Very Good! #meatheals #zerocarb #Carnivore

Today, I felt good. 
So I ran. Also good. 
I did not die. Very good!
#70yearoldrunner
#meatheals #zerocarb #Carnivore

Easily Distracted!

Ceaselessly pray! - Paul 
(Working on this. Extremely helpful to me, but a long ways to go! So easily distracted.. SQUIRREL!)

Spectacular Mistakes #rmdo #maddog

Spectacular mistakes humbles a proud, handsome, talented man - me, and blesses me with Grace. #rmdo

My brother, Ted, and me, on the right.

Extreme Night Owl

After a lifetime of shift work, I remain an extreme night owl married to another night owl. I look at it as a gift. I can't sleep until everyone else (in this case Mary) is asleep. 

This was very useful when baby-sitting, chaperoning youth groups, staying in high crime areas, or anticipating practical jokers. Walking up quietly behind someone who is hiding in my room and me scaring the Bejesus out of them are treasured college memories. On the downside, I did not well in classrooms. Fortunately, I was always a speed reader with a high retention rate. I also listened while I slept, which frustrated teachers who tried to sneak up on me or ask me a question. My late wife said I was snoring when the teacher tried to surprise me with a question. I woke up, recited the question, answered it, then went back to sleep.

With low carb, and no caffeine, I can go to sleep after Mary does, which is early in our book, 2 am. Lately, I've sleeping 3 to 5 hours, then supplementing it with 3 to 5 power naps of half an hour. Mary likes to lay down with me and sometimes will sleep maybe 9 or more hours per day, which seems to help her. She has advanced Alzheimer's.  

Noting the pre-industrial hunter gatherer sleep efficiency rate of 81 to 86%, I may actually be doing better than that, so I am happy with it. It helps that I am retired. I am also unsafe to socialize with in the morning and I like it that way. #maddog #alzheimers #AwesomeGod

A Good Hair Day

At 70 years old, a good hair day is when I look up and it's still there.
A few unruly hairs is a cowlick. A head full of unruly hairs is a fashion statement.

Reassuring #runforrestrun

Reassuring to have Mary cheer me from the balcony while I ran, knowing she'd call 911 if I collapsed. #70yearsold #runforrestrun

It Was 96 degrees. I am 70 years old.

It was 96 degrees. I am 70 years old.
I ran today. I ran faster and longer than I ever have before. I normally run till I am winded or my arms and legs feel like jelly.
But today I did not get winded, nor did my arms and legs turn to jelly.
I felt good when I started to run. I felt good while I ran. When I stopped, I was not winded or tired, and I felt good.
I felt so good that I looked forward to running again.
But not today.
For it was 96 degrees.. and I am 70 years old.

My New #KJV #Bible

My new Bible. It has 12.5 print, large enough to see while standing, and NO extra references, printed on onion skin paper, (made from linen or flax fiber?) so that it remains portable even though it's the whole Bible.
It is, of course, King James Version. The KJ is OK. The KJV is OK for me. I believe the study of the KJV and the study of Shakespeare sharpens minds, similar to learning a foreign language. The best actors have studied Shakespeare.
The KJV is not the only version, but I think it conveys the Majesty of God as well as any version. There is no patent on King James version, so the Bibles are less expensive, and there is a treasure trove of Scripture songs in the KJV.
There was a joke on the chalkboard at Nazarene Bible College in Colorado Springs back during it's earliest days in the late 60's and early 70's. I was in the the third class. My Dad was in the 4th.
"The King James Version! If it was good enough for the Apostle Paul, it's good enough for me!" Permit me to point out the statement is historically inaccurate.
I also liked another joke on the NBC chalkboard that was anti Baptist, anti Catholic, anti Pentecostal and not edifying to the Body of Christ: JESUS WAS A NAZARENE!
May I mention one more from the ancient NBC chalkboard? I came in one morning to see this on the chalkboard: CAN ANY GOOD COME OUT OF KANSAS CITY? (a retake of the Scripture "Can any good come out of Bethlehem?" The Church of the Nazarene is headquartered in Kansas City)
#Nazarene #Shakespeare #NazareneBibleCollege #KansasCity

No Voices During Meals

I am a counting freak. I got punished in Kindergarten because I was counting all the students when I should have been singing. I once detected a $5 error in the running tab at the grocery check out while I was reading a magazine without paying for it. You should have seen the cashiers face. I loved music because you always have to count. I have a voice in my head that counts all the time. I run the voices in my head by Robert's Rules of Order. Don't speak unless spoken to. No new ideas until the current one is dealt with. NO VOICES DURING MEALS! 

Industry Leaders Who Lie #LCHF #Keto #meatheals #zerocarb

I have tested all the nutrition forces, elimination of contamination, micro nutrients, probiotics, phage therapy, silica, organic, and have found that macro nutrients ratios is the big one, ie. carbs, protein, fat, or Low Carb, High Fat. It is doable, even if you're poor, and yields the best result in well being.
Which leads me to conclude: Don't sweat the small stuff. Avoid being fearful. And have industry leaders who lie lined up and shot. This last point is optional. ;-)
(I would like to include in that list Monsanto executives, the Low Fat movement, the cigarette industry, and TV executives who prematurely cancelled the original Star Trek, Sarah Connor Chronicles and Firefly TV series.)

Do you smell ice cream?

My mother encouraged me to stand up to bullies. When I stood up to them, even if I got beat up, Mom gave me a bowl of ice cream. I cashed in twice. 

I went to Gary Emerson High School in Gary Indiana, a very rough school. Half black, half white. All mad.

I started standing up for myself in the 7th grade. I remember losing 26 times. 

In 1960 I stood up to a bully 8th grade teacher who made a cute straight A girl cry, Tina. I stood and said, Mr. Kaplan, this has got to stop. A big black kid came up, grabbed me, and took me out. Mr. Kaplan yelled Don't come back, then flunked me. That summer they changed my grade to a D and relocated the teacher. Different days then.
In 1961 in choir a bigger athletic kid was picking on my little brother. I told him to pick on somebody his own size. You're about my size, he said. Touch me and see what happens, said I. He did. I popped him in the eye, he hit me, teacher broke it up before he beat me up. I planned it that way. She took us to Principal. I got one day off, he got swats, we became friends.

After those two incidents nobody bothered me. They probably thought I was crazy. Different days.

Tim and I went to judo classes. We slapped box each other for practice. We crept up on each other to test our reactions. We became fearless.

Mom hated bullies.
She was not alone. My Aunt Velma coached my cousin Sam, when he was a little boy being beaten up by an older bigger bully. 
She cheered and coached him like a wrestling coach, until Sam fought back, got the upper hand, and fought till the other guy gave up. His little brother Stevie saw it.
I went to Olivet Nazarene College in Kankakee Illinois. Older kids gave younger kids swirlies, sticking their heads in a toilet and flushing. 
They tried to give me a swirly. They quickly changed their mind. Pain is a wonderful motivator. Pressure points from judo.
The sophomores challenged the freshman to a brawl. The freshman recruited the fearless students from Gary (one was from Michigan, another from Chesterton.)
The sophomores came charging out of Hills Hall like Viking Ravagers. The freshman all fled. Except for the fearless kids. One tussel. I was pinned by a wrestling champ. I surrendered. He didn't let me up. So I made him let me up. Pain is a wonderful motivator. Pressure points.
I worked for Ristance/Echlin/Dana/Standard Motor for almost 20 years. One of the workers was screaming at me to get out of his area. He was 6 foot 5, 245 pounds, immensely strong. 
He was just behind my back, screaming. I decided to around, put my toes to his toes, my nose to his nose, and I smiled. After a few moments of face off, he walked away, cursing and grumbling.
I smelled ice cream.
Right now, politicians are acting like bullies. One party will throw you in jail and let out the criminals. The other party backs down like panty waists.

But some are standing up. Truckers seem to be fearless. Elections are coming. Pain is a wonderful motivator against bullies.

My favorite President stood strong.

Maybe his mother gave him ice cream when he was younger.

The Truth No One Sees

Something that excites me greatly is when God reveals to me a gobsmacking Truth that no one around me can see, a Truth that is catalytic, it is a linchpin, it causes cascading, irreversible changes.
Be patient with me while I explain further. We have not seen this Truth because we have believed the lie of the enemy. We believe we are children of humanity, forged on the crucibles of reason and evolution, taught by science and history, led by experts.
We are not. We are children of the Heavenly Father, the Creator of all life, Redeemed from our deadly arrogant failures by the blood of His Son and our Savior on the Cross, where every one of Us had a hand in His death.
Let me finish, for I have not yet arrived at the gobsmacking Truth, but only taken you partially down the trail.
The Truth that has been overlooked is not only that we are children of the Heavenly Father, but His Spirit has been sent to lead us into ALL truth.
I have been quick to credit myself for my brilliance, but I clearly see now that God, through the Power of Spirit, has been showing me the melodiousness of music, the wonder of words, the nobility of knowledge, the coolness of craft. 
Go with me one more step. If this is true, that the Spirit is the Teacher, wouldn't it pay huge dividends if I carefully crafted my questions as prayers? and when I receive an insight that proves to be true, to also give God the credit? rather than pompously and arrogantly robbing God of the His just due.
Wonderful how this insight aligns with my mantra.
Be careful what you ask for.
We are like puppies, chasing dreams like moving cars, never stopping to consider: What will we do with it, when we get it?!
God is good. He's also smart. Trust Him to lead. God's got this.
Just one more thing. You and I are children of the Father, not mini gods in control of our tiny Universes. God has a Plan. My being perfect is not part of it.

Behind Every Great Man

Please allow me to say something nice about a controversial man.
Mary and I are avid NCIS fans. Lauren Holly played Gibb's boss and former lover in the series. I did not know Lauren Holly used to be Jim Carrey's wife.
Say what you will about Jim Carrey, but he does have an awesome quote: 
Behind every great man is a woman rolling her eyes.

A Principle Hiding in an Observation

I help Mary take care of herself.
If I do things that are convenient for me, I get more done.
If I do things that are convenient for her, I have more success.
I think there's a principle hiding in that observation.

Beautiful Words, Old Friends

A beautiful word is like an old friend with whom you can get together with for coffee anytime.
Some beautiful words were introduced by old friends, words like superfluity, plethora, gobsmacked.
My old friends will respond: WHO YOU CALLIN' OLD!?!?

Thoughts About #specificprayer

Praying specifically can give God an opportunity to reveal His Power.

While attending Nazarene Bible College, my late wife Lynne once prayed for a specific list of requirements of a home to rent in Colorado Springs area, a list that I had devised as an obstacle to moving. The house had to have 220 volt wiring for an electric clothes dryer. (It takes 2 hours to dry a sock if your dryer is hooked up to 110 volts. Some of you are not old enough to have seen a house with 110 wiring.) The house must be carpeted. (Not popular in the 70's) Must have a fenced in yard. (We had dogs.) Sufficient wall sockets. And not one dollar more in rent. ($100 a month.) Lynne's requests were isolation and in the country. Imagine my dismay when a house exactly like that popped up in the Classifieds (remember Classifieds?) the next week.

Just how much carpet was in the house? Wall to wall in every room and in the closets!! How many electric wall sockets? On. Every. Wall. Why was the rent low? A rancher way, way out in the country (look at the pic with the Dittmers hitchhiking) who worked at a carpet outlet part time was offered a free house if he would move it, which he did for $4000. He totally redid the wiring, the walls, the ceilings and the floor. Frankly, I think the Lord set me up for this miracle, but I asked for it when I kept praying that He reveal Himself to me. Be careful what you ask for.

Lutein, Zeaxanthin, and Eyesight

Scientists believe high levels of lutein and zeaxanthin in these areas may protect the eye from damage due to oxidation. Lutein and zeaxanthin are commonly found in dark-green leafy vegetables, such as spinach and kale, and are well-absorbed from egg yolk. A large egg yolk contains 252 mcg of lutein and zeaxanthin.
I found this at https://www.incredibleegg.org/eggcyclopedia/l/lutein/
Funny thing about this link. When I posted it on Facebook, the Facebook algorithm told me it was spam. I reported this to Facebook. We will see.
That fact makes me suspect that vegans are offended by this site, and may be at war with the egg industry.
I love vegan food! I love sugar! I love beer! But the truth is, some things are delightful in small quantities, but poisonous in large quantities.
Vegan food in large quantities can be poison.
For some people, the limits of veganism, sugar, and/or beer can be very small or even zero.

Short Term Memory and Low Carb Diet

2 incidents of Mary revealing her short term memory working without repetition, prompting, or writing it down. Telling her brother on the phone without prompting about the deer we saw yesterday. Also, noting the goop on a knife was from a banana she had cut up earlier.
In both cases she was relaxed and happy. Her short term memory almost never works when she under pressure, excited, and/or angry. On one hand, she has high standards. On the other, she is and loves being retired.
I have noted bunches of research that Alzheimer's, dementia, and of course Type 2 diabetes improves if carbs are restricted and protein and fat are moderate and at times generous. Within the confines of Mary's precise personal taste and fierce independence, I have endeavored to followed the Diabetic's Association's recommendation of limiting Carbs 15 Carbs a day (each Carb being 15 grams of carbohydrate each) and Mary is meeting or beating that goal daily.
According to Virta, a leading group for curing Type 2 Diabetes, a patient is in remission from Type 2 Diabetes is under 6.5 on their bA1c blood sugar count. Mary has been under that for over a year.
God is good.

Progress In Running at Age 70

Progress on running at the age of 70:
I run once a day, barring busy days, snow, ice, and cold below 20 degrees. Since I've been running on the road in winter, I measured out a distance by running slowly, (gently would be a better word) for one minute, then running back faster to my starting point. As I run faster, I breathe more quickly naturally. Breath in, two steps, breath out, two steps. At some point during this last stretch, my arms and legs get heavy, so I double time my breathing, in, step, out step. Since I am taking in more oxygen than I need, my head starts to feel light, so I increase my stride, and finish fast, or at least fast for a 70 year old man who is not a great runner.
I've been gradually moving back the the turn around point, I have also picked up speed at the end of the run. I wait longer before I have to breathe harder. My recovery is getting quicker after I run, which encourages me to keep improving by extending the run and quickening the end.
I chose this method rather jogging, because I don't hurt afterwards, and I can almost always work it into a busy schedule. The method is called High Intensity Training and was used by the greatest runner ever. Emil Zátopek was a Czechoslovak long-distance runner best known for winning three gold medals at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki. He won gold in the 5,000 metres and 10,000 metres runs, but his final medal came when he decided at the last minute to compete in the first marathon of his life. (Wikipedia)
I briefly thought about making up my own acronym, Short High intensity Training, but I didn't like how that came out. I could call it the Busy High Intensity Training (BHIT!) or perhaps more accurately, the Lazy High Intensity Training (LHIT!).
I only ran a few days in January, and a few in February. I am running more frequently in March. The days of cold snow and ice are getting fewer each month.
God is good.

Convenience Vs. Savings

Convenience vs savings:
I love convenience. When Mary and I were married, way back in the olden days of 2010, she introduced me to the Keurig Coffee Maker, and their K-Cups. It was the solution to the problems I had been fighting since I was a young man, the problems of bitter coffee.
Since I was a young man, I had solved this problem by taking leftover coffee and refrigerating it. I wish I could say I invented cold coffee, but I learned that off of my late wife's grandmother, a German immigrant. She would make a pot of coffee, serve one or two cups, and put the remainder in a recycled pickle jar and store in the refrigerator.
This would explain my peculiar behavior of taking the left over coffee at large church functions, poring it into quart jars and refrigerating it. Beth Wade Kathy Brinkley Tedrick
I also learned how to get the freshest cup by being the person who makes the pot of coffee for the third shift from Mike Wade. He would always make a fresh pot when he was ready for a cup, and as the Mr. Coffee was dripping into to the Karafe, he's place his cup under the drip point, and get the freshest coffee possible. It was also strong enough to knock your socks off.
Which brings me to shakes. We have been using Glucerna shakes for some time as a partial meal replacement for Mary. She likes having one morning and evening when she takes her pills. The chocolate flavor helps her down her daily regimen of numerous pills, but sometimes there is not enough shake to help with all the pills.
Enter Chef Mike. I started with adding a little milk to a shake poured into a large glass root beer mug, but then I added some flavored yogurt to increase the volume.
Several renditions later, I am now making a large shake in the morning, enough to help both morning and evening, and I add a powerful probiotic, Stonyfield Yogurt. We have been able to cut back on both the expensive shakes and expensive supplemental probiotics, saving over $100 per month.
Add this to the fact that Mary prefers inexpensive home cooked meals and the savings are adding up.
God is good.

The Older I Get #rmdo #oldhumor

The older I get, the more it helps to grunt when I pick up things off the floor, which gets further away each year. #rmdo

Responibility #rmdo #humor

The oldest child is most responsible. Something goes wrong, parents say SO YOU'RE RESPONSIBLE?!

The Dittmer Family a long time ago!

Daytime Sleep, Power Naps, and Ambition

I wrote a note to a friend: How to sleep in the daytime.

Silicone ear plugs. sleep mask, fan, and sometimes television just under the level that demands attention.  It also helps to have a nap watchdog. My late wife Lynne used to do that. Mary also does an excellent job now.

Just ask me. I'm a professional daytime sleeper. 

Also, grasshopper, empty your mind of any compelling problems and questions. My problem is ALL questions are compelling.

Consider yourself blessed if you can get a ten minute power nap. I could then get up, work 3 or 4 more hours, then take another power nap.

I once went several months on an average of 4 hours sleep. Martha Stewart and President Trump both do well on 4 hours sleep. I think Solomon did, also. The great inventor, Thomas Edison, went months at a stretch on 4 hours when on a major project.

But I have switched to the other camp, 9 hours or more. I joined this camp when I decided to forgo my depression medication at the time I decided to drop all health insurance at age 62, while taking an early retirement.

I noted that great athletes often sleep longer than 8 hours to get full recovery. Lebron James is an example.

I am lucky to still be alive, but power naps are indeed powerful. Power naps at stop lights are dangerous and irritating to drivers behind me. Also, I had decided to stay awake to listen to a dear friend, my brother Ted, but my body would disagree and say, "Time for a quick power nap." 

At the factory, I could sit on a small reel, and take a power nap while a reel ran out, and wake up in time to to stop the reel. 

I could power nap in class at Bible College and when the Professor woke me with a question, I could replay the question in my mind, say it out loud, then answer the question. My late wife Lynne was sitting beside me once. She asked, "How do you do that?! You were snoring!!"

My problem is and always will be I had and have too many ambitions and interests. In Bible College I was married, had a job, was a student and traveled on weekends with the Insights Gospel Music group. But I now warn my daughters, son-in-laws, and grandchildren to be careful following that example.

It's taken me 50 years to admit I can't do it all. In 2010 I retired from a full time job and Pastor of a church I founded and dearly loved, Family Bible Fellowship.

In 2012, I gave up my home that I dearly loved in Indiana.  

In 2013 I dropped out of choir at Brighton. (The choir leader was just like me! She played the piano and directed, did ALL types of music, and the choir had a BAND!!) But I would get so wired after practice (I hear all the parts, the voices, the instruments, and even add parts in my head) it would be hard for me to sleep. 

Now I just live with and cook for Mary, scheme to get together with my daughters and their families, and write a little when I can. Seems like I'm busy enough. I also warn my family about carrying the ambitious fewer hours of sleep too far. Their lifestyle trajectory seems very similar to my early years.

God is good!

Knowing, Learning #rmdo #wisdompoet

Everything I needed to know, I learned at the Cross. #rmdo #wisdompoet

Bad News, Good News

First the bad news: People have commented that my oldest grandson looks like me.
Now the good news: In one year he has gone from being one of the smaller players on the basket ball team to one of the taller players, and he's not finished growing.
And he'll have no trouble attracting a wonderful, beautiful Godly woman.
Right, Mary?
Mary: RIGHT!!
(His late grandmother was also a wonderful, beautiful Godly woman.)

Two of my three grandsons, along with my late wife Lynne.

Slaying the Jabberwocky

Alice Kingsley: I try to believe in as many as six impossible things before breakfast. Count them, Alice. One, there are drinks that make you shrink. Two, there are foods that make you grow. Three, animals can talk. Four, cats can disappear. Five, there is a place called Underland. Six, I can slay the Jabberwocky.

Night owl report:The reason I put the Jabberwocky quote from the Tim Burton "Alice" film on my time line is because my extreme night owl habits have moderated. Not long ago, I would have thought that impossible.
With small changes in our routine, I have gotten up early and stayed up all day. Remember, early for me is before 2 in the afternoon.
I am amazed at how far a little sunshine therapy goes. It's been several weeks since I've had a chance to sit or walk in the sunshine, but the little bit that seeps through our windows has been effective in rousing me.
Now I find myself not only getting up, but staying up all day. Of course, this means I have to go sleep earlier. One night I drifted off at 1:30 am. That might be a record.
With more daylight hours, I can do more projects per day done, instead of bailing out at 2 in the afternoon, and galloping to the bank before they close at 6 pm.
Today I got up with the sun at 8 am. I am still up. Weird, but nice.
Please don't misunderstand. I like being a night owl. On Christmas Eve, after driving to Indiana to visit my children and their families, Mary and I started back home around midnight. There was a fierce snowstorm. We arrived home at 6 am. I went to bed at 6:30. I saved a ton of money and a day of hassle by NOT having to spend the night at a motel. I can do that.
I also have no need to sit out on the front porch, soaking up sunshine and being social. I have no desire to fit into a day shift world, and it would be too much work to straighten them out. My standards are too high.
Actually, there are is long list of impossibilities that have been made possible, through God's grace, and I am hopeful that God may reveal the steps for a couple of more changes.
Hence the line "6 impossible things before breakfast." Reversing Irritable Bowel Syndrome and the Jabberwocky - Short Term Memory Loss are my next targets, with God's help. Surprisingly positive changes have already happened with the addition of bone broth and egg yolks to our regimen.
God is good. Stay tuned.

RELAX! #rmdc

RELAX! God's got this!

Photo by Mary. #rmdc means I didn't write it, but I'm collecting it. RMD is is the acronym for Rev. Mad Dog. #rmdo means I wrote it.