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.

Weird Seaweed Effects

My latest concoction, kelp powder butter, is working. It improves the flexibility of my bladder immediately so that I can sleep much longer between bathroom breaks. I am certain of it's effectiveness because I have run out of it several times and my late night bathroom habits quickly go back to one to three hours. Weird.
That's three effects for three seaweed products. Wakame for weight loss, kelp chips and ginger candy for acid reflux, kelp powder butter for a happy nighttime bladder. Like I said, weird. But nice. God is good.

Changing Expectations

Changed expectations. The last time I lost weight was before 1990 when Standard Motor was Ristance in Bremen Indiana. I was moved to the new job of weighing all the scrap for every operator because too much was not being reported. Ristance made up a new job and put a bi-vocational minister in charge.
It took me 6 hours of heavy physical work in heavy humidity and 100 degree indoor temperatures to weigh all the scrap. I lost so much weight, my late wife intervened and told me to stop it. People were coming up to her and asking if I had cancer.
Later Ristance went back to every man reporting his own scrap. My unique job was eliminated and I went back to being a line operator and then retiring in 2010. By this point I had slowly gained 70 pounds.
After losing weight for the first time in 25 years, 15 pounds in a month or two, I now wonder why I haven't lost any weight for a week. 
Like I said, changed expectations.
By the way, I love my weight loss routine. I eat one normal meal a day, plus a snack or two. I almost always have between 1/4 pound to 1/2 pound of meat, which includes double quarter pounders from McDonald's, Wendy's, and Burger King. I also have home made low carb desserts daily of either cherry custard pie, or bread custard pudding with low carb ice cream and Extra Creamy Whipped Cream. Breakfast is coffee with heavy cream. No, I don't feel hungry.
The catalyst for the weight loss was when I added Wakame to my just before bed snack. To make it palatable, I add heavy cream to it.
I feel very little hunger. I feel best when I don't eat for the major part of the day. Frankly, I love this routine. I've done it for a couple of years, except for the Wakame Sea Weed. I predict I will probably continue this from now on.

Genetics and Influence

Just when I think my Disney Princess daughter Wendelyn Daly is a clone of her angelic mother, the Dittmer sarcasm comes zinging through. The combination makes it even more effective.
Likewise, surprisingly frequent angelic streaks of my clone Rebecca Taberski I lay at the feet of her mother Lynne's genetics and influence. God's hand at combining genes and influence in our children is frighteningly amazing.
Lynne did have a dark side. She would play the role of good cop, bad cop in our shared parenting responsibilities.
A quietly whispered threat of guilt, shame, or even physical consequences into the ear of a child can be a powerful motivator. Lynne was not afraid to use it.
She had other faults. She was not perfect. But...
when someone observes moments of responsible behavior in me, it was probably Lynne's influence. Thanks, Lynne.
Since our family is discussing favorites, I thought I'd mention a similar whispering incident of my late mother.
My brother Tim Dittmer had taken up the guitar, but seemed to lose interest. After talking with Tim, she had bought him a much better guitar, but she worried that my playing Tim's guitar might dampen his enthusiasm. I was watching intently (I was obsessed with music!) as she handed him the guitar. As she left the room, she whispered in my ear, "If you touch his guitar, I will break your fingers."
I have taught guitar. One student of mine ended up playing like Charro, a wild crazy blonde Flamingo guitarist. But I neither own nor play a guitar.
By the way, Tim went on to become an excellent, professional level guitarist.
Thanks, Mom.

Obseesed with Sunset Times

My wife Mary loves to take sunset and sky pictures!

Since I am now an ardent student of sunset times, I have learned that sunset times change much slower in the winter than in the summer at this latitude.
Sunset for this town is at 5:10 pm today on November today on November 17. On the shortest day of the year, Winter Solstice, the sunset time is 5:05, a difference in a month of only 5 minutes.
It seems in the Spring and Fall the sunset times change at least a minute a day. I keep track of these times daily so Mary and I can be where we want to be at sunset. I learned while tracking these times that knowing one day what the sunset time is not necessarily valid several days into the future.
Looking forward to Daylight Savings Time, not because I think it's a good idea (I don't) but because sunset will be at 7:30 PM.
My daughter Rebecca mentioned that one of the Equator countries the sunset and sunrise times are 5:30, year round. That sounds 1. weird. 2. boring. 3. nice.
By the way, the Google Weather app on my Android phone has daily sunset times. Who knew?

Losing Weight on Wendy's Baconators

I'm in new territory on weight loss! 305 was my former set point. I weighed 298 today.
Observations: I never had a weight problem until after I retired.
I stopped gaining weight when I went to heavy cream in my coffee a few years? ago.
The heavy cream in my coffee allowed me to have an empty stomach, which encouraged me to run. I found out later this is called Intermittent Fasting. Hunger is greatly reduced.
I finally started to lose weight when I added Wakame seaweed to my evening regimen.

My evening meal is normal, MY NORMAL! It might be the double patty Baconator with Baconator fries from Wendy's, or 2 pieces of Extra Mostest Bestest Pizza from Little Caesar's, or fried chicken livers with mashed potatoes, extra gravy, turnip greens, and biscuits from Cracker Barrel. Added into my evening meal is Mary's leftovers (she makes me finish them!)
I also immensely enjoy salads, and salads allow me to feel more alert in the evening. But I don't lose weight on salads, and after the last episode of food poisoning, I'm cutting back to having salads on special occasions when eating out.
Further observations about fat burning metabolism:
In the last couple of years I accidentally switched myself over to a fat burning metabolism.
It is a very enjoyable state to be in. I can postpone eating to whatever time I choose. I do not wake up starving.
This happy accident occurred because, always loving heavy cream in my coffee, I decided to make heavy cream a part of my daily regimen.
Part of what aided that switch was the decision of Walmart, and later Kroger, to Ultra Pasteurize heavy cream. My frugal nature kept me from enjoying heavy cream in my coffee not only because it was expensive, but because it would so easily spoil. But heating the cream to 180 degrees rather than the normal 160 degrees made it much more stable in the refrigerator.
What also helped the switch was that Walmart charged half the price of Kroger.
The amount Kroger charges for cream is robbery, twice as much as Walmart! They basically get the cream for free by stripping the healthy fat out of the milk and selling the fat free milk to the fat free dip sticks for the same price as whole milk.
Now I'm glad to report that Mary is also switched over to a fat burning metabolism.
Her happy accident is possibly because of two changes. She takes an herb for her blood sugar called goat's rue. And when she wakes up, she has a piece of Adam Mathews New York style cheesecake, a low carb dessert that Mary has had for breakfast since she was out of the hospital. I can only get this at Walmart.

I know that she has switched over because she slept in today. It is now 5:30 in the afternoon, and she isn't hungry yet. Like the old me, for the last 7 years, Mary always woke up hungry.
Tough assignment for her, having Adam Mathews cheesecake every day when she wakes up.
God is so good. I thank him for lucky accidents.

Update: 

Thought I was done with research and I would be able to write more, but small changes made to our regimens have had remarkable results.Mary's blood sugar appears to be improving. AND
I am losing weight.
Both of us were accidentally and rather painlessly switched to fat burning metabolisms.
Now I'm wondering if memory loss and brain damage can be halted and reversed. AND
If a life time of Irritable Bowel Syndrome, permanently worsened by a life saving bowel surgery, can be reversed.
Using a regimen is not a cure, since stopping the regimen would bring back the symptoms.
But the tediousness of the regimen would be far better than the alternative.
Will God allow me to discover this? We will see. He is a generous and loving God.

The Great Gift of Clarity

God has made my life into a living Parable, and your life also. I see this clearly. Some day God will give you this great gift of clarity also.
You can not be saved unless you can first clearly see that you are lost.
You can not receive Jesus as your Savior until you can clearly see that He, and only He, can save you.
Never underestimate the amount of trouble we can get ourselves into when we ignore God, and remain in stubborn, ignorant darkness.
Do not be ashamed or afraid of the Name of Jesus.
The Name of Jesus brings light.
The Name of Jesus defeats the Enemy.
Embrace the foolishness of preaching which brings the Name of Jesus and light to the worldly wise man who walks in ignorant, stubborn darkness.
Clarity, Threads of Grace, and Riding Shotgun With Jesus