At this stage of life, I no longer plan into next year. Life tends to be a bit of a toss up, so I will just try to make it to my sister's visit end of October, then to my 80th birthday in the middle of November.

I have three visits left this year to appointments at the VA hospital, regular check ins with various doctors and specialists. Without the VA, I would have died in 1993.

Slowly way down, just opening and closing the shop used to be ten minutes of changing signs covering about 200 feet. Now that takes a good half hour. I hobble as gracefully as possible with my Walker.

People offer to help sometimes, which I appreciate, but being helped is dangerous to my remaining independence, helped too much could leave me helpless. It may happen some day, but I will delay it as long as I can.

When I worked in a nursing home, I studied older people and learned what helped and what hurt old people. I learned how to be the type of old person that I liked. Otherwise, I could have become the grouchy, complaining old man nobody likes to be around.

It is still interesting to be alive and watch how it goes.