Lew and Leon - thanks for asking. I am cruising on Saturday afternoon with a cup of joe. Perfect time to read the group and respond.
Last couple of month have been a lot to deal with. Continuing problems with health of both parents have been a huge drain. Dad is now in hospice after a dramatic recovery from the brink. I swear they must have made him out of old anvils, railroad ties and sledgehammers. He may (possibly) even get to leave hospice... it wouldn't surprise me. He has chatted more with St. Peter than anyone I know.
Mom now has the beginnings of Alzheimer's. At the start, there is a lot of confusion, and she wants her son around as much as possible for the days when she is confused.
Getting their affairs in order financially, legally, and logistically has been rough with both in bad condition and limited funds to work with. Had a nearly two hour long meeting with the hospice staff yesterday after allegations of abuse by my Dad were launched. They turned out to be unfounded... he is sick, old and tired of being treated, therapied, handled, and medicated.
And we are finally feeling the brunt of the dead economy in spades here in San Antonio. I can't give work away as there are so many just looking to feed their families these days. I have passed more cards, shaken more hands, attended more functions and bought more lunches in the last 6 months than I have in the last 6 years. I have three fellow contractors that are going out of business after the first of the year. That bothers me; they may not be the best businessmen, but they are good guys, competent contractors and straight as a string. They are planning on using personal savings and spousal income to finish their contracted work so that they leave their reputation and integrity without stain. These aren't the guys that should be leaving contracting.
I get too tired, and all to often when I think of this group I don't remember all the good guys. I think of all the negative energy and wasted time put into political discussions that have no merit, no bearing on any situation, have no fruit to bear. While others seem to enjoy the *block*copy*paste* information they post from their Google searches, to me the are actually just a waste of time and bandwidth. I don't need one more negative thing to read or look at.
On the other hand, I am starting to get the club in order for our fall projects for the Wounded Warriors. I will be organizing our "Sunday Night Football with the Troops" that is coming up the day before Halloween. This is not altogether altruistic; it makes me feel really good (and really humble) to have a chance to organize the event and make this happen. Best of all, they are really pleased to have us. After I leave a successful even like that, it always make me feel not only lucky with my life, but enormously glad I did it.
And we are now in the beginning stages of our Christmas Eve dinner for the Troops and their families. We are hoping to serve about 300+ this year (!!) with our all volunteer staff to do cooking, prep, serving and cleaning with as much food stuffs as we can get donated. With our unpleasant economy here, we have lost about 1/2 of our business support, so we will have to put some serious dough (several hundred?) in to make up the difference. This will scare a lot of the members as it takes our little club a *long* time to get that kind of money. I will have to write some of my best club newsletters yet... but I know in my heart these guys will come through for the Troops and their families. Still I will be nervous as anything this large has to be put a vote by the members. You never know....
Anyhow, thanks for asking! Sorry to ramble. Just feeling a bit thoughtful this morning. You guys doing OK?
Robert