Wife encounters an 11' 6" alligator

[Bullfrog]

While eating crawfish at Steamboat Bills..   

[jw]

Cool, you guys do get around a lot don't you. Love all your pics and stories.

[Jerry]

Is this a crok or what?
The boards will be replaced.

[PondmaninAL]

This isn't funny. I almost had a real one in my pond.

[Bullfrog]

Cool, you guys do get around a lot don't you. Love all your pics and stories.

We do try, you are only young once and I'll be 54 in August. You have to play your cards when you have them. She is 7 years younger than me and we have to  get our good times in while we can but I do work out because I'm a firefighter/paramedic, I have a cause. I think that a cause to live gives you the drive to live, to push yourself when you just want to give up. Don't let any grass grow under your feet while you are still young enough to do something about it. I really do fear for her health, she has a lot of medical problems but she is a really strong spirits, it's just her shell that is damaged.


Tonight she made a decision that sat well with me. She said that whoever goes first saves the ashes and when the other ones checks out to have the ashes blended together. Half will be buried next to my daughter and half will be buried next to her parents, together forever as it should be but in the meantime.....

Let's dance.

[Jerry]

Me too Bullfrog.  I will use a blender.

[jw]

Bullfrog you guys make a lovely couple and I hope you are together for a long time. My DH and I have been together since we were both 18 and did all our dancing back in the 60's. Now we spend too much time working and saving for retirement. We do need to get out and smell some roses. As for the grass growing under our feet............we have an acre of it here and I'd like to just take off and let it grow. I think down sizing is a good idea as it's too easy to get tied to a big place with a lot of work. Time to take up the dancing again 

[Bullfrog]

Cool, you guys do get around a lot don't you. Love all your pics and stories.

I don't think that I've mentioned this here because I don't seek sympathy but we have become friends so I can just pour it out. My wife is a really lovely, vibrant woman but her health is shaky at the best. When she's up, she's up but  she has some really serious health problems.

Two years ago, at the relatively young age of 51 I was diagnosed with macular deneration, the leading cause of blindness in adults. 51 is young for this onset so I have resigned myself to the fact that if I live long enough, I will more than likely go blind. I will loose all of my internet friends because I won't be able to see the screen. No fishing, no TV, no driving, no seeing my grandkids grow up. If I am able to kayak with my wife she will have to scream "Tree on the left, steer hard right!!"

At least I'll still be able to make love to my wife, I know where everything is with my eyes closed and that sure outweighs fishing or the internet, TV and everything else.. 

But there is a shining light at the end of the dark tunnel, my wife. I know and trust that she will walk me through life if and when this happens. God makes no promises and we both know that our time to dance upon this rock is limited so we are trying to get our licks in now while we can. We will be married for 5 years the 15th of this month and I am returning to my annual fire training next week, Sunday. She gets a week in the sun at the pool at the Hilton and I get to fight fire all week, I love it.

We leave on the 15th, our anniversary and go back to where we met, Galveston Island. We spend every anniversary there. In the words of the Rolling Stones...

"I love living, it's easy to dooooo...

The things I have wanted...

Have all been for youuuuu...

Restless lady, you know who I am....

You know I can't let you...

Slip through my handssssssss...

Wild horses, couldn't drag me away, Wild wild horses...

We'll ride them someday."

Pack every minute of life into the time that you have left. I'm a paramedic and a few people have died in the back of my truck. They all want the same thing, the super rich and the very poor. Death is the final equalizer, when the final curtain falls we all become the same. One more minute with the ones that we love. "Call my wife/husband/daughter/son"

All of the menial bullshit and worry about money just fades. All we really have that matters is the time that we have left with the ones that we love. I want to spank my Harley and come sliding sideways into heaven covered with knicks and scratches and say "Did you see that?"

I want to milk every ounce out of this life that it has to offer. I'll see you all at the big pond.

[jw]

Gosh Bullfrog, I'm very sorry to hear this. I see now why you are so energetic with loving life and seeing everything that you can if you don't know how long you'll have to see it. I'm glad that you have your special person of a wife to be there to guide you and love life with you. And you still have your great sense of humor too. No matter what trials come your way you seem like the kind of person who will make the best of it and continue to enjoy the good times at hand. I will pray that if this is going to come to happen that it will be very slow in coming and perhaps not come at all as with our maker anything is possible. Hope you guys have a wonderful trip to Galveston Island and "Happy Anniversary" 

[Jerry]

You are a wonderful romantic and will endure.  You two have an amazing bond.

[Bartman]

Cool, you guys do get around a lot don't you. Love all your pics and stories.

....Two years ago, at the relatively young age of 51 I was diagnosed with macular deneration, the leading cause of blindness in adults. 51 is young for this onset so I have resigned myself to the fact that if I live long enough, I will more than likely go blind. I will loose all of my internet friends because I won't be able to see the screen. No fishing, no TV, no driving, no seeing my grandkids grow up. If I am able to kayak with my wife she will have to scream "Tree on the left, steer hard right!!"...

All the way to 51?  Nice.  I have had Glaucoma since about age 25.  So far controlled.  This year I am told the beginning stages of macular deneration as well so I am almost assured I will end up blind.  Thankfully the macular deneration can be controlled a bit if caught early and there is always new treatments for Glaucoma coming out so hopefully I can keep my vision for a lot longer than would have been possible before modern treatments.

Bart

[Bullfrog]

I'm sorry to hear that Bartman. The only thing they have for macular degeneration is vitamins. I try to remember to take them so I leave them by my coffee pot, I know I'm going there the first thing every morning. Marijuana does relieve the occular pressure that glaucoma produces and after I retire I'm going to do this regularly as a preventative measure also.