I am not sure that I will continue to list my year’s events to the public. At some time in the future, I might decide to do something of a private nature, although it would probably not be anything wrong—just possibly private. Since 2020 was such a different year, I started this letter to the world at the end of 2020. At least for 2021, I will do the same. I will follow the same format as last year in listing the months separately, although many of these entries will be similar in nature, particularly in the case of medical appointments.
January
During the second week in January, I made a trip to Fayetteville to my oncologist’s office. I made several of these trips throughout the year, and I am thankful that every one of these entailed receiving a good report.
At the end of 2020, the mayor of DeValls Bluff was making claims that he was going to put up a new water tower on “the football field.” This happens to be my property and is no longer a football field. Although I have never put up a sign, it is officially “Barkley Field” and is not for sale. I am the chairman of an association formed to address the problem of unsafe and unacceptable water conditions in DeValls Bluff. During the second week in January, I wrote a letter to the Prosecuting Attorney reporting some activities pertaining to the mayor and the water situation which had been witnessed by me and some other property owners. The mayor resigned before his term expired, citing health conditions as his reason.
February
On the first day of the month, I returned home from work to find that someone had broken into the cabin. Nothing appeared to be missing, but the door, which had been locked, was left standing open. This happened again on Wednesday, February 3, and one of my cats, Mate, was missing. The next day, Mate had returned, and Slate was missing. On that day, I had a deadbolt installed on the door. This has helped greatly in alleviating this problem, although I had a few occurrences of break-ins even after that.
My alarm system was working overtime at my house in DeValls Bluff. When I had an alarm at 11:00 in the morning in a house that sits within walking distance of the courthouse, I decided that there must be a problem. I asked the alarm company to put a hold on the sensor that seemed to be having technical difficulties.
I had a check-up dental appointment on February 23, and everything was fine.
At work, we had a Valentine’s Day lunch on Thursday, February 25. I had to go back and check my wall calendar on this. I thought that I had surely made a mistake, but that is when we had it. Valentine’s Day was on Sunday, and apparently, there were scheduling issues on the Friday before and the Monday after. We celebrated Valentine’s Day on February 25. Of course, this was socially distanced. We had a lunch brought to us at our desks by our supervisors, who wore masks.
March
I took a vacation day on Thursday, March 4, to meet the repairman for my alarm system. I drove down the night before and spent the night in the house since the appointment was at 8:00 A.M.
I took the first vaccine on Friday, March 5, and I discerned no ill effects except for having a slightly sore arm.
Early in the morning, on March 12, I passed out in the bathroom. I was feeling nauseated, and I went to the bathroom and lost consciousness. I woke up in the floor, with my head bleeding. Apparently, I had hit the bathtub when I fell. The doctor did not think the vaccine had anything to do with my fainting, and since this has happened before, it possibly did not. I had passed out several times before, and once even got a bump on my head and a black eye. This seemed worse, though, because seeing blood coming from my head, for some reason, was intimidating—possibly, even frightening. I notified my supervisor what had happened, and I called my sister-in-law, then my niece, to take me to the hospital. I didn’t think it was safe to drive myself.
On St. Patrick’s Day, I had a phone conference with my primary care doctor. He wanted to take the staples out of my head himself, rather than have me go to the hospital. I made an appointment for the following Monday, March 22, and the staples were taken out.
During this month, I ordered some new DVD’s. These were not new movies, just some that I liked. Some of them I had in VHS tapes, but I wanted a more modern format for them. These titles were Love’s Enduring Promise, The Last Valentine, Loves Comes Softly, and Miracle in the Wilderness.
April
On April 1, I received the microphone that I had ordered in preparation for the podcast I had decided to begin. I started reading a chapter in the New Testament every day and publishing it as a podcast called “Coffee with God.”
I received my second vaccine on Friday, April 2. My arm was much sorer than the first one had been and started being sore almost immediately. I experienced no other ill effects, though, until about 9:00 P.M. Then I started having severe pain in my bones. These were not muscle spasms or cramps. The bones in my feet, ankles, and shins hurt so much that I cried. I took Ibuprofen and went to bed. The next day, I ran a fever of 100.7, at least, for most of the day. Part of the day, I was asleep and don’t know what my temperature was. By Sunday morning, though, I was feeling better. I am thankful that I didn’t get sick at my stomach, and I didn’t pass out.
I published an introduction to “Coffee with God” on April 4.
On Monday, April12, it was time for my check-up at the oncologist’s office. That same week, on Thursday, April 15, I went to Fayetteville again to see a cardiologist. My primary care doctor had referred me to him to find out why I sometimes had fainting spells for no apparent reason.
On April 26, 2021, at 5:00 A.M., the first episode of “Coffee with God” was published. It consisted of the first chapter in the New Testament, Matthew 1.
The visit to the cardiologist was the beginning of several tests, beginning with an echocardiogram on Tuesday, April 27.
May
On Thursday, May 6, I took a vacation day to take my sister-in-law to Fayetteville for a medical procedure that she needed and stayed with her the next day, May 7, according to her doctor’s orders.
On Thursday, May 13, the City of DeValls Bluff had a council meeting to elect a new mayor. The new mayor doesn’t put articles in the paper stating that he is planning to take the field. There is still discussion of an improvement to the water facilities, a state or federal grant being given to the city, and an engineer addressed the council and brought up the “football field” as a possible site for a new water facility. The mayor, I have been told, will occasionally instruct the reporter, “Don’t put that in the paper.” Apparently, the word is out that I have a subscription. The mayor and council members should also know, although they possibly don’t, that there are people going to these meetings who regularly tell me what is being discussed—whether the information is put in the paper or not.
May ended with Memorial Day, of course, and May 31 was a holiday from work.
June
On Tuesday, June 1, I had a fasting lab appointment. I hate those. I feel tired for a long time afterward—even after I eat something and drink my coffee.
On Monday, June 7, I had an angiogram in Fayetteville. My long-time friend from our college days drove me. We had a good visit there and back, but the angiogram was painful. The doctor said that I didn’t feel the pain, but he is very wrong about that. I felt every injection, I believe, and I could not help but moan every time.
I had an appointment with my primary care health provider on Tuesday, June 8. Although my labs are not perfect, I think I am in overall good health.
On Tuesday, June 15, I had an early morning appointment pertaining to the breast cancer I had in January of 2020. I received a good report from this check-up.
July
I went through a change of help with mowing my field in DeValls Bluff. The person now mowing it is keeping it beautiful, and he said that he would not object to mowing around some fruit trees when I get those planted. I appreciate the excellent work he does. I also have a different person mowing for me at my Harrison house, and I have been pleased with his work, as well.
On July 12, I had another check-up with my oncologist in Fayetteville and received another good report.
It is very disconcerting for one to start to get out of bed and realize that it is impossible to walk. This happened to me in July, and I decided that I couldn’t go on with my mobility being so unpredictable and painful. I saw an orthopedic surgeon on Thursday, July 15, and we arranged for the surgery that could just not be postponed any longer.
I mailed some boxes of clothing to the Hillcrest Children’s Home in Hot Springs on Monday, July 26, and Tuesday, July 27. These were very good clothes, some with the tags still on them. I don’t see the need to keep things that I am not using and that someone else could use. I am not going to be sending them any more clothes, though. I have decided to support a local charity.
August
On Saturday, July 31, it took all day to dry my clothes. Drying towels on air dry is a slow process. The dryer was not heating. I arranged to meet a dryer repairman after work on Monday, August 2. He believed that my dryer had been struck by lightning; in any case, he declared it to be beyond repair. I made plans to buy a new one. At lunch time on Thursday, August 5, I selected a dryer, paid for it, and arranged for it to be delivered to my house on Saturday, August 7. I was happy to have a new dryer in the house for laundry day.
I had my pre-surgery lab work and education on Tuesday, August 3. I was informed that I would not be able to stay by myself after the surgery, and it was good that I knew this in advance. I stayed with my sister-in-law for a little over a week. It would have been very hard, maybe impossible, to be alone for the first few days following the surgery.
I had my oil changed in my car on Wednesday, August 11. I had received at least two notices to have it changed, but it was just not time. At least, not enough miles had been travelled. The dealership had serviced my car when I had been driving for an hour to get to work. Now I drive only about ten minutes. Those oil changes don’t roll around as quickly as they did at one time. It’s a blessing to live so close to my workplace.
I decided to make a little portable pantry in my kitchen using wooden boxes. I went to Michael’s in Branson after work on Friday, August 13. The boxes were inexpensive, and the pantry turned out, in my opinion, cute. Also, I like not having so many cannisters on my kitchen cabinets.
Just prior to my surgery, I was trying to think of everything, and I decided that I might need a tag for handicap parking. I went to the doctor’s office at lunch on Tuesday, August 17, and picked up the form. The next day at lunch time, I went to the revenue office and got the tag.
I also was looking at my house, knowing that for a while I would not be able to do some of the things I normally do. On Thursday, August 19, at lunch time, I recycled my cans, and on Friday, August 20, at lunch time, I recycled my paper (old phone books, etc.). Several weeks before my surgery, since I was having trouble getting the trash from the cabin around the house to the trash can, I went to Home Depot and purchased a little garden cart. That little cart has been very helpful to me when doing something I, of course, must do—empty the trash.
On August 24, I had a total knee replacement. My surgeon, in my opinion, is the best. I am thankful that God brought me through the operation successfully, and that my knee has healed well, I think.
Although I did not attend church the Sunday following my surgery, I was able to watch the service on Betty’s laptop. There were no speakers on it, but my nephew, Gerald, brought me a set of headphones, and I could hear perfectly.
Betty not only helped take care of me but she also made a daily trip to my house to take care of my cats. I appreciate all that she did to help me.
September
On Saturday, September 4, I was able to return to my own house. On Saturday, September 11, I was able to start feeding the cats again myself. I had asked the physical therapist from Home Health to go with me down my steps and up the steps to the cabin to make sure that I could do this myself. He thought that I did just fine.
My brother, Kenneth, and his son, Randy, built some steps to the cabin with a handrail. That helped both Betty and me to get up to the cabin. There had been a fairly high step-up to the cabin porch. I had not noticed having a problem with it, but since Betty had trouble getting on the porch, I mentioned it to my brother. The shorter steps and the hand rail helped us both.
When my home physical therapy ended, I had an appointment with Dr. Sidani on Thursday, September 16. He recommended that I continue physical therapy at the hospital, and that is what I did.
I registered my cat, Mac, for surgery on Tuesday, September 28. (His surgery was the following week, October 7. He was the last of the cats to have his surgery. He did fine, but he was a little frightened to be in the house. He hid behind the bedroom door, and it took me a while to find him. He was accustomed to being in the cabin with his brothers and sisters.)
I attended an auction for some state property on Wednesday, September 29. The property I was bidding on went to someone else, and now he has it up for sale. I am considering checking with the bank about financing and making sure that the land is unencumbered.
October
I was able to pay my real estate and personal property taxes on time, and I always thank the Lord when I can pay my bills on time.
It was time for a lab again on October 5.
The first week in October was Week of Increase at Faith Life Church. I was unable to attend in person, but I watched the services online.
On October 11, I had my accountant to figure my income taxes and file them. I had filed for an extension, and the extension was about to expire.
I saw my primary care physician on Tuesday, October 12, and I again received a good report.
I had a dental appointment on Tuesday, October 19. The x-rays showed that I needed a small filling, and that was scheduled.
On Friday, October 22, I had an echocardiogram in Fayetteville.
On October 15, I made a trip not pertaining to medical appointments or finances. My sister-in-law and I went to my sister’s house. She gave me her gospel records and some Christmas records. I don’t have a stereo with a turntable yet, but I am planning to get one. I was very pleased to receive these records. We had sung these songs in church and even knew some of the recording artists personally.
November
On November 1, I had another check-up with the oncologist in Fayetteville.
I had a filling done on Thursday, November 4.
During the months following my surgery, I had physical therapy three times a week, then twice a week. I am not listing those appointments individually, but they kept me busy. Of course, I believe they helped me, as well as giving me something to do.
My check-up with my surgeon was on Monday, November 15. I was released to work and returned to work on Tuesday, November 16.
On Thanksgiving, I ate lunch with some friends, and later in the afternoon, had dessert with my sister-in-law. I enjoyed the day after Thanksgiving as a stay-at-home day. I avoid shopping on the Friday after Thanksgiving—always.
December
Early in December, I experienced a few stressful days. I had an eye exam which was just a check-up. When asked if I had been experiencing any health issues, I mentioned that I had been having some pain in my right temple. When he asked if it was tender to touch, and I said that it was, he immediately prescribed a blood test and told me to have it done as soon as I left his office. He then started to walk out without checking my eyes. It concerned me not only because he had told me that the condition he was testing for was serious but that he had seemed so upset himself. It was Thursday afternoon when I learned that the test had been negative, and I was so thankful. He was testing for temporal arteritis, which can cause a heart attack, a stroke, or blindness. None of those things appealed to me.
On December 14, I had my last appointment with the MANA Clinic for the year. I was told that I was “in the clear,” some more good news. There are no signs of breast cancer.
On Thursday, December 16, we had a holiday celebration at my workplace. I had a steak dinner with a baked potato. Later in the afternoon, pie was being passed out, and I had a slice of chocolate.
On Monday, December 20, I mailed the cards I was sending to the people who lived out of town. I had made treat bags for my co-workers, supervisors, advisor, and manager, along with their Christmas cards, and I passed those out. It was fun to bring a surprise to their desks, and everyone seems to like chocolate.
I had a telephone conference regarding vision insurance. When I received some prices on glasses, I thought vision insurance might be a good thing to have, and I am planning to follow through with that.
I took some extra time off for the Christmas holidays. Since Christmas was on Saturday, I was able to be off Thursday and Friday, and I took a vacation day on Monday. It was nice to have five sequential days off work, even if two of them were the weekend.
I made some gifts for some people, and I enjoyed that, too. Even though it took some of my time, I was pleased with how things turned out.
In December, I bought some things for myself, although they were not actually Christmas gifts. I just had some time to realize that I needed some things for the house: a rolling pin, a wooden pastry board, a pie server, and a new teapot.
I also decided to upgrade some of my favorite Christmas movies to DVD format. Although I had these in VHS tapes, I wanted to have them as DVD’s. I ordered the first three Home Alone movies in DVD format, along with The Preacher’s Wife. I also ordered Books 6 and 7 of the Mitford series. When I start a series, I usually like to see it through, although I was not too sure about this when I read the first book of this series. During the time I was convalescing from my knee surgery, I read a lot of books. I remember posting this on Facebook: “I have started a new book series. The main character is a minister who wears a collar. The book seems a little slow. I have just finished Chapter 4, and so far, all he has done is host a dinner party and adopt a dog.” The book did get more interesting, though, and as of today, I have finished Books 1 through 5 and am ready to start Book 6—just as soon as it comes in the mail.
I have enjoyed the New Testament podcast and beginning Monday, I will be doing a second podcast. This one is the Old Testament books. The podcast is called “Reading for Your Life.”
I am looking forward to a wonderful 2022. I refuse to let the devil steal from me, and I claim the peace and protection of God in my life. In 2021, I have seen God’s hand at work in relationships that had been broken, and I am expecting more miracles in 2022. “This is the victory that overcomes the world, our faith.”
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