Closing words from President Trump's State of the Union Address, February 5, 2020: "We are Americans. We are the pioneers. We are the pathfinders. We settled the new world, we built the modern world, and we changed history forever by embracing the eternal truth that everyone is made equal by the hand of Almighty God. America is the place where anything can happen! America is the place where anyone can rise. And here, on this land, on this soil, on this continent, the most incredible dreams come true! This Nation is our canvas, and this country is our masterpiece. We look at tomorrow and see unlimited frontiers just waiting to be explored. Our brightest discoveries are not yet known. Our most thrilling stories are not yet told. Our grandest journeys are not yet made. The American Age, the American Epic, the American Adventure, has only just begun! Our spirit is still young; the sun is still rising; God’s grace is still shining; and my fellow Americans, the best is yet to come! Thank you. God Bless You. God Bless America."

Good morning and welcome. Today is Thursday, February 6, 2020. Trying to come up with something to write about each day reminds me of the words of Solomon, "That which has been is what will be, That which is done is what will be done, And there is nothing new under the sun." (Ecclesiastes 1:9) Life happens and I talk about it, but, in reality, it's mostly a repackaging of the stuff that pretty much is common to us all. In the novel 'David Copperfield', Dickens penned this observation, "I know enough of the world now to have almost lost the capacity of being much surprised by anything." I thought about this when I was watching the State of the Union speech by President Trump. I watched it in its entirety. It was Trump doing his thing. He shaped the narrative to make a point. America is making a comeback and we are seeing results to prove it. Much of it was theatrics, but, they all are. He will never conform to the so-called political norm. That's not Donald Trump. People decry is room-filling ego, but, he actually is unapologetic about who he is. Others have given off a more humble appearance while being known in private to have the same or an even greater sense of self-importance. To me, what you see is what you get, is better than the projection of a false representation. Just me. I thought the Pelosi stunt of tearing up the speech was inappropriate, but, not surprising. She was demonstrating for all to see the manifestation of what has been called, 'Trump derangement syndrome'. Again, I did not see the speech as one that was designed to bring the parties together. The reason? Those who couldn't even bring themselves to acknowledge the good things being done for the average American citizen, well, they are not coming to the table. Period. The bottom line from the President's point of view communicated this to me, "I am who I am. I love this country and I am going to continue to do all I can to see her thrive. In other words, expect more of the same." I get it. I'm not a big fan of Donald Trump the person. I do stand with him as our President and based on the total calamities being offered by the other side, I will vote for him again in November. 

Enough about that. You are entitled to form your own opinion. I'm pretty sure you can still do that. Better take advantage of it while you can. My doctor told me it would be good for me to consider losing a few pounds. I told him I knew that already. He then said he was pretty sure I did know that already. He reiterated it again when he sent my lab reports and gave me some suggestions. I thought new technology had eliminated the broken record that keeps repeating itself over and over again. I will be considering my response to this development. I looked at a number of articles dealing with ways to help folks over 70 to lose weight. Many of their listed actions were similar, but, not in every case. However, one was on every list. Portion control. This was Paw Paw Mac's recommendation. He called it pushing away from the table. Lest you get the wrong idea, I am not grossly overweight. As my doctor put it, ten pounds would make a difference. As a diabetic, this is even more important. One of the things I do not want to do is to find myself chasing some kind of fad and spending a lot of money on something that doesn't end up sticking around very long. Right now I intend to think about thinking about Paw Paw Mac's recommendation. If thinking could only burn calories. I will let you know how it goes.

I started to use the metabolism card, but, I think that train left the station a long time ago. The heavy bone theory was one I tried some time ago but no one was buying that one either. I do have thick toenails if that helps. The established norm for clothing is to subtract 2.25 pounds for clothing and another pound for shoes. I'm trying to remember if I was wearing my insulated underwear when I stepped on the doctor's scale. Oh yeah. What about that scale? I did not see any certifications hanging off of it. You do know I am spinning a lot of malarky here. Being kind, it is mostly a fuzzy web of self-denials. I do have a recent example in our family who had the same problem, decided to do something about it, and, he did. I am almost certain he did most of his using Paw Paw Mac's approach and I am just as certain he did not consult with Oprah at any time. Just having a little fun. Don 't write me. Have a great rest of the day and I will see what life delivers for our next visit. May God bless. Amen. ....More later.