Author: searcyf@mac.com

11 January 2024

It used to be that in the mornings, I would wake up, lie there for a minute, get up and get the day’s routine started. No more. I tend to luxuriate in the bed. For example, my phone told me it was time to take my meds at 6 am. I finally got out of bed around 8:30 and only dozed once during that time. Most of the time I didn’t even have my eyes open, I was just soaking up the goodness of lying in bed and thinking. Nothing deep, of course.

I’m not sure when this began to occur. Normally I’m bright eyed and bushy tailed in the mornings as opposed to my brother who looks like he’s been on an all night bender after he gets up. He staggers around until he’s found the coffee maker and after the second cup of coffee, he’s slightly more human.

I don’t think it’s the sheets nor the bed. I think it’s just the idea I can lie there and not do anything, doze back off if I like, and not be rushed to get up, and in this case, start the laundry.

When I finally do get out of bed, it’s more for the want of breakfast and coffee.

We have 70% chance of rain today and, of course, I added water to the pool yesterday. I checked before adding the water and no rain was in the forecast. At least if it does rain, I won’t have to add any for a while.

I’ve been reading where Oxford, Mississippi has received some snow. Snow is relatively rare in Mississippi but it does occur. As a freshman at Ole Miss, my bunk was right by the window and I stuck a thermometer in the window so I could check the outside temp every morning so I knew what to wear.

One morning in March, I checked the thermometer, and did a double take. There was about 6 inches of snow on the ground. They even had to cancel the Red and Blue football game that day.

Mississippi is more prone to ice storms than snow storms which are considerably worse. You can drive on snow but not ice. Trees and power lines would come crashing down from the weight of the ice. I’ve probably been in more ice storms growing up in the state than snow storms.

Two stick out in my mind. The first one was windy and rainy and cold. The trees all froze in a bended formation with ice crystals all over them. The second that stands out was coming back from Archie’s wedding. It started sleeting as soon as we left the church and we had miles to go. Dad got out and poured Coca Cola over the windshield because it was freezing over so fast. When we pulled in to my Grandmother Ruby’s drive, we had to leave the car about halfway down the drive because we couldn’t get any further up.

As I mentioned, today is washday which also means I strip the bed and put fresh sheets on the bed. That means I’ll luxuriate again tomorrow morning.

Stay tuned!

10 January 2024

This morning there was a mist arising from the surface of the pool. The pool temperature was 84°F and the air temperature was 46°F. I’m probably going to be shocked at the cost of heating the pool this month. I should turn the heater off since I haven’t been in the pool in months. I keep holding out hope that I’ll get back in there and try swimming.

I would have tried sooner but my right elbow is still giving me trouble. One day it’s fine and the next it is painful. Today it is painful. The elbows tend to be a little essential in swimming.

Part of me is beginning to realize I’ll never be back to my old self where I could hike for 6 miles up a mountain or snowshoe at 9,000 feet. I just don’t want to admit it. I managed 1 mile today but really didn’t want to go any further. I could have done more but I’m thinking why? My neuropathy is really obvious when I walk and I think that if I try to walk too far, I’ll get a blister.

My last hike in Georgia, I found my left big toe was aching and I thought I was developing a blister. Once I got back to the Jeep and took my boots off, I realized there was no indication of a blister. It was simply the neuropathy trying to get my attention.

Today is clean the pool filter day, check the chemicals, hose off the patio and maybe clean the pool deck. I’ll wait until we hit 70° for that. Getting wet at 46° is no fun at all.

Fortunately, those are the only chores for the day unless I find another bookcase to dust. I foresee more hot chocolate in my future.

Stay tuned!

9 January 2024

It was 46°F this morning when I got up and that was cold to me. I’ve been in South Florida too long (40 years) and my blood has gotten a bit thin for cold weather.

I didn’t walk this morning because I slept late and needed to be at Tom’s by 10:30 to take him to see his neurological surgeon. In essence, he was told that from a surgical point of view, there wasn’t anything for him to do so there would be no need for follow ups.

Tom later treated me to lunch at Doc B’s. The place was packed so we sat at the bar and ordered food from there. The food was good, the service slow but effective. That’s the third or fourth time I’ve eaten there and the food is consistently good.

After dropping Tom back home, I headed to Walgreens to pick up another prescription. I’ve lost count of the number, the names, and what they do. Maybe that’s for the best. Otherwise it would drive me crazy.

Once home, I crashed. I was more tired than I imagined. When I finally got up from my nap, I had a test result comment from Dr. Dunhill. My PSA test was 2.92 which he considered still high and recommended seeing a urologist (which I have already scheduled for March).

A high PSA test doesn’t necessarily mean I have prostate cancer. It could simply mean I have a high PSA test. One good thing is that there is some evidence that the Signatera test that I take every 3 months can detect prostate cancer and so far I’ve had 5 tests that were negative. What I don’t know is if the test I am administered is looking for breast cancer markers only.

When I lectured on cancer, I always told my students that if you are male, the best cancer to get is prostate. It’s tends to be slow growing and if you are in your 80’s, a lot of physicians recommend no treatment because you’ll die of old age before you die of prostate cancer. I haven’t checked lately to see what recommendations are these days and in any case, I’m not 80 – yet.

My Dad had prostate cancer but that’s not what killed him. He also had lung cancer, liver cancer and brain cancer. It’s debatable as to whether the prostate cancer spread on him or if he simply had additional cancers in place.

Regardless of whether or not I have prostate cancer, I don’t anticipate undergoing treatment for it. I’ve had enough of chemo and don’t think I’ll be a fan of radiation. We all have an expiratory period and there comes a time when enough is enough. In any case, I won’t have to worry about it again until March.

Last night was movie night with Chris and Tucker. Tucker was happy to see me but it may have been due to the treats I normally give him. The movie was Auntie Mame with Rosalind Russell, Forrest Tucker, Fred Clark and Peggy Cass. (When was the last time you said Peggy Cass was in a movie?) It’s a great, silly movie based on a book by Edward Everett Tanner III (under the pseudonym Patrick Dennis). The character Mame Dennis is based on the real life Aunt Marion, his father’s sister.

We started the movie off with homemade hot chocolate and finished it off with a Pinot Noir. Can’t complain about that!

Stay tuned!

8 January 2025

I’m getting pretty good at using 2025 as a year. My only problem is with my MoneyDance checking account where I keep making entries for 2024. Hopefully, I’ll get used to that quickly.

It’s a beautiful day again. A Chamber of Commerce Day even though the morning temperatures were in the low 50’s. I bundled up for my walk along Riverland Road but by the midpoint, I shed some clothes and enjoyed walking back in a tee shirt (1.45 miles).

I’m a counter. I count everything, from strokes in the pool to the number of cards that play in solitaire. On the Riverland walk, I count Jeeps. I had eight today. My high was 15 a few years ago. I didn’t realize it but Jeeps are one of the biggest sellers today. I still have Jeep dealerships calling me about buying my Jeep and it’s 10 years old.

Tonight is movie night and Chris and Tucker are coming over. I told Chris that unless I slip into a coma between now and 6 pm, I was doing movie night. I had to cancel the last two. Tucker will be excited, and so will I.

I was looking up something and pulled the file that said “Personal.” I found what I needed but since it is a rather thick file, I decided to go through it. One of the things I found was an envelope from Grandaddy Searcy’s store in Pulaski.

I knew he, at one time, was in business with Mr. Miles but I didn’t know when the partnership dissolved, nor for what reason. I have his ledger of debits and credits for the store and it’s interesting who bought what over the years and who was given credit. I love finding things like this.

I miss general stores. You could find just about anything in these stores. One year I asked Archie to look for a bottle of bluing agent. My gas dryer was giving my whites a little yellowish tinge. He found two bottles and some offbeat road general store and sent them to me.

Back when Granddaddy owned the store, there was an old gravity gas pump. At the top of the pump was a glass vessel that had markings for the volume of gasoline you needed. You then hand pumped the gas up to the volume you required and then took the hose and put in your gas tank to release through gravity feed into your tank. I guess that’s where they got the term gas “pump.”

One year, Aunt Sue and I were going through the old place looking at things and we ran across the original deed to the land that Granddaddy and Grandmother Searcy lived. I was very envious of the tax stamp attached to the deed which dated somewhere back in the 1800’s but knew enough not to remove the stamp. I was a big stamp collector back in the days.

My cousin Jimmie and Stephen moved into their new apartment at Carolina Pines. Moving is stressful and I should know. I moved sooo many times over the years. Hopefully everything went smoothly for them.

Stay tuned!

7 January 2024

I managed 1.5 miles today but it seemed like a 5 mile hike in the mountains. It was all that extra clothing I was wearing. Normally, on a walk, I’m near naked. I must have had 50 lbs of clothing this morning.

As bad as I felt yesterday, I feel pretty good today. No idea the difference in the two days. Residual chemo?

I lied about yesterday. I did do one project. The bookcase in my bedroom needed some attention. Here’s what it looked like after I removed the books to dust.

Here’s what it looked like after the dusting and putting the books back on the shelves.

I’m surprised I don’t have allergies with all that dust. I hadn’t dusted the inside of the shelves since I bought the bookcase. The bottom row of books are Flora of North America volumes. By my count, there are 4 more volumes to be published and the entire of North America flora will be documented. The project began in 1965 and for quite a few years, I thought I would be dead before the project was finished. Then a few years ago, the project got another life and several volumes were produced within a few years. I have hopes that I’ll have a complete set when I die (assuming that’s not too soon).

While cleaning the bookcases, I ran into something of my Dad’s. It seems to be his biology lab notebook.

The first entry is November 25, 1929 and it details the experiments to test for starch and sugar. Interesting, he used Fehling’s Solution to test for sugars when we used Benedict’s solution. Even more interesting, in the 9th grade, he was performing experiments we did in freshman biology at Ole Miss.

I have to say my Dad’s handwriting improved mightily as he aged. I can read this but with difficulty. Later his handwriting was like the books you copied your letters from.

His teacher was his Mother, Nola Hurst Searcy. He once asked her why she was so rough on him in class. Her response was that she could not show favoritism. She taught in the old school in Pulaski.

I was fortunate enough to know both sets of my grandparents and loved all four of them. I spent a lot of time following Grandaddy Searcy around like a little puppy on his farm and Grandmother Searcy with her cooking and sweeping (she never thought I mastered the broomsedge broom). It gave me a touch of country life just like my other grandparents gave me a touch of town life – the best of both worlds.

Tomorrow, I hope to do movie night. Keep your paws crossed Tucker. Stay tuned!

6 January 2024

Two steps forward, one step backwards. I had two really good days, two walks during those days, and got some projects done around the house. Today is a blah day. No walk, no projects, curl up in bed and read.

I got my new Social Security payment today. Instead of the 2.5% raise for $48, I got $21. That means my insurance went up also. I promise not to spend the increase all in one place. I think that’s two candy bars in different stores.

Michael pointed out to me that Katherine Hepburn did indeed say “The Calla Lilies are in bloom.” It was in the 1937 film Stage Door. Thanks for cluing me in to this, Michael.

Apparently, she didn’t say “Really they are.” From this video, Katherine was quite beautiful. I don’t think she aged well but she certainly aged with vim and vigor.

Even though South Florida is about to enter its winter (January and February) apparently the plants have not paid attention to the calendar. A neighbor’s mango tree is about to bloom about a month early.

Then there’s my Starflower (Clerodendrum quadrilocular). It’s about to burst open with blooms.

I realize most people gravitate to animals and if they make a career of it, it’s zoölogy or veterinary science. However, plants can be quite fascinating. For example, oak trees often produce a bumper crop of acorns every two years.

Latest research suggests that stands of a particular tree species communicate with each other and warn of infections and infestations. The largest living thing on earth is a fungus that takes in many square miles underground. Botanists are discovering new things all the time. Even the staid science of taxonomy is making significant progress in addressing relationships in plants by DNA analysis – something that wasn’t even considered in my day of studies. Many people believe we will eventually become a society of nothing but plant diets. Shades of Soylent Green!

Starting Wednesday, temperatures start dropping into the 50’s with highs in the 70’s and some predictions of lows in the 40’s. It’s time to bring out the parka!

Stay tuned!

5 January 2025

It’s another beautiful day in the neighborhood but sometimes you get too much of a good thing. The water level in my pool is dropping and the grass needs watering (the pump is out). Still, the temperatures make walking a pleasure. I did 1.2 miles today and was a little tired after the walk.

The old expression is “One step forward, two steps backwards.” I think that applies to me. I was just getting over some of the effects of the chemo and then developed a cold. Looks like I’m starting over building my stamina again.

On the walk I found an interesting looking agave plant that I hadn’t seen before. I have no idea as to the species but the genus is pretty easy – Agave. Tequila is made from one species of Agave.

A little later when I passed the yard with all the exotic vegetation, I found another interesting plant, the Canna Lily in fruit.

I thought the leaves unusual for a Canna and I had never seen the fruit before. For years, I confused Canna Lilies with Calla Lilies. It reminds me of the cartoon that had Katherine Hepburn saying “The Calla Lillies are in bloom. Really they are.” She never said that in any of her movies. The cartoon gave a great impression of Hepburn.

Yesterday, I got on a cleaning tear and attacked the bookcase in the living room. I removed all the books, sorted them in piles to donate or keep, dusted the shelves, then dusted the books and replaced them in the case.

I had to do this in stages because I was washing clothes at the same time. I haven’t dusted this case but once before in the 30 years I’ve lived here and surprisingly, it wasn’t that bad.

I have quite a collection for donation. I put word out to my neighbors that if they wanted free books to stop by. If no one wants them, I’ll try to donate them to a library.

There’s some of my science books, a large number of cook books, and then some fiction and nonfiction.

I periodically go through these throw the stuff out times. I also went through my tee shirt collection and pulled a bunch for Viet Nam Vets. I’ll add some additional clothing that I seldom wear. If I’m not careful, I could fill the house and become a hoarder. That’s why I go through these clean out periods.

Not much going on next week. I have a blood draw for a follow up Protein Serum Albumen (PSA) test since my last one was a little high. On Thursday, I take Tom to see his neurologist at Hollywood Memorial. Other than that, it’s a pretty open week.

Stay tuned!

4 January 2025

It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood with a current temperature of 65°F and a low of 52°F.

I managed a mile walk this morning albeit a little late (9:30 am). It was a little windy so I was glad for a scarf and a sweat shirt and sweat pants.

You can tell Floridians from tourists because we bundle up like we are in the arctic when we get a cool spell. Those crazy tourists actually go into the ocean with temps in the 70’s and I haven’t been in my pool this year and it is at 84°F. A friend’s pool is at 90°F.

Today is wash day. It would typically also be clean the house day but I did that – at least a little bit on Wednesday. Gravity and old age has finally won out and I clean a little bit all along instead of one daily or one monthly cleaning. Then again, a little dust never hurt anybody unless you have allergies.

My cough is better and so is my runny nose. My right elbow is slightly better but I don’t think I could swim with it in its current condition. We sure don’t heal as quickly as we once did.

Years ago scientists thought they had discovered what caused aging in humans – the thymus gland. It’s rather large in newborns in comparison to other organs in the body. The thymus confers immunity to T-cells. As you age, the thymus gets smaller and smaller to the point it’s not much left at my age. The idea is if you could reverse the degeneration of the thymus, you could not only stop aging but perhaps reverse aging. I’m not sure I want to go back and live some of those years. I’m not sure anyone wants to re-live the acne years.

Not to belabor a point, the Miami Herald had an article today about a foiled attempt to attack and kill as many people in a pro-Israeli organization in Pembroke Pines. Again, these are dangerous times for anyone who is perceived as different. Be safe.

Stay tuned!

3 January 2025

I feel better today although I still have a residual cough and runny nose. Thank goodness I sleep well and don’t cough through the night any more. When Wade was here, we would take turns coughing to the degree it sounded like an echo.

I had lunch today with Joel, Keith and John at Season’s 52. It’s a nice restaurant and they had instituted their winter menu. I had their combination flat bread (chicken and pesto) with mushroom soup. It was good to see the guys and John and I celebrated Keith’s birthday a little early by treating him.

Afterwards, I headed to the nearest post office to send off a package to Wade that he couldn’t take with him on the plane. I had my Amazon Chase card declined. That’s the third time that’s happened when I tried to use the card in person.

I called Chase and I apparently declined a charge for $39 from England. Chase thinks it was fraud so they canceled the card but didn’t let me know. Strangely, online purchases went through and Chase explained that online purchases were rolled over to the new card which has already been sent to me via UPS.

I’m glad Chase is semi on top of things by canceling the card but a little miffed they didn’t tell me the card was canceled.

I continued to try for good luck yesterday by eating more black-eyed peas. I’m not sure it counts the day after New Years but I figure it couldn’t hurt.

I sent out an email to my gay friends yesterday. A LGTQ+ Newsletter noted three acts of violence against gay men: two beatings and one stabbing that resulted in the death of the individual. The two beatings occurred within a few hours of each other. Teens had lured two men by their Grindr accounts. When the men thought they were meeting with another gay man, the teens surrounded and beat them. It seems this is a new thing with teens – luring people, beating them, and recording the beating. I did’t say the teens were smart. Cell phones were confiscated and individuals identified. Some 11 teens were charged.

The stabbing occurred when a person on the same floor as a gay man, who had continually spouted homophobic comments and a threat to kill him, actually ambushed him and stabbed him to death. He admitted to the stabbing and showed no remorse.

I wanted to warn, with my forwarding of the newsletter, my friends to be observant of their surroundings and to be safe. The next day I read in the Sun-Sentinel that a man’s partner had been killed by a bullet on New Years. The man had gone with friends for a drink and had returned to be with his partner. They went out to their patio when a bullet came from across the narrow river and killed the partner who came to be with the other man for midnight, New Years. The shot had to have been fired in a direct line to kill the man.

I have friends that will now not eat outdoor along Wilton Drive for fear of someone driving by and shooting. Antisemitic, antigay, and anti-anyone different are on an alarming increase along with hate speech and hate posts online.

I have spent most of my life looking over my shoulder, wondering if I would be attacked. I thought we had moved past that but it seems I now need to be more careful, more observant, and more intuitive when things might go wrong.

I was reared a Methodist and I never remember anything in church teachings that told me to hate anyone for any reason. You may not agree with someone else’s religion, lifestyle, or race but I haven’t found any religion that suggests you hate based on any of these characteristics and I have had a course in wold religions while in college.

The one thing I know is children don’t naturally hate anyone. They are taught to hate and that is taught by their parents. Life is tough enough without you worrying about your safety based on what someone’s child has been taught. The idea that people don’t feel safe to walk down the street is an abomination. We, as a country, need to do a little self reflection about where we are heading.

Stay tuned!

2 January 2025

AJ and his team arrived around 8:15 to dismantle the tree and store the ornaments and pic. I apparently purchased the wrong bubble wrap. He wanted the one with very small bubbles. It takes up less room in the storage boxes and is more flexible.

I suspect they will disassemble the tree much faster than they put it up and it only took an hour and a half to put it up. Now comes the problem of where to put everything.

AJ said he would contact me around August to discuss when to put the tree up next year and that he would do it a little after Thanksgiving.

Now I have to move the steamer trunk back in front of the window and restore the house to semi-normal. The tree has really been fun.

I didn’t do movie night last night. After cleaning the house, I felt a little off and after John left, I headed to bed to read and nap. This morning I still feel blah. I’m wearing a mask so as to not infect AJ and his team. I don’t know if the cold is holding on or if it is something else.

It was cool this morning when I got up. It was 60°F and with promise of cooler temperatures tonight. It will make the morning walks really nice.

I had black-eyed peas yesterday for good luck. Of course, I do that every year and it hasn’t worked since 2020. Maybe this year will be different.

Luck ran out for 15 people who were killed and the numerous people injured in the New Orleans, in what appears to be a terrorist attack. I have many, many memories of New Orleans, particularly three Mardi Gras over the years. My first was when I was in college and went with Jimmie to visit my cousin Jo who introduced us to frozen daiquiris.

I was stationed at the Coast Guard Communications Station New Orleans for two years. I got to know the city intimately and grew to love it, particularly the French Quarter. I was at Pat O’Brien’s before I was legal and many times after I was legal. Those hurricanes are really strong. The crowds at Mardi Gras are unreal and I’ve grabbed many a set of beads from the floats. I’ve walked Bourbon Street many times and I saw my first nudie bar there. New Orleans is a city where you can find the best food for the cheapest price in America.

There but for luck I was never injured or hurt anywhere in the city. My heart goes out to the victims’ families. No one deserves this, especially New Orleans which is struggling still after the effects of Katrina.

The new year hasn’t started out too well. Perhaps it is like March. In like a lion, out like a lamb.

Stay tuned!