There is no day of the week call someday…

[BBerguson]

I know we all do it, we all are going to do something someday. I just about lost my chance to do a lot of my someday list…

On a normal Saturday morning this past July I got sick. What I thought was a migraine headache turned out to be viral meningitis. I won’t go into all the details (it’s long and painful) but I ended up with what is called a 6th cranial nerve palsy. This nerve controls the muscles that move your eyes (focuses them) and I currently have double vision when both eyes are open. I’ve been off work for two months and can’t go back until I can see normal and feel confident driving. My eye doctor says it should go away with 90 days (it’s been about 60) and there are a couple of options to correct it if it doesn’t go away. Everything I read online also says 90 days is the magic number. Man I hope so!

I can function inside ok because there is much less visual input than outside but this has really screwed up my summer! Was building a cabin with daughter for us to camp out in, was going to do LOTS of shooting with my son, nope, haven’t done any of that. Been basically putting a dent in the couch all summer. The good news is that I’m A LOt better than I was, I actually feel great, just my vision is messed up.

So guys, don’t put things off until someday, you could miss out on it. I have always been planning on a prairie dog shoot with my son someday, if my vision doesn’t get back to normal I won’t even think about it. The travel, being outdoors and the shooting will be too uncomfortable. Can’t even get to my shooting range so I am planning on investing in a larger caliber air rifle and having a “range” in my back yard. That will be a good thing too, my range is 20 minutes away so I‘ll be able to shoot more and be home more with family too. There are some good things that will come out of this…

Any errors will be because I’m squinting pretty hard looking at the screen… catching most but just noticed one in the title. Someday I’ll be a better poofreader.

 

[RicinYakima]

Hang in there! Prayers for you!

 

[462]

Bryan, I hope your vision is back to normal soon.

 

[Bret4207]

I know we all do it, we all are going to do something someday. I just about lost my chance to do a lot of my someday list…

On a normal Saturday morning this past July I got sick. What I thought was a migraine headache turned out to be viral meningitis. I won’t go into all the details (it’s long and painful) but I ended up with what is called a 6th cranial nerve palsy. This nerve controls the muscles that move your eyes (focuses them) and I currently have double vision when both eyes are open. I’ve been off work for two months and can’t go back until I can see normal and feel confident driving. My eye doctor says it should go away with 90 days (it’s been about 60) and there are a couple of options to correct it if it doesn’t go away. Everything I read online also says 90 days is the magic number. Man I hope so!

I can function inside ok because there is much less visual input than outside but this has really screwed up my summer! Was building a cabin with daughter for us to camp out in, was going to do LOTS of shooting with my son, nope, haven’t done any of that. Been basically putting a dent in the couch all summer. The good news is that I’m A LOt better than I was, I actually feel great, just my vision is messed up.

So guys, don’t put things off until someday, you could miss out on it. I have always been planning on a prairie dog shoot with my son someday, if my vision doesn’t get back to normal I won’t even think about it. The travel, being outdoors and the shooting will be too uncomfortable. Can’t even get to my shooting range so I am planning on investing in a larger caliber air rifle and having a “range” in my back yard. That will be a good thing too, my range is 20 minutes away so I‘ll be able to shoot more and be home more with family too. There are some good things that will come out of this…

Any errors will be because I’m squinting pretty hard looking at the screen… catching most but just noticed one in the title. Someday I’ll be a better poofreader.

Jeeze! Kind thoughts and prayers to you. Sure do hope it clears up soon!

 

[JonB]

I'm praying for your 90th day epiphany.

 

[JonB]

So guys, don’t put things off until someday, you could miss out on it.

This is so true.
Since I was a kid, my Dad always talked about visiting our relatives in Alaska. My Mom always said she wouldn't go, and that Dad could go without her. My dad retired in 1985. When I was able to afford it (about 1995), I started planning a trip to Alaska, hoping Dad would come along, after all it was his bucket list item. I could only take 2 weeks off of work, so I had to plan on flying there. My Dad said he would only go if we were driving. So long story short, I went to visit my relatives in Aniak, Alaska in 1997 and had the time of my life (fishing salmon, boating 40 miles up a wild river, camping on a rock bar, among other things). My Dad never did go there, he passed away in 2016.

 

[462]

The older you get the quicker the things you want to do become the things you never did.

 

[shuz]

The older you get the quicker the things you want to do become the things you never did.

This is especially true when you start having physical disabilities!

 

[Brad]

Why I went to Africa in 2008. It became a do it now or it may never happen thing. Very glad I did.

My wife and I have started to look at the realities of time and are doing more of the stuff we want to do. waiting is a good way to ensure it never happens.

 

[RicinYakima]

Wife and I both wanted a cabin in the woods. By the time we could afford it prices had tripled. So we saved enough to buy on time a little 5th wheel and truck. Payment was really tight but we made it. So been RVing for 26 years and loving it. Our portable cabin in the woods.

 

[462]

Dreams of a cabin on our Montana piney woods property ended with the realization that five months of Winter was more than we wanted to endure, and snow-birding never was realized, neither.

We've taken a lot of road-trips the last eight or nine years, though.
In no particular order: Various areas of Washington State three times via two different routes, Mt. Rushmore and Yellowstone on the same trip, Wisconsin, New Mexico, the Grand Canyon, Pahrump, Nevada for a Front Sight course followed by a side-trip to Kanab, Utah and Zion National Park (my two-day upset stomach kept us from visiting Bryce National Park), and Crater Lake and Burney Falls on the same trip. I can drive I-5, I-40 and I-80 blindfolded.

We'd like to re-visit Yellowstone and the Grand Canyon, but the Chinese flu house arrest, the current inflation, and price of gas has kept us close to home, except for short distance motorhome camping.

 

[BBerguson]

Thanks for all the thoughts and prayers, they are very much appreciated.

Got some good news on another issue today. My neurology doctor was really concerned about my vision problems and thought it could be caused by a problem in my lungs (I can’t remember the name) so she ordered a cat scan of my lungs. Lungs were fine but the scan showed an aneurysm on my aorta. I think this is a blessing in disguise as I never would have had the cat scan without the viral meningitis. Saw a heart surgeon today and he was kind of wondering what I was doing there. That was a good thing, I’m very healthy and wasn’t the type of patient they are used to seeing. They do want me to get another cat scan in 6 months and an appointment with them to see if it is getting larger and then go to getting a cat scan every year just to keep track of it. Otherwise, it’s not large enough where it’s worth risking surgery to repair it. So, that was a good appointment, blood pressure is great, heart and valves are in great shape and my wife isn’t worried about me dying suddenly now.

On another good note, I am able to shoot. If I close my right eye, I don’t have double vision and I can see fine through a scope. Going back and forth to the target is a little troublesome but I can do it short term. I shot my air rifles the other day, one is pcp and that was a lot of fun except when I have to pump it back up. I decided today that I was going to end that workout and I ordered a high pressure electric pump off Amazon and it should be here monday. In a week or two (not someday), i’m going to order a new FX Impact in 25 caliber. 25 caliber will buck the wind pretty good and I’ll be able to shoot all I want at home. I ordered some pellets already so this is going to happen! I’ve been wanting one of these for quite awhile and was going to buy one someday…

 

[Bret4207]

I had to look up the air gun. They make them in 35 cal!!! The things you didn't know...

 

[BBerguson]

I had to look up the air gun. They make them in 35 cal!!! The things you didn't know...

I ordered it, should be here on Tuesday. I guess Tuesday is a someday for me...

These are a “platform” gun, kind of like an AR platform. It will take barrels in .177, .22, .25, .30 and .35 and different barrel “sleeves” in each caliber to shoot pellets or slugs. Probably will be the last airgun I ever buy. If my vision improves fast enough, I’ll take it out for squirrels this fall.

 

[Michael]

My wife is four years my senior, we debated for a bit over the years about when and how her and I should retire, when we each reached full social security age or older to bolster the return, or younger. It took several meetings with our financial planner, Jim, to help us put things in perspective, along with any number of conversations with friends and acquaintances. Rather than wait for me to reach full SS age we opted to enter together into what we called the next chapter in life's adventure, then the Chinese virus hit, my industry was hit pretty hard, furlowed, then laid off completely. More meetings with Jim. Finances aside, the biggest influence was speaking with other couples over the years that we knew where there were several years difference in age, anywhere from just a few to upwards of five to ten. Frequently we heard stories of how one retired and the other chose to keep working, then life happened, illness, accidents, the passing of the other spouse, etc.

We had any number of prayerful discussions about how we would like the last chapters in our adventure to play out. My wife's last year of teaching was 20-21, after 42 years. It was a toss up for me, continue looking for work and dealing with all of the crap, trust me, age discrimination is alive and well. Maybe younger people with pi$$ poor work ethics don't want to hire older people with good work ethics, perhaps it makes them look bad, plus too old to put up with crap and excuses. Jim told us we would be fine, we trusted his counsel, my parents worked with him for over 25 years and weathered through things successfully.

No RV-ing or snowbirding (frostbacking, I love that term, thank you), sold the place in hell, aka S. AZ and moved 1500 mi north, something we have wanted to do "Someday" all of our marriage. Whether we have another 30 years, 30 months, 30 weeks, 30 days, or 30 minutes, we will have all of that time together. The thought comes to mind, don't hold someday hostage for the sake of today.

 

[RicinYakima]

No RV-ing or snowbirding (frostbacking, I love that term, thank you), sold the place in hell, aka S. AZ and moved 1500 mi north, something we have wanted to do "Someday" all of our marriage. Whether we have another 30 years, 30 months, 30 weeks, 30 days, or 30 minutes, we will have all of that time together. The thought comes to mind, don't hold someday hostage for the sake of today.

Well stated. Wife retired at 62 and I keep working till 66 only because I didn't want to leave my boss (also my best friend) in the lurch when my replacement, who had spent 10 years preparing to replace me, quit. Wife is older and it was expensive till she got on Medicare, but we got by. I would say it is much more important to be the couple than worry about the money "someday".

 

[BBerguson]

Back to work today, been off for almost 3.5 months. I started driving last Tuesday with a little bit of eye soreness but it’s been getting better day by day. Today felt pretty normal. I had to take our safety guy for a drive when I got to work because I have a company vehicle and the insurance company wanted to be sure I could drive. Passed with flying colors!

I got my new air rifle and it’s everything I thought it would be. I put a Vortex Diamondback 6-24 first focal plane scope on it and have shot it 350 times already (one full tin of pellets). It’s unbelievably accurate!, smooth, super quiet and has a very high shot count per air tank fill, somewhere around 130. Only shot one type of pellet through it, just breaking it in, and now have 3 other types to try. Shot a tin of 25 grain (I have another full tin of these), also have some “split point expanding” pellets and two different types of 34ish grain pellets. I need to shoot the others and then stock up on what shoots the best. Most of my shooting so far has been at 34 yards just because I have a good place to sit with the target in front of the concrete shop. This thing is a real tack driver. I drove some drywall screws into a sheet of plywood and the gun (not me) can hit them every time. A miss is my fault, not the guns… I was able to chrony a few shots the other day and was averaging 930 with the 25 grainers.

I was out in the woods with it on Saturday and saw a squirrel but wasn’t able to spot it in the trees. Found out though that my 25 caliber air rifle isn’t legal for small game in Pennsylvania, only .177 and 22 caliber are. This shows how much the PA Game
Commission knows, a .177 would be marginal at best and quite pathetic when compared to a .25.