How am I doing?

Occasionally I am asked, "How are you doing?" Today's post is a brief update on how things have been going recently.

I have been feeling pretty darn good recently. My exercise program has been easy and enjoyable. My knee and leg pain has been minor or nonexistent. My strength has been good. My hands are operating close to normal (normal for me anyway). My throat and jaw are fine and seem to be functioning well. I have been sleeping pretty good ... especially for me. What can I say; the program is working and life is good!

I believe my recent change in philosophy concerning purchasing needed products today that will satisfy expected needs for the next 3-5 years is working also. I am still looking for a "roll-in, hook up, and drive away" van, but that is more my fault (priorities) than anything. Fortunately, my old chair continues to run and that stays in our current van.

I have been sidetracked with KDA work including the fall newsletter, summer reading, and some other things. My new chair continues to be a great investment. I cannot speak highly enough about my Permobil C-300. It is definitely a step in the right direction. Now, if it could only climb stairs ...

For those readers out there, I read three interesting books this summer. These books had me reading four-to-six hours a day instead of my two hours a day average. I could not wait to get to the end to see what happened and then felt empty because I finished the book ... still wanting more.

• The first book is "The Pillars of the Earth" by Ken Follett. I enjoyed Follett's writing style and this book was historical fiction. The setting was in England and France during the 1100s. The thousand page book is centered on the building of a cathedral, but brings in the monarchy, economy, the church, morality, politics, and so much more. Follett developed some great characters and you followed many from birth to death. He has a sequel called "World without End" that I plan to read soon.
  
• The second book is "The Passage" by Justin Cronin. This book was another New York Times Best Seller. This 800-page fiction begins in the near future where military experiments (trying to build the perfect soldier) went haywire unleashing a terrible horror on the world. From there the books takes you on a haunting and often horrifying journey in an attempt to correct the mistakes made by the survivor's ancestors. Cronin does a great job of developing characters (both protagonists and antagonists) that are memorable.
  
• The third book is "61 Hours" by Lee Child. This is Child's thirteenth book where Jack Reacher is the protagonist. Reacher is stuck in a small town in South Dakota during a blizzard where a Mexican drug cartel has developed a meth lab on an old military base. As you can tell by the title, the book starts counting down from 61 hours and builds momentum all the way to the end. I believe it could be Child's best book.
  

I am just a little busier than I care to be. I have not been able to change my priorities to focus more of my time for writing. I am usually pretty good at redirecting my priorities, but these books and a few other activities have my focus elsewhere right now. I am not complaining, because the books and other activities are enjoyable, but ...