May. 23, 2005 - 19:25 MDT

MILLSTONE MILESTONES

Beating a retreat however slowly is definitely a bummer for me. Having to admit that this guy is too old for whatever it is, is hard for me to do.

A week, only a week has passed. Last Monday the preparations began for family stuff, including cleaning house, trying to get the outdoor furniture clean and neat. I would go to bed tired but satisfied. As the week went though, the tank of fatigue filled. More rapidly as time passed.

By Thursday morning on awakening pooped, suddenly we had company.

Through nobody's fault or anything else, there was too much to do for the rest of the week. There was a time or two that Heather and her brother went visiting and on errands without me, giving me a chance to rest up a bit. But it just didn't seem enough.

The biggest day was Saturday, what with a graduation barbecue and then a birthday party across the metro area from there it was a completely full day. Morning to evening. At the birthday party I was so hot, so fatigued that I dozed in between watching the activity on the bull ride.

Oh yes, I enjoyed every minute of brother-in-law's visit and all the family activity. There is no doubt in my mind about that.

Remarkably my brother-in-law stayed long enough to have breakfast on Sunday, usually he hits the road sometime in the middle of the night. I helped him pack some geranium plants they bought Sunday evening and watered heavily. Got them in a box on plastic with newsprint balled up and stuck between pots. He hopes to have a bit of color at his place in Idaho. (By the way, he called today from his home and reports that they traveled well). Anyhow, it was after ten Sunday morning when he left.

Heather and I did a bit of necessary work, I read -- or tried to read -- the Sunday newspaper, dozing more than doing though.

After a nap I made a stab at the keyboard with an entry in mind and blanked out. Tried to read journals through a haze of snooze, gave up on that and laid out solitaire, rubbed the keyboard with my chin and then just pulled the plug.

So, I must reconcile myself to the fact that this is the way it will be for the rest of my life, there will be no miracle exercises or diets that will restore the vitality that once I had. No yo-yo yoga, patented Peruna or anything else that will cure this dysfunction of age.

I must learn to pace myself and be ready for those wonderful family affairs when they come around, I love them so. But when they come bumper to bumper I truly feel those MILLSTONE MILESTONES . . . . . . . . .

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