Life in the slow lane about to come to an end. Work calls

 For the last three months I have been on short term disability.  I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes about 13 September.  I have been doing a lot but not what I want to do.  In truth I want to go fishing, but 50% pay just covers some of the bills.  I am not sure what I am going to do.  I don't know that I will be cleared to go back to work.  I have lost weight, gotten my blood sugar under control, my blood pressure is way down.  If I can lose another 20 pounds I may be off blood pressure medicine all together.

What I have been doing since the first part of October is volunteerring at the Mills County senior center in Goldthwaite TX.   I help cook  (Full disclosure I can cook, and I enjoy it, but I am not a cook.  I have helped cut things up.  I know that involves using sharp objects, but I did it carefully and I still have all ten fingers and toes.  <that last part is for my son.  A few years ago I cut my finger so bad using an exacto knife I needed stitches, so every time he hears that I am using sharp things he tells me to "Step away from the razor blade old man">.)

This time washing dishes, and helping cook and serving food to the seniors, and many of them are thirty years older than I am so I am honoring my Mother by being very polite and respectful to them.   They like to have fun too, so it has been a very enjoyable time.  I try really hard to not talk like a truck driver.

 Folks getting ready to eat lunch

Laura's amazing banana pudding

Laura and Ann on Ann's last day before retirement.

Me, Lynn and Ann in kitchen

Desert being served  (apple cobbler and ice cream)

Laura and Lynn

Laura and Lynn preparing deserts

MS Billie chatting with seniors before lunchd

Above are pictures taken by me and others during the last two weeks.   Some of them are in other posts.  These folks here are awesome.   They seem to enjoy the work I do and talking with me.  I thought I was going to go completely nuts while not working.  I did for the first week or so, now I have a great reason to get up, make my bed, and get to work.   I am really not sure what will happen at the end of the month.  If I do not go back to work at Stevens, then I don't.   I love working there, and I would like to keep working there. The Covid-19 pandemic sort of eliminated some of my chance to move into an office job there, but I plan to send an email to the  Vice President of driver relations and see if I can work with new drivers.  I do this a lot anyway becasue I give my phone number to Grad drivers any time I am on the Dallas Yard.   Many call me or text or email me for help.  I gladly give it to them.   True story, when I started we did not have cell phones, and email was available but hard to use on the road.  I literally quit every week for six or seven months.  Sometimes I quit every day.  If I would have had the communication devices I have now I probably would not have been with Stevens for 24 years.

Ok here are some pics from today

Laura is a volunteeer here at the Senior Center

She was showing me her red apron, and yes she voted.  She makes awesome deserts, and she is a nurse too (a very knowledgeable and good nurse).

Well this was pretty long. Thank you for taking the time to read it. Hope everyone enjoys the pictures.   I have comments set up so that I moderate them.  But please feel free to enter them.  I will post any and all comments, just some of my freinds write like they talk and they talk like soldiers and truckers, so I have to moderate comments.

Thanks, I will be posting a lot more.  I will keep everyone up to date on my work status too,

Dave Taley

aka Bounce

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