Oh well.

You know what they say about the best laid plans of mice and men, right? It is only too true. All my plans for this year so far have been either changed or cancelled. My "ride" to Vegas turned out to be a "drive" instead, and Sturgis is an out and out cancel.

Why, you ask? Well, I decided back in February to investigate the possibility of getting Lazik surgery on my eyes to correct my near sightedness and eliminate my glasses and contacts, finally!! So I made appointments to first get my eyes checked and my current prescriptions updated (got new glasses and contacts) and then I started making the rounds of some doctors that had been recommended to me for Lazik checkups.

Lo and behold, the very first doctor I went to for the Lazik found a problem. Back in 2000 I had a detached retina in my left eye. It was repaired in high fashion by a very prominent eye surgeon and life went on with no problems. Or so I thought. The eye doctors found that since that surgery in 2000, scar tissue had built up and needed to be removed or it was going to cause my vision to degrade more and more.

So, off to the races we went. I was under the care of one of the more eminent eye surgeons in Houston and everything seemed to be going swimmingly, lol. The first procedure seemed to go fine, and for the first month I was thrilled with the improvement I saw in my vision, even though they had some kind of silicon oil in my eye to increase pressure on the retina while it healed, and that had my vision pretty blurry. The 1 month followup visit went well, no problems, and then one week later things started to go to crap.

I developed a dark area near the top of my vision all of a sudden and called it in. They immediately set me up for another appointment where I was told they were going to have to go back in. It seems that as my eye healed, it pulled another area of the retina loose and it is not uncommon to have that happen. Easy for THEM to say...lol.

So back in they went. It was just too much fun, let me tall ya. Then, a week later, I went back to have it looked at, the routine followup after the procedure, and here we go again. It seems that I have developed a lot of liquid pooling behind the repair, and it had to be taken care of. So BACK IN we go. Another operation on my poor eyeball. But, it had to be done.

So now I've had three operations on my eye, instead of the two originally planned, and I still have one more to go. So far, so good though, I made it through the one month followup on this last one, and I have two months of healing to go before they are satisfied it is good to go and they can remove the silicon oil from my eye, the final procedure. Hopefully, that will be the end of it.

As a result of all this, I was unable to ride my motorcycle to Las Vegas, but at least I was still able to go, even if I had to drive the Jeep. But Sturgis is out. I won't be back on the bike till late August at the soonest, or September at the latest, IF everything goes as planned. Like the title says, oh well.

But, as we all know, things could be worse. So as long as things continue to progress as they are, I'm not going to complain, I'm just going to try and lug it out.

Hey everyone, just a quick message here to talk about future plans. I'm planning to ride to Las Vegas, Nevada, in May, and Sturgis in August. It ought to be some good riding either trip and I am really looking forward to both. I recently had to have some work done on my left eye to correct some problems that have resulted from an old repair of a detached retina back in 2001. So that means I'm not riding right now as my left eye is not 100%. Once it is though, I am going to be ready to go for a long, long trip. Now if the money available would just match the need to ride, I'd be set, LOL.

But, I'll fit in what I can afford, and maybe even stretch that just a bit in order to maximize my ride time. The bike is in good shape, except for being dirty, which never bothers me anyway, and it's ready to roll. I'll try to remember to drop in and update this thing more often to keep the world in touch.

Mac

Here we are.....

Well, here we are, in the year 2009. Who'd have thunk it, eh? LOL.

A year from now it will be 2010, and another year will have passed. What will we have accomplished by then? Will we let another year go by, simply pass, without anything real having come of it? What is your intention for 2009 that you could talk about in 2010 and be proud?

Sometimes I think it just becomes too easy to ride the waves and make no headway. In addition, we have things happen to us that set us back, and we fail to recover and keep on keepin' on.

One of my friends has had one of the worst years ever, but she has kept her head up and has had faith that things would turn out okay, and they have for the most part. I admire that a great deal and can only hope I'd face similar circumstances with as much fortitude. But then, sometimes we forget our own bad times and forget that we have, in fact, stood strong and made things better for ourselves and those around us. We did what needed to be done, regardless of our own discomfort or sacrifice.

So what are you going to do with your 2009???

Mac

Back on two wheels......

Well, I have my bike back. Back in July, 2008, I was involved in a wreck brought on by an old fellow that just had to back out of a parking place just as I was arriving at that very spot. I wound up on my back in the roadway beside my motorcycle wondering what the hell just happened???

So, three months later, I am pretty much healed up, and the bike is in great shape. It took a few rides to get that paranoid feeling to go away, but it appears to be okay now. I had even toyed with the idea of trading my bike in on a new one, but I've come to realize that is just how I deal with things sometimes. I buy myself things in order to achieve some level of peace somehow. I'm not sure what the psychological mumbo jumbo is that actually describes the condition, but I live with it and deal with it. I may eat rice and beans for a while, but I have a nice bike...lol.

I'm going to stick with this one though, and my Jeep, both vehicles are right at a year old now. I will attempt to keep them both and pay them off, along with all my other debts, so I can retire at some point in the future without all of them hanging over my head. Besides, things are much different now then they were a year ago.

To all who read these silly rantings, here is a wish for a great Thanksgiving holiday for all.

Mac

A new era dawns...

Well, we have a new President elect. No matter what else we may feel, think, or fear, it is now a done deal. My personal opinion is that he has neither the knowledge or experience to do the job, but he is in, and that is that.

I pledge to support him when he is right, and to oppose him when he is wrong, and both are subject to my opinion of what is right and what is wrong. But that is what I do with every President, regardless of party, regardless of race, regardless of religion. My principles are not for sale, nor are they subject to the winds of popularity. I am decidedly NOT politically correct.

So, for the next four years, I stand watch, and wait, and do what I can.

In addition, we got a new Sheriff here in Houston/Harris County. So things at the department are going to get pretty exciting as well. We'll see who goes, and who stays, and where we all wind up at the end of the day. At my level there probably won't be much change, but those fellows who are up in the thin air make much better targets. It should be interesting.

Best of luck to all, and God Bless the United States of America.

Mac

This is the Cavalry poem upon which the name of my blog is based:

Fiddlers Green
Author Unknown

Halfway down the trail to Hell,
In a shady meadow green
Are the Souls of all dead troopers camped,
Near a good old-time canteen.
And this eternal resting placeIs known as Fiddlers' Green.

Marching past, straight through to Hell
The Infantry are seen.
Accompanied by the Engineers,
Artillery and Marines,
For none but the shades of Cavalrymen
Dismount at Fiddlers' Green.

Though some go curving down the trail
To seek a warmer scene.
No trooper ever gets to Hell
Ere he's emptied his canteen.
And so rides back to drink again
With friends at Fiddlers' Green.

And so when man and horse go down
Beneath a saber keen,
Or in a roaring charge of fierce melee
You stop a bullet clean,
And the hostiles come to get your scalp,
Just empty your canteen,
And put your pistol to your head
And go to Fiddlers' Green.

(This poem is the most original version I can find, but the U. S. Army, under pressure to be politically correct, changed the last stanza a few years ago by removing the line about putting your pistol to your head)

My New Granddaughter.

Hannah Lucille was born on October 7th, 2008, and is the most beautiful thing I've seen of late. So now I am a grandfather. If I didn't feel just a little bit old before, you can bet that I certainly do now.

Not that I feel OLD. Just older. When your children start to have children I guess you know that life is progressing toward that inevitable last day. Prior to that, you can sort of put that thought out of your head and pretend it doesn't pertain to you, only everyone else, LOL. But holding that little girl in my hands it is very evident that my own child, who is now a man, has grown past the point of needing my input into how to get to this point.

My son and my daughter-in-law have presented me with a gift. A grandchild. A blessing beyond measure. While not having been the best father in the world, it is like getting a second chance in my son's life. Maybe by being a good grandfather, I can make up for some of my shortcomings in the past as a father.

At least, I can surely hope so.

Mac