Happy Thanksgiving

[Snowhog]

While it is an American celebration, I want to wish everyone here in KFN a Happy Thanksgiving. This morning, here in Minnesota, I woke to snow. Summer is definitely over, and fall nearly past, as we journey into winter. I'm thankful that I'm retired and with sufficient means to enjoy it. I'm thankful for my family who put up with me all these years. I'm thankful for both the kindness and generosity extended to me by my sister and her husband, without whom retirement would be much more difficult. And, I'm thankful for this forum; for all the assistance I received from members here during my early days with Kubuntu Linux, and not least, to our Host, Open Source, who made this forum possible.

[Qqmike]

Happy T-Day, Snowhog! What's for dinner? Lasagna, perhaps?

I was thinking you were still working in AK. Retired, relocated to Minnesota, huh?

[MoonRise]

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!!

[DoYouKubuntu]

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone at KFN!

I'm thankful/grateful for so much, I could write a book. The short version: I'm thankful for the small group of really close, meaningful people in my life; I'm thankful for the beautiful house/property I own, which my mother owned before me and her mother before her--I'm beyond blessed to live in a beautiful, upscale city I despised in my youth (I hated its snobbishness and focus on material things...but now, as an old geezer, I actually understand and appreciate why my grandmother bought this house in the first place); I'm thankful for my pets, my favorite of which just had her 11th anniversary with me four days ago; and, above all, I'm thankful for life itself--I've had quite a roller coaster ride, including a brain tumor and its removal, so to be above ground and doing moderately well is truly a blessing.

[GreyGeek]

Indeed! It IS a time of thanksgiving! Happy T-Day everyone!

Most important, I am thankful that my best friend for 53 years is still here, doing what she does so well, sharing and loving others.
On March 23rd she had her second open heart surgery. The surgeon was expecting her to die on that operating table. She was placed on Oxygen therapy 24/7 for what they thought would be the rest of her short life. She made it through but on July 18th she fell and broke a hip. Because of her heart problems and stage 4 pulmonary hypertension they didn't expect her to survive the surgery. The good news on her hip surgery was that tests showed her pulmonary hypertension had dropped from 120 mm Hg to 50 mm Hg and may still be dropping. They took her off of Oxygen and she is doing fine without it. He pulse pressure averages between 65 and 95 mm Hg. Walking is still difficult for her because she has lost a lot of muscle mass in her right hip and leg, but she says her leg makes a good storm barometer! She can now go grocery shopping with me, using the opportunity to exercise her leg.

I was thankful that I was in good health so I could take care of her. On the morning of Sept 23rd I woke to a never before felt sensation in my chest. I, the runner and bicyclist, with a a resting BP of 120/80 and a resting HR of 50-55 BPM was experiencing palpitations and tachycardia. I used the ALiveCor app and iPhone EKG device to monitor my heart. Lead I showed Atrial Fibrillation with tachycardia, 144 BPM. Thinking it was MSG or something else I ate I used the Valsalva Maneuver, which dropped my HR to 95 BPM. The AF continued. The next day AF and racing was still happening so I called the doc. His EKG showed AF with 125 BPM tachycardia. He gave me a beta blocker and warfarin. Two hours later my EKG was normal and my HR was 56 BPM. My cardiologist took a Transthoracic Electrocardiogram, which showed the arteries and veins of my heart were clean. A blood panel showed all numbers were in the normal range and a physical exam showed nothing abnormal (except between the ears!). The episode was "idiopathic". They have no clue what caused it.

So, I can continue taking care of my wife. For that I am very thankful!
(The total bill so far has been $350,000 and my PPO insurance paid all but $7,900. For that I am thankful as well.)

I am also thankful for Kubuntu LTS, its reliability, stability, beauty and speed. It is the best desktop OS I have ever used.

[DoYouKubuntu]

I'm really so happy to hear of June's continued improvement, GG. A blessing, indeed! As is your now-back-to-normal good health.

[Qqmike]

After a certain point in life, the name of the game is to have 'enough.' More than enough is nice, but not necessary. The game then becomes: not to lose what you have; although one's health does naturally decline, so you're bound to lose some of that each year/decade. If you have enough, be grateful.

[GreyGeek]

I'm really so happy to hear of June's continued improvement, GG. A blessing, indeed! As is your now-back-to-normal good health.

That's true. No one gets out of life alive! I've passed the "three score and ten" and now I am testing the "four score" and beyond!