The updating problem with Blogger seems to be slowly resolving itself.
If you look over to the right, you can see that more blogs seem to be updating in a more regular fashion. What is interesting to me is the fact that not all of them are. I note that several blogs that I know do daily (or near daily) updates continue to lag; not sure if too many posts is part of what is creating the issue.
I will say that one of the unlooked for "benefits" is while my daily post numbers are down, I suspect they are actual readers instead of bots.
That said, thanks to all who continue to show up here daily and everywhere that bloggers continue to write. Beyond the algorithm, we are still clicking away at our keyboards.
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Health monitoring-wise, this has been a busy month.
One thing that happened was I had what has becoming my semi-annual Body Composition test. This is a free service offered through my employer. The exciting thing - to me as a data nerd - is that we now have enough data points to start to make trends.
The trend? I am remarkably consistent in the fat/muscle body ratio.
Over the course of 2.5 year and a weight that has fluctuated as much as 13%, my body continues stay at an average of 40.8% muscle and 20.6% fat. It changes a bit every six months, but it it is remarkable consistent in that range - to the point my Body Comp guy said "You are remarkable consistent, especially for a man of your age. Keep doing what you are doing."
The other thing that happened was my somewhat delayed lipid panel, which then prompted me to make my annual physical appointment.
The good news? I am in good shape overall. Every other lab come back pretty much precisely in the middle of the range. Cholesterol came down a bit, but not enough - I am running (currently) a 9.5% chance of heart attack or stroke in the next 10 years.
That should not surprise me - the men in my family die from strokes or heart attacks. So medication it is, at least for now.
Other health updates are a steroid shot for my knee (for some early arthritis) and the start of shingles vaccine regimen, which I have been warned by coworkers is a bit rough.
Still, for a guy rolling out of his late 50's no matter how you look at it, things seem to be holding together. And I have to remind myself that for even the issues I am dealing with, getting old is a privilege many do not get.
A final note: Yesterday I hit my goal of losing 20 lbs. A personal goal started in June of this year, but it feels good none the less.
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We seem to have reached the point of my biennial/triennial religious peregrinations.
Longer time readers will recall that this is something that seems to happen periodically: I get to questioning my current church location and involvement. I am not fully certain why it keeps happening, but it does - whether from me not being satisfied when I should be or me not having yet found the place my soul feels it "belongs" (within the larger Christian faith, of course).
If I try to pinpoint it (in short; likely I will write more on this) I am feeling the disconnect between my professed belief and the supernatural realities that we live in. This is something Francis Schaeffer touches on frequently in the books of his that I have read this year, the idea of saying we are Christian but acting as if the spiritual realm does not really exist as well.
As usual, I am not sure where this goes. If you are of the mind, prayers are appreciated.
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Next month, the Community Garden has its "Winterization" project, indicating the end of the Community portion of the year (including the earning of one's 8 hours of community service, the requirement for renewing).
My beans (dry and soy) are largely done at this point. The corn did okay, but I had a setback in that I had a "visitor" that helped themselves to a few cobs. I have enough to do a re-seeding next year; I will need to figure out a better system.
The tomatoes, as you can see, continue to bear.
I have some leeks that have made it this far as well.
Planted yesterday: Two kinds of barley, Emmer wheat, two kinds of garlic, and golden beets.
Notice that the updating on both your blog and OAF Sarge has been stuck at two weeks for some days now, correction may be proceeding at an evolutionary pace. As far as your garden visitors TB, perhaps squash, gourds or pumpkins planted among the corn may be of some help. In a communal garden pretty difficult to rig a electric fence. As far as losing that weight, excellent......especially for "a man your age".......:)
ReplyDeleteNylon12 - Ironically as it turns out, just this morning Google/Blogger posted something on my opening page about some new service they are offering. Nothing on the lag issue though - there were two questions about it, but both were locked.
DeleteGourds and pumpkins. That is a good suggestion and something I will look into. I do not think there is a methodology whereby we can "remove" said critters.
I have to admit I am pretty happy about the weight loss. This was one of the few times I set a goal for myself - and hit it.
Ugh, avoid prescriptions. I don't mean to give medical advice (but I did stay at a Holiday Inn once)... you don't need them, period. It's a scam.
ReplyDeleteAnon - While I am not necessarily a fan, I also have seen the impact that a heart attack or stroke can have. It is a calculated risk/benefit.
DeleteWith the exception of my mom whom cancer took, all my other ancestors seem to last until their late 80's, early 90's. Many of the more recent ones usually fell or suffered some accident which caused them to go into the hospital followed by a trip to rehab which they never made it out. While not a bad way to go, I think having a quick heart attack or stroke might be a better way than lingering in a rehab facility.
ReplyDeleteEd, outside of a few outliers, we tend to not make past the mid-80's. I am using my male relatives as my "stalking horse" for estimates. My maternal grandfather had a heart attack and died outright, as did (I think) my paternal grandfather. TB The Elder had a series of strokes that incapacitated him his last wo years.
DeleteThis is an argument to be made that quick and done has some benefits.
Good health is a blessing.
ReplyDelete"How should we then live?"
The writings of Francis & Edith Schaeffer, another great blessing! ❤
Anon - It really is!
DeleteI re-read a great many Schaeffer books this year. Such a great thinker and communicator.
Thought of you last night. YouTube person was interviewing the smartest man alive. Has somewhere in neighborhood of 195/210. Range of subject was fascinating. Much went over my head but he was fascinating with items of quantum and quarks. Then they got into religion and G-D. At the end he was asked what would you suggest reading? Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle to Aquinas and he wasn't willing to go past that list.
ReplyDeleteWow Anon! Honoured you would think of me in that context.
DeleteThat is a pretty solid list (although I have read limited Aquinas).
Keep doing what you're doing? Climb more mountains! Health is precious, especially the older you get.
ReplyDeleteLooks like your end-of-season garden is pretty tidy. Nice that you are growing some winter grains.
Leigh, I suspect he was more on the "general exercise and diet sense" - but I have no intention of giving up on mountains just yet.
DeleteOur big "Garden Clean Up Day" is coming in the middle of next month, after which hopefully the rains take over. I will appreciate the lessened activities.
I have tried to grain in Winter for years now. There is just something about it that pleases my soul.