Reliv International Products...I guess I'm hooked

I've mentioned the Reliv products a couple of times here lately. Tonight (this morning) I am very concious of the products and their effectiveness. At least, the ones I am using.

Since I sell this stuff, this will sound like a sales pitch but I just want to get the info out there for everyone. I've become kind of a missionary about these products as I see how much they have helped me and I want to get the word out to EVERYone so please bear with me.

Joann Shindoll got me to start with the Reliv "Now" product back in June. My only real health issue is that I am a diabetic but it hasn't been ( I didn't think) a big issue and I have even stopped keeping track of my blood sugar. I was just watching my diet and exercising a little more. Anyway, I didn't see where a nutritional supplement was going to do me much good.

The first thing I noticed was that I not only slept better but felt better when I got up each day. I quit starting the day with aspirin to fight my morning headaches. Then I realized that I didn't need my antacids any more. That was a big issue as I never went ANYwhere without antacids! I even have some in my guitar case and in the side pockets of the CD case where I carry my CDs for sale.

As I got more interested in the Reliv products and began doing some research, I found that their "Glucafect" has had clinical studies showing it to effectively reduce blood sugar levels so I figured I'd try it out. Since I don't keep track of my actual blood sugar levels, all I can testify to is how I feel. My diabetic symptoms have been reduced or have gone away in the two months that I have used this product.

In fact, the reason that I am up at 4 in the morning and typing this long missive is that I ran out of Glucafect about three days ago and figured I'd just continue with my "Now" product and not replenish my "Glucaffect". My symptoms are back already. I haven't felt great all day and here I am, unable to sleep and not feeling well.

I guess, if you look at the negative side, I'm in withdrawl mode and maybe this is an addiction? I'm more inclined to say that the product has done what the Reliv company says it will do. It has given my body the nourishment to take care of itself and without that nourishment, I have returned to the more unhealthy state I was in.

You can safely bet that I will be using these products for the forseeable future. I like feeling better and healthier.

Lots of fun with Craigslist

When I bought my camper, it was on a 1986 Ford F250 pickup. I bought the whole package with the idea of keeping the camper and selling the pickup.

I put the pickup on Craigslist (http://montana.craigslist.org/cto/1476652361.html ) per the advice of several who have purchased from the Craigslist page. I've gotten one real phone call from some folks in Joliet, MT and several scam e-mails. I've so far not gotten a real e-mail about it.

Of course, Craigslist is free and I'm getting everything I paid for!

Colt Angell wandered through this weekend. He's played a couple of small shows down near Ennis and done fairly well. Typical Colt. He showed up here at 3:30AM, just the way I'd have done it!

Joann and I are doing more and more with the Reliv products. I'm literally thrilled with the health results I have gotten from using Reliv and so I've turned into a missionary of sorts. www.relivingpartners.com has info about the products, including lable info and clinical studies of some of them.

Anyway, off to Helena for the day.

Headed home

Ok. This has been a great trip and I've learned a lot about many things, as well as getting my foot in the door for doing music in The Phoenix area. I found that most of the RV parks which actually hire entertainers have pretty much set up their activities schedule for the winter by now. However, the good news is that they often select their entertainers from an April showcase which Sally, from the Queen Valley Rv Resort says she will help me become involved with.

Also, there is a lot of music opportunity in that area in the bars and restaraunts. They don't seem to pay much but they have frequent shows and I talked with some performers who have been playing the same weekly gig for years now. If I can go down there with more time to just bum around, I can probably find several small gigs.

Now, to my personal observations. This trip has been fairly expensive as, although I made some travelling cash with gigs (and a couple of good pool games, although those are kind of cancelled out by the BAD pool losses!) I've put out a bunch of gas money; not counting the dead transmission. But, I have a renewed appreciation and love for all my friends out there.

When I was getting ready for this trip, I e-mailed Terri Taylor and she helped me find people who would hire me for gigs. I visited with my friends Charlie and Kathy Camden and there is no way to express how much help they always are. Kathy for one will feed me until I can't be fed any more!! Sam Mattise helped me find a good reputable Transmission Repair place when I was in trouble in Boise. Bobby Hunter and Alan and Corean Romreill at the Fruitland Gathering were very nice and helpful and also fed me very well.

As to my transmission dying in Boise, I'd have had to cancel everything and limp home in 2nd gear if not for my best friend, Joann Shindoll. What is a Musician without a girlfriend? Homeless. She rescued me big-time!

After that, I stayed with Wayne and Becky Nelson for a few days. Wayne has become one of my closest friends and I wish I could have remained parked in their yard for much longer. I always look forward to time spent with those two.

Once I got down to the Phoenix area, I found that Bev Hunsaker (Crozier) who used to live in the Lewiston, ID area, now lives in Mesa, AZ. Bev was extremely nice to me, letting me park in front of her house for a week while I checked into work opportunities, feeding me very well, giving me free run of her home, chauffering me around town while I hunted pool halls...I can't thank her and her family enough for the help and hospitality. Her friend Mike put a new alternator into my pickup (love those mechanical probs!) to help me get on my way.

Colt Angell has a gig in the St. Anthony, ID area this weekend which he would normally do quite well on his own but he's inviting me to join him and make a little cash. I'm taking the Charity!

Anyway, all of this and a general thanks to all my friends out there who have supported me in this an other endeavors are to restate something that I've learned the hard way before but needs to be reinforced once in a while.

There can be no value placed on friends. Those of you who support me, help me and I know are just out there, watching and cheering (or saying..."Aaahhh sh%^" with me once in a while) are what keeps me going day by day. I don't have much (any?) money or fancy possessions but I feel so blessed and humbled by my many friends. Without friends, nothing much in this life matters. Thank you and I hope to see all of you soon.

In Phoenix

Well, I got to Phoenix yesterday afternoon. Happily, Bev Crozier (Hunsaker) lives in Mesa so I have a friend I can sponge off of for a few days if necessary.

I went out to Main Street Billiards in Mesa last night and lost a few bucks. Oh well. The life of a ramblin' gamblin' man, I guess. I'm getting a little tired of playing in tournaments and finishing 4th when they pay the first three. I do it all the time!

I'm just hangin' out at Bev's for today and probably will go back to the pool hall and try another tournament tonight...maybe.

Who knows what I'll be doing after the show at the Queen Valley RV Resort Saturday? Maybe head home, maybe try to get something else going here. At least I don't have to run my furnace!

Driftin' south

Well, i spent the night in Page last night. I checked out all the bars pretty quickly as they were all within walking distance of the mall where I parked the house. I found one place where I could get a few pool games and no place to play music. I made a few bucks on the pool table and then went to bed.

This morning, I left Page and headed south on 89. You go over a pretty steep pass and through a cut that is more like a tunnel. On the south side, there is a scenic viewpoint. At 9:00 in the morning there were several Navajo ladies setting up vendor tables with jewelry and pottery. I'd say this is the best location for that in the area as all the buses stop at the scenic view and many of the passing cars do also. I was about ready to ask it they would like music!

The views here are fantastic. Miles and miles of red sandstone, canyons, sagebrush and sand. The only camera I have with me is a disposable film type so until I get stuff developed and scanned, I won't be able to share it all with you here. I will when I can.

I'm in Tuba City looking around for a while and then on to the Grand Canyon. So far I haven't really spent much more on this trip than I have made (other than the transmission, but I'm repressing that thought) so it has been a fairly inexpensive vacation to this point.

In Elsinore, UT

The Fruitland Gathering was a lot of fun but I definitely didn't sell $2400 worth of CDs! Actually I only sold five CDs there. I had done better at the bar in Nez Perce, ID.

I went to Pocatello Sunday to try and get in a pool tournament but they didn't have enough entrants to do their weekly tourney so we just played a few games. Here these guys were to enter a tournament anyway but they wouldn't play games for cash. I found one guy who was willing to play for.....$1.....a game but didn't get too excited about that.

I guess it's better than losing big like I did in Boise.

I stayed with Wayne Nelson for a few days. While I was there, we went out to visit an old friend of my Dad's. We had quite a good get-together that evening and it was nice to hear stories about Dad and the things he did.

Last night, I headed south. The traffic in SLC was as bad as any I've put up with and I was glad to get south of there and out into the open a little.

I stopped in Nephi, UT last night. There is one bar in town with one pool table therein. They wanted a $3 cover charge because they had Karaoke going on. There were very few people in the bar at all and no one playing pool so I told the lady they would have to pay ME to stay and listen to Karaoke and I wound up going to bed early. Oh well, nothing wrong with a little sleep.

Richfield and Elsinore both look about the same. Maybe no pool 'til I get out of Utah and into the real world.

Off to a Great Start!!

Ok, I left Camdens Tuesday morning (late morning) and headed to Boise. Just south of McCall, ID my pickup quit shifting gears correectly. I wound up driving most of the way to Boise in 2nd gear, watching my RPMs to try and not destroy my engine.

Wednesday, I took it to Bobby's Transmission in Meridian, ID (a suburb of Boise). They found that I had burned out my 3rd gear and we had to replace my transmission. So now, instead of being a few dollars ahead on expenses I'm in the red...$2400.00!

I wonder if I can sell that many CDs in Fruitland?

Still in Nez Perce

Other than the record cold temperatures (can you say: "Global Warming"?) I've had a great time this weekend.

I got to Nez Perce about 6PM Friday and got my camper set up in Charlie Camden's yard. I visited with Charlie and Kathy for a while and then Jeff Camden and I went to O'Brien's bar and played a couple of games of pool. A couple of the locals tried me for $5 a game so I made a little gas money and then even sold a CD so that helped even more.

There were at least 50 people here Saturday at the get-together for Charlie Camden. even though it was kind of chilly for these "southern folks" we still set up an outdoor stage and took turns with music and poetry. Charlie even got up and sang "Diana" while Bill Chiles, Bodie Dominguez, Jim Aasen and I accompanied him on guitars.

Once everyone got frozen out and most left, Bill Chiles and I went down to the bar and jammed for a while. Ok tips and I sold a bunch more CDs so it made for a very good weekend so far.

I went hunting with Jeff and Connie Camden Sunday morning and we saw a bunch of deer. Jeff was never in the right place at the right time so all the deer we saw are still out there! It was 0 degrees Sunday morning here! I'm using all my propane keeping the furnace running so much but at least the camper is nice and warm and my water hasn't frozen.

I think I'll stay here tonight and head for Boise tomorrow. The forcast is for a little bit warmer weather and I can sure use it. Already will have to fill at least one propane tank. Expenses, expenses.

Tell me more about Global Warming!

What a perfect day for me to begin a journey with it's ultimate(?) goal as the deserts of Arizona. It's 16 degrees here this morning with a dusting of snow. I am OOH...Out Of Here!

Headed South

I'll be out of here in the morning, headed to Nez Perce, ID to visit with my friends Charlie and Kathy Camden. I'm looking forward to seeing them again.

From there, I'll head down to Boise and see a cousing whom I haven't seen in 30+ years and on the 16th and 17th I'll be at the Six Rivers Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Fruitland, Idaho.

Anyway, the camper's loaded; food in the pantry and the fridge, clothes in the closet, CDs, guitars and pool cues ready to try and make me some gas money. What else could I need?

Maybe I'll see ya out there somewhere.