SPRING IN OUR STEPS

Home in Port Charlotte
Rain and 72

I don't think I've ever gone two weeks without blogging until now.

My sister, her husband and their grandson were here for a few days last week, visiting from California.  We always enjoy visiting them in Murrietta but this was their first time seeing our home in Florida.  With our boat down for repairs, we took them out on a Peace River boat eco-tour.  I was more fun than I hoped for.  We saw lots of different bird species and a few gators.  We wrapped up that day with a bayside dinner at Benedetos in Punta Gorda.  While here my sister joined me for daily 5.1 mile walks each morning.

Today I did 6.8 miles of walking/running.  I'm down a total of 19.5 pounds since the doctor visit a month ago.  My current weight is 245.5.  I'm feeling sore but otherwise okay.  My blood pressure has been in check everyday so I've concluded that it's not something to be concerned with.  I took it morning and night for 2 weeks and sporatically since then.  It has consistently been in the good range.  This morning it was 112/74, with a resting pulse of 54.  I know I need to continue to loose weight and get my cholesterol down but I think the Dr. was wrong when he told me I was facing hypertension.  My goal weight remains 195 so there's a long road to go.

Kathy and I replaced all of the plants that had died during the 100 year freeze we suffered this winter.  We put in 9 new hibiscus, 4 shefelera, transplanted the two remaining coconut trees from the canal beach to the yard, installed a cubic yard of new rock around the house and laid a pallet of burmuda sod to help bring the grass back to acceptable condition soon.  We have a good start of Burmuda growing from the street side of the yard, so we soded the house perimeter.  Hopefully the two will meet in the middle.  Other than the grass, the place is looking very nice.  All of the surviving plants, palms and citrus trees got a healthy dose of fertilizer.

Weather has been in 80's for about ten days now and it's felt great.  My travel week sends me to meetings in California this week.  Next week it's Miami and Puerto Rico.  Kathy will be joining me in the Caribbean for her first time.

Finally, after more than a month of waiting, I received the entire library of shop repair manuals for my boat.  I found the section on removing the leaky steering cylinder.  The steps to do so are quite different than what's had me stumped all these weeks.  I'm heading out today to give it another go before leaving town tomorrow.