does that mean?
Part 5: The part called RADIOLOGY had two charges: $299.15 and $266.52.
Part 6: The LABORATORY had six charges: $200.25; $113.55; $179.85; $181.15; %25.50; and $113.55.
Part 6: The EKG/ECG was $157.47.
Part 7: The OBERVATION ROOM had three charges: $150.84; $16.76; and $362.77. Questions: Where is the OBSERVATION ROOM? Who was observing and what is particular were they looking for?
Part 8: The EMERGENCY ROOM had two charges: $932.78; and $27.97.
Ruth Ann was there for 3-4 hours total. Maybe that is the observation room!!!!!
Part 9: The IV THERAPY had four charges: $111.94; $124.39; $732.00; and $311.12
Part 10: This is the real mystery: There was a charge labeled N/A for $263.00. Question: What in the hell does N/A mean?
Part 11. The total was $5,578.65. But they did expect Ruth Ann to pay $56.75 - which is about 1%. And, in my opinion, man of these charges are inflated.
Hey, I'm grateful for the care she got and I'm grateful Anamosa has such a wonderful medical facility. And the care she received was wonderful and doctors and nurses were great. And I also realize that they have to make money so they can pay all the employees and pay for the utilities, etc. But why can't they make these damn bills understandable and explain in simple words what these things mean?
Thank God for Medicare and supplemental insurance. One of the reasons I'm a Democrat is it is the Democrats who gave us Medicare in 1965. I'm grateful to the Democrats for providing the majority of the votes to get it passed. And there were some Republican who also voted for it. It was President Lyndon Johnson and Vice-President Hubert Humphrey who pushed it through the Congress - I'm grateful to those two men.
If Medicare paid the total bills from doctors and hospitals they would've been broke years ago. Medicare does not pay the entire bills because Medicare officials know that doctors and hospitals inflate their bills in humungous ways. It is true that Medicare is hurting financially. I read in TIME Magazine that Medicare gets up to 3 million bills every day from doctors and hospitals. And they approve $1.5 billion every day in the form of wire transfers to these doctors and hospitals. What Medicare doesn't pay our supplemental insurance usually pick up the rest - and I'm grateful for that also.
Brad, our son, lives in Denmark. Denmark has universal health care for every citizen. from the day they are born until the day they die. YES, it is government run health care. And you know what? It works. The results of their system is that Danes live longer than we do and they have a lower baby death rate than we do. Also, Danes consider themselves the happiest people in the world - one of the main reasons is they have health care and they will never have to file bankruptcy to pay a medical bill.
Doctors in Denmark do not make as much money as our doctors do. However, they do not have to make as much money as our doctors. First of all the government pays for their tuition through 8 years of university/medical school so they don't come out of med school with $300,000 to $500,000 worth of loans to pay back. Secondly, doctors in Denmark do not have to pay malpractice insurance - if a doctor screws up in Denmark a disabled person will be put on welfare and will enjoy a decent life the rest of his/her days.
MY THOUGHTS today continue on the bill we got from the Anamosa Hospital for Ruth Ann's 2-day stay in the hospital in May. Yesterday, I vented about the physical therapy part and the drug costs part. Today I want to show the rest of this draconian bill. Here goes:
Part 4:The part called MEDICAL COSTS was for $621.00. Question: What exactly does that mean?
Part 5: The part called RADIOLOGY had two charges: $299.15 and $266.52.
Part 6: The LABORATORY had six charges: $200.25; $113.55; $179.85; $181.15; %25.50; and $113.55.
Part 6: The EKG/ECG was $157.47.
Part 7: The OBERVATION ROOM had three charges: $150.84; $16.76; and $362.77. Questions: Where is the OBSERVATION ROOM? Who was observing and what is particular were they looking for?
Part 8: The EMERGENCY ROOM had two charges: $932.78; and $27.97.
Ruth Ann was there for 3-4 hours total. Maybe that is the observation room!!!!!
Part 9: The IV THERAPY had four charges: $111.94; $124.39; $732.00; and $311.12
Part 10: This is the real mystery: There was a charge labeled N/A for $263.00. Question: What in the hell does N/A mean?
Part 11. The total was $5,578.65. But they did expect Ruth Ann to pay $56.75 - which is about 1%. And, in my opinion, man of these charges are inflated.
Hey, I'm grateful for the care she got and I'm grateful Anamosa has such a wonderful medical facility. And the care she received was wonderful and doctors and nurses were great. And I also realize that they have to make money so they can pay all the employees and pay for the utilities, etc. But why can't they make these damn bills understandable and explain in simple words what these things mean?
Thank God for Medicare and supplemental insurance. One of the reasons I'm a Democrat is it is the Democrats who gave us Medicare in 1965. I'm grateful to the Democrats for providing the majority of the votes to get it passed. And there were some Republican who also voted for it. It was President Lyndon Johnson and Vice-President Hubert Humphrey who pushed it through the Congress - I'm grateful to those two men.
If Medicare paid the total bills from doctors and hospitals they would've been broke years ago. Medicare does not pay the entire bills because Medicare officials know that doctors and hospitals inflate their bills in humungous ways. It is true that Medicare is hurting financially. I read in TIME Magazine that Medicare gets up to 3 million bills every day from doctors and hospitals. And they approve $1.5 billion every day in the form of wire transfers to these doctors and hospitals. What Medicare doesn't pay our supplemental insurance usually pick up the rest - and I'm grateful for that also.
Brad, our son, lives in Denmark. Denmark has universal health care for every citizen. from the day they are born until the day they die. YES, it is government run health care. And you know what? It works. The results of their system is that Danes live longer than we do and they have a lower baby death rate than we do. Also, Danes consider themselves the happiest people in the world - one of the main reasons is they have health care and they will never have to file bankruptcy to pay a medical bill.
Doctors in Denmark do not make as much money as our doctors do. However, they do not have to make as much money as our doctors. First of all the government pays for their tuition through 8 years of university/medical school so they don't come out of med school with $300,000 to $500,000 worth of loans to pay back. Secondly, doctors in Denmark do not have to pay malpractice insurance - if a doctor screws up in Denmark a disabled person will be put on welfare and will enjoy a decent life the rest of his/her days.
Friday, August 16, 2013
Pete's BLOG-Day 26,568. Why Medicare is going broke
Today is Friday, August 16, 2013. Me stats today: 10 minutes of yoga, 10 minutes lifting weights and 37 minutes of walking = 2.0 miles for an August total of 24 miles. My weight was 163.6 pounds.
QUOTE from Albert Einstein: "There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle."
My THOUGHTS today are about why Medicare is going broke and why I hate the U.S. healthcare SYSTEM. However, for those of us fortunate enough to be on Medicare or have health insurance through work or on our own we get the best health care in the world. The reason is because we have the best doctors, nurses, hospitals and medical technology in the world. SO I'm NOT COMPLAINING ABOUT THE CARE WE GET BUT THE WHOLE SYTEM IN GENERAL.
The SYSTEM is what I'm complaining about today. For those without health insurance you can end up bankrupt trying to pay your medical bills (60% of bankruptcies in the U.S. are caused by people unable to pay their medical bills.) And if you have no insurance and go to the ER you'll end up with a bill in the thousands of dollars after only a few hours.
What got me on this subject was yesterday we received Ruth Ann's medical bill from our local hospital for her 2-day stay in May (it was due to her cracked sternum and ribs,). The total was $5,578.75. When I examined the bill I got angry. What follows is why I got angry.
1. She had 2 physical therapy charges of $159.99 and $107.85. The problem is that the physical therapist only worked with her 1 time for less than half an hour. That's when he put a belt around her waist for safety purposes. He grabbed the belt to make sure she didn't fall and walked her less than 75 steps to a physical therapy room where he made her walk up and down 4 steps. Then she got in a wheel chair and I pushed her back to the room. That took about 20 minutes. He was a former student of mine and I was curious why he had made a career change from a high school science teacher to being a physical therapist. That conversation took about 10 minutes to make our total time together about a half hour And to make matters worse he said now I'm underworked and overpaid and when I was teaching I was overworked and underpaid.
2. The second thing that pissed me off were the charges entitled "DRUGS-SELF ADMIN" Four of the charges were for $5.45, two were for $5.35, and two were for $5.30 and one was for $13.65. I'd like to know why the difference in the charges.
3. Plus there were charges for "DRUGS" of $79.25 and $43.00. Plus another one entitled "DRUG CHARGE" for $43.00. I'd like to know what kind of drugs they were and what were they for and why do you have one entitled "drug charge" and the other two are just "drugs?"
That's it for today but I'll vent a little more tomorrow.
Monday, August 12, 2013
Pete's BLOG-Day 26,564. Great weekend.
Today is Monday, August 12, 2013. My stats today: 10 Minutes of yoga, 10 minutes lifting weights and 45 minutes of walking = 2.5 miles for an August total of 16 miles. My weight was 164.2 pounds.
My THOUGHTS today are about the weekend I had. Our Chatfield class of 1958 had our 55th class reunion on Saturday at Jac's Bar and Grill in Chatfield. We graduated with 58 kids, 11 have passed away - we only had 25 at the reunion, including spouses.
It is kind of sad that so few come. There are probably 15-20 classmates who have never attended a reunion. The last time we saw them was graduation night on June 5, 1958. And to make matters worse many of them live in the area. I guess they have their reasons - there must have been something(s) that happened during their school days that left a bitter taste in their mouth.
Ruth Ann has been having bladder problems so she didn't want to be put in an uncomfortable situation and decided not to attend. Anyway, I went by myself and stayed with Jerry and Elsie Narveson, our longtime friends from seventh grade on. After the reunion we went to the city park for some live music, ice cream, visits with old friends, my brother Mark (Margie), my old band instructor (Curt Peterson), at 5pm we went to the live play SPAMALOT.
And then we went to Jerry and Elsie's rural home for a couple beers and Elsie's potato salad (made with Jerry's homegrown potatoes), bean hot dish, and pulled pork sandwiches. We visited until midnight. Sunday morning at 9am we went to ecumenical church service at the auditorium. I headed for home about 10:30.
I had a great time. I always enjoy their company so much. Jerry and I have so many memories from our high school athletic days and from knowing each other since seventh grade. And it was Jerry and Elsie that got Ruth Ann and I connected in the first place at the end of 10th grade. Plus, the four of used to double date - and Elsie and Ruth Ann were the best of friends from 4th grade on. So we have a lot of memories. (Elsie and Ruth Ann say our athletic exploits get better and bigger every year.)
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