Jan. 15, 2018

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Hello my dear friends at long last!

I hope all are warm and well wherever you call home on this M.L.K. Day. It's awfully cold in most of the country I see, except here in Tucson, where the winter is always warm and boring. The Flu is widespread throughtout the country, and unfortunatley it knocked on my door too, hence my absences lately.

 I left for California on the 31th of December, stopped to have dinner in Las Vegas with my daughter and proceeded forward to Union City, and arriving by daybreak the New Year. I spent six fabulous days meeting my new grandaughter, playing with boys, and hanging out with my son and his wife. I also got to see other extented family members and friends I had made during my tour. 

 Unfortunately for me, the second to the last day I was there, I seemed to develope some kind of rash or infection on my face, especially the area where I shave regularly. By the time I was packing the car to come home, the boils on my already rough complextion were something nasty and too gross to go into detail. Lets just say I had to walk around with a cleanex to sop up the dripping fluids from my face! I had no clue how or where I contracted the infection, no one there had any symptoms either, nor had I ever experianced anything like that before in my entire life. I had to let my bread grow out for a spell, just to hide the scabs a bit. I was scaring all the kids with my look!

 Once I got home, I took some antibiotics and did some research. It was probabaly caused by using a infected razor or some other strange way. Anyways, it took about seven days to subside and allow me to shave again, only then to come down with the flu immediately after. I felt the symptoms coming on, but I was powerless to fend off the onslaught. It floored me for days, hitting me even harder than it did last year in Wisconsin and Minnesota, when I was on tour. So why am I telling you all this?

 Well, I feel I haven't fully recovered completely from my journey in the physical sense. My immune system is weak or shot, and I've been catching everything in sight since I rolled into Arizona last spring. I have never been so sick, or felt so deficent in all my 55 years. I sleep good, eat good, and extercise often, and even began running again since my return. I don't smoke, drink often, or use any kind of legal or illegal drugs, yet knowing my body well, and being in good shape for years, I still don't feel myself yet. In the last 8 months I have contracted two lung infections, one Staph infection, the scabies in California or Hawaii, the flu, and just a general feeling of not being well. I think I wore myself out beyond my wildest dreams.

 In the meantime, I will try to keep my chin up and be positive, hoping things will eventually turn around soon in that department. I continue to write the second edition while they work on the first, and will post any updates on that as soon as things progress.

I wish you all a happy New Year, and hope you stick to your resolutions if you made any. Stay warm and dry and thanks for checking in with me, as I always appreciate your support and interest!

Juanjohn