Well, now is the time and the month to celebrate my time here on site where I learned everything I know about strokes, recovery and all the meds one needs to survive. A stroke wasn't nowhere in my mind when it happened to me while home alone in the late morning. In fact I was on the computer upstairs typing some papers I needed for my business when I got to work and opened up at noon.

Well, I never made it that day or for the next five months either and I knew once I opened the doors I wouldn't have any time to sit at the computer and do any typing. It was all work on the drill press putting holes in bowling balls I had sold the day before. They would be there standing by the door ready to try their new bowling ball out on the lanes. I gave them two free games of bowling with each new ball I sold.

Many of my customers were soldiers from the military base and they didn't come in until closing time for me and when they got off duty in late evenings. At that time my wife have already called to see when I will be home because she is cooking a certain meal and want it to still be hot when I got home. So I put those up on the bench to start drilling them soon as I opened the shop. If I didn't drill them then I would be swamped again in a few more hours and I hate to take the money and not have the balls ready when they got back to try them out.

There was League Bowling almost each night and I had things to do for my league bowlers too to get their balls, shoes and gear working right. Their balls needed shining, sanding or new finger grips replaced and some needed new shoes especially around their paydays. I was a cash and carry pro shop operator because I order my equipment one day it was there the next day by 2pm UPS. I stocked about everything any bowler could ever want in their bowling bags.

You know as I sit here now typing this blog that I realize I may have been putting pressure on myself trying to get so much done that my blood pressure shot up and busted the vein in my head. But when you own a business you try hard to make it work that's my way of doing business and it brought many more customers in than any of my competitors in town. That may well be why I wasn't walking after 5 months in the hospital on the rehab floor and still running my shop from my bed with a guy I thought I could trust as my wife went by and picked up the money he took in for that day and told her what I needed to order from my distributors.

Needless to say when I got out the hospital and was ready to sell the business to another guy my tax man said my inventory was way off so much so I lost money. The inventory was not there and I was in no shape to operate a bowling pro shop with one leg and one hand I couldn't use good. I probably would have really hurt myself trying to use the drill press and other machines I had. But that's life I guess.

Every weekend I was on the road going to tournaments or just busy with that shop and not going to church like I should have been. My wife was so mad but I was making money and even refinanced our house down to 15 years, smartest move I ever made. I paid the bank off where I borrowed to purchase the pro shop, get it fixed up and down payment on my house. After I had to sell the shop for less I owed my distributors money and I paid them off with no money coming in so I was flat broke.

I was only 64 by then and still couldn't draw my SS for age, I was a few months short and couldn't draw disability because I hadn't paid SS for the last ten years here in Texas. As it was they took 13% from me for not waiting to full age of 65 and some months. Life goes on, I'm back going to church almost every Sunday, my wife is in the choir and the praise dance team so I have no complaints about how or why I'm like I am.

I've reached 9 years since the stroke and I guess 8 years I been on here so it's high time to celebrate life because no one knows the last day. I plan on being happy with a smile on my face. Now if I could do a sunshine dance and it warms up I'll really be OK. That's still in God's hands and I can live with what He wants where He wants it!!!!

That reminds me...Added at 5pm today........

When I became a member here my member number was 3852 I think, and we don't have those numbers any more but the membership here is nearing 11,000 young and old alike and when I joined the new members thought this was a site for old people and the staff members started over and under age groups.

Most young survivors just wanted to talk with younger people and then a chat for younger members got started along with care givers and others. About that time more younger people were having strokes not just us old folks. I can imagine the nursing facilities still have more older people than younger ones and with that I'm hoping I can remain at home until it's my time to go meet my maker providing my wife's health and strength holds up longer than mine. She runs up/down the stairs now at age 60 and I finally got a stair lift chair thank God! I sure couldn't give this home away when it's about paid off just to buy a one level home!