Page 137 - Winterling's Chasing the Wind

felt that the wear on my knees and my spine was not good for me. I had always watched
my diet by reducing meat that contained fat, and by eating vegetables daily. I didn’t
eliminate sweets completely, but I was careful not to overindulge. Between careful
food selections at the Morrison’s and Picadilly cafeterias, plus eating healthful food
prepared by my wife, Virginia, I was in excellent health.

Upon reaching the age of 55, I noticed that the many years of running had caused the
skin to sag on my face and neck. Upon examination by Dr. Anwar Kamal, a local
plastic surgeon, I agreed to have a rhytidectomy (facelift) operation. During surgery,
Dr. Kamal discovered a few skin cancers on me that he later removed. A year or two
later, I discovered my eyelids had been sagging so that my peripheral vision was
reduced. Unfortunately, Dr. Kamal died in 1992 having accidentally nicked himself
during surgery, giving him Hepatitis B. He was a patron of the arts and had many items
on display at the Cummer Art Gallery in Jacksonville.

I enjoyed running so much that I continued to enter several community and charity
walks and runs; but eleven years later, I had to have another operation to correct some
more sagging of the face and jowls. This time I used Dr. David Mobley who had taken
over Dr. Kamal’s practice.

I think our grandchildren helped keep both me and Virginia feel young. I had great
pleasure in interacting with my grandchildren. My son, Frank, had two very active boys
that climbed trees and were seldom idle. My son-in-law, Bob Schwank and I, built a
fort from timbers that stood nearly ten feet tall that gave them a much safer way to
climb. We built an attached sandbox for their sister, Sarah, to play in. Sarah played on
our swing set, rode her tricycle playing Take-out (MacDonald’s) and singing Christmas
songs.

I always grew flowers and vegetables in my backyard garden. Before granddaughter,
Amanda Schwank was two years old, she was helping me plant and appeared in my TV
George’s Garden films. At one time we added a playhouse to the garden and a sandbox
shaped like a turtle. We also had a great time playing indoors.

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