On Wednesday morning, my dad, Will Blumer, will be going in for bypass surgery.
Too little exercise and too much dietary cholesterol caught up with him, and now we're counting on the skill and education of a surgeon to get the blood flowing properly in his heart again.
This is odd to write about, and not because it's not directly related to 4WD or the outdoors. It's odd to write about because while growing up dad was always the strong, healthy one even though he didn't go out of his way to stay that way. Dad had no idea what a headache felt like, or even the common cold. If any of us kids felt groggy or under the weather, dad's solution was always to 'go outside and get some fresh air.' Every now and then, dad would get a puffy patch under one of his eyes, which would stay there for a few days and then fade away. That was as close to getting a cold as it got. I was always catching colds, flu, and dealing with allergies. Fresh air helped my state of mind, but didn't do much to get rid of the illness or allergies. I've got meds for those things now.
Dad's always been generous with his time and never hesitates to pick up a wrench and lend a hand with a project. The photo with this blog shows him helping me pull a 4.0 V-6 out of a '92 Ranger project truck.
Our whole family will be hoping and praying for a successful surgery. After that, we'll be making sure dad's diet is conducive to his longevity, and that he finds a form of exercise that's both beneficial and enjoyable.
Today's blog doesn't contain much humor or news about what's new in the off-road world. Instead, it is a slice of life.