Preparing to Hit the Road

The yard work is done except for one metal strip that needs to be added. The rusty old one, used in a curve of our paver brick walk, was the impetus to have all the other work done and it still is not in. I had a go round with the stone mason who wanted to skip the stone border and just have grass to hold the pavers in that area.  I said no, the grass will not be firm enough in rainy conditions, the outside pavers will start moving and then the whole walk will follow.  Ted finally came out and said to finish the stone border.  Now it is a curve and these stones when chiseled have basically straight lines so there is a 3/4 inch gap between the pavers and the border stone, thus the need to add the metal strip back!  It is supposed to go in Monday after we leave so Nancy will be checking to see it gets done and watch how it holds in heavy rains.  

A new rain sensor was installed and all the sprinklers checked out.  Some had to be moved because watering my neighbor’s house, our rocks and sidewalks really isn’t helpful … not to mention expensive!  I hope this all lasts for another 20 years!  My ajuga plants and hostas are still growing!  

We made plans to meet Tommy, Susan, Jay and Stella at Saltgrass on Tuesday for lunch before we leave.  Tommy is on the liver transplant list and Jay and Stella are having minor mobility issues and are using canes on bad days.  Our RVing friends able to travel are dwindling.  Tom and Eileen sold their motorhome last summer after our trip was over.  Our Texas Boomers club has run up into some leadership problems and I can see that losing momentum too.  

Nancy is still at the Residence Inn while their house project is finishing up.  She invited me to come to their “dinner” held MTW evenings in the lobby.  It is not a bad set up.  Then on Saturday morning I joined her for breakfast.  Again, a nice spread.  I am sure she is bored a good bit of the time and it gave us a chance to catch up.  

Wednesday I had my nails done and we had our hair cut Thursday.  We should be good into July.  Ted was checking tires, water in batteries and whatever else he needs to do before we take off.  All of our toiletries and meds are out there now along with all my clothes.  

Friday I met Judy for lunch.  She has had breast cancer and colon cancer so she was the first one I called about the Cologuard positive result.  She actually had several feet of intestines removed.  I didn’t want anything to be wrong but if there was, my biggest concern was what would they do and how quickly would I heal!  This trifecta of rotten years screwing with my traveling was getting old quickly.  Ted said I told the doctor “I could kiss you” when he said there was absolutely nothing wrong in my colon!  Praise the Lord!  

We went to church as usual and when Ted came out of our neighbor’s house, Jeanette followed him with two pieces of carrot cake she made to say thanks.  We made arrangements with another couple who brings Communion to Nancy’s neighbor to include our friends over the summer.  

Today we moved the motorhome to the campground.  I have the pantry items in grocery bags ready to go.  Once we are set up I will get the fridge and freezer items to take over and put away.  That leaves Ted’s clothes and our “things to return to the motorhome bag” to go over and we should be good to go.  We will sleep there tonight and head to Texarkana, AR for our first stop.

We got everything moved into the motorhome, battened down the hatches at home and let it in Nancy’s capable hands.  We ate at Crust Pizza, shopped some at H‑E‑B, and came “home” to sleep in the motorhome for the night so we can leave early in the morning.  

On To The Yard and Other Things

To finish off our redecorating and cleaning, I had a carpet company come in and clean the back bedroom carpets.  Nothing feels better than a totally clean house.  

We both had eye doctor appointments to keep.  We were late getting this done with all the other medical things we had to tend to.  No problems there!

Junior Forum had their Installation of New Officers Luncheon on Thursday.  I picked up Pat and Cathy on my way and we got the last table that quickly filled in.  This is always a good time and 2022 was no exception.  

And I had lunch with friend Teri on Friday.  When we were playing cards the week before she complained of a cactus thorn she had gotten in her leg.  She was going to go to the doctor because she could not get it out.  I went home and got what we call “drawing salve” and in two days it had been drawn out.  She was so pleased.  We decided to meet for lunch so she could return the salve to me.  All these lunches out makes dinner a toss up.  Usually I am not hungry and Ted just makes do with a salad, leftovers or something as simple as grilled cheese.

They worked on our yard and I have enough rocks to build Fort Knox.  These patio zero lot line homes sit so close together that optimum grading is hard to achieve.  Our metal edging was rusting after 20 years and they used stones to build a new border.  That was really labor intensive.  The creek bed was established at the bottom of the downspout.  Some new sod was put down where needed, the sprinkler heads still need to be worked on in Zone 2 and the rain sensor replaced.  Taking down the magnolia trees opened up the front yard a lot.  Hopefully some more sun will encourage plant growth in the planted bed. It rained really hard the night they had most everything done but a bit of sod to lay so we did not have to do anything that evening to the yard.  It looked all fresh and new in the morning.  

We went to church Saturday, brought Communion to our neighbors and went out to eat.  We used to play cards or meet up with groups on Saturday nights but so much that got shut down has not restarted.  And now it is Monkey Pox we are to fear.  I have a problem with politicians sounding the pandemic alarm when hundreds of thousands people are walking into our country and only the Lord knows what they are carrying because no routine testing goes on.  Bus ride to processing center, bus ticket to wherever.  Asylum court date set for 6 years out.  It used to be only two before this “invasion” started!  

We had a small concern since last Saturday.  I had taken a routine Cologuard test and received results that were Positive. I had received a card from Cologuard saying my 3 years was up so I took it to Dr. C during my regular appt. and he ordered it.  I had to wait until Monday to call our gastro’s office who offered me a PA appointment today (Monday) or see the doctor in June!  That didn’t work for me so I called my breast oncologist at M D Anderson.  In no time I had an appointment for a colonoscopy today (Monday) with one of their gastro oncologists.  They had my prep ready at the drug store immediately. I am happy to report all is good!  Nothing to be concerned about. 

So I will get in high gear to get ready to leave next Monday.  I really, really, really didn’t want to delay or cancel our summer plans so I have lots to be thankful for.  Give Praise to Our Lord!  

Congratulations to all the graduates from Kindergarten to Master Degrees!  

  

Feeling Accomplished!

Getting the floor redone with all the moving of things and cleaning involved followed by the same thing in the bedroom to have it repainted was a big job I had dreaded undertaking.  But it sure was worth it.  I am so pleased with the end result.  The picture above our bed just isn’t hacking it with the new, lighter color scheme so I have ordered a new one.  I sure hope it arrives before we leave.

Next up is work in our yard.  Two trees are to be removed.  Decorative wall reset from tree roots pushing on it, stone border to replace rusted metal edging, new rain sensor and sprinkler system checked out.  We have some heads now watering stones and grass not getting any water.  And I added some sod at their expense because gas or weed killer was spilled on a whole strip of grass!  When we had a new roof put on, they also added a gutter and down spout to the side of our house where the new deck is.  A heavy rain causes a deluge of water on a swath of grass that has since died from too much water and moss is growing in its place. So a bull rock creek bed will be installed to channel the water to the back fence.  It is a utility easement right behind us so the excess water will not harm anyone’s yard.  We still have some dead, tall bushes in the back corners from the Big Freeze.  We thought they would come back but some did, some didn’t.  He will clean the dead stuff out and when we return in the fall that back fence will be replaced and the corners replanted.  And I thought yards in Florida were expensive to keep up!  I guess this is what happens when you live in a house for 19+ years; our longest until this house was 8 years in our first Michigan house.  

With all of that under control I took time to join a half dozen neighborhood ladies for our monthly luncheon and the next day joined the Junior Forum Sustainers in Old Towne Spring at an historic restaurant that had a recent fire and just reopened, bigger and better.  A group of ladies can get very loud!

I have only one personal photo to share but have a few from family that I thought were especially good.  

Nephew Tim made this table and benches from a tree that was struck by lightning on his Indiana property. This is their Elk Lake KY home where this huge room was just added across the back.  The opposite end is a TV area.  Their whole family, 8 adults and 8 grandkids take up more room than the area still in use in the original house can accommodate.  We always spend time at the lake when we visit Cincinnati.  

This is cousin David’s son and daughter in law at the Derby.  WOW! on their outfits. 

Time is drawing close for our summer sojourn.  We have adjusted our route to add Cincinnati first as a stop for a funeral for Ted’s cousin who died recently.  Cousin Fr. Terry will come in from Chicago to say the funeral Mass.  We will then go to Shipshewana to get our chairs and from there go to Michigan in time for Morgan’s commencement.  We will return to Cincinnati to spend two weeks at the end of July.

Morgan has done so well in high school.  She was inducted into the National Honor Society, and is graduating Summa Cum Laude.  She earned the Talented Scholar Award scholarship and a Legacy Scholarship.  She will attend Oakland University in Rochester, MI.  She is our youngest granddaughter.  It was 15 years until CeCe was born as our first granddaughter. 

And It Is Summer

The old thermometer, that has been in the 80s of late, is destined to hit 90 this week.  And it is only the first week of May!

Friday I spent time getting my scripts to Walgreen’s from Walmart.  I watched Dr. C say “ok, I changed your preferred pharmacy” and yet, they went back to Walmart.  My insurance has changed to Walgreen’s as preferred, instead of Walmart which we have had for years because of traveling.  There was always a Walmart.  

So I picked up my first 3 months but it had no refill.  So I stopped at Dr. C’s office right before closing and the girl sent the script again after changing whatever so it went to Walgreen’s. But now I had two 3 month prescriptions with no refills.  Insurance will only allow one to be filled.  So I have to just hope that in July, while we are gone, that the second script is still sitting there so I can go to a Walgreen’s in Indiana for my refill.  What bother!

I spent so much time trying to get that all fixed I skipped the nail salon and went home and made a pizza for dinner for Ted who had worked all afternoon at the gun club.

So Saturday I went to the nail salon and stopped at H‑E‑B to get things to make meatloaves.  I wanted to take one to my friend Gerre still recovering from back surgery, along with a container of chicken and sausage gumbo I made.  I also bought an orchid plant to test her green thumb.  She has so many plants and a beautiful yard I thought maybe this would be a bit of a challenge.  Turns out she had two growing on their sun porch and doing fine!  We visited about three hours on Sunday.

We went to church as usual on Saturday, took Communion to our neighbors and ate at Black Bear Diner.  And we played cards at the country club on Tuesday.  Ted won, I didn’t.  

I have been trying to get things done before we leave. We lost all of JFM and part of April until my breast cancer situation was handled.  All the doctor appointments, tests and two surgeries took up a lot of time.  Praise God we can move on with great confidence.

The AC people came for our annual check up and all is OK.  I have contracted with our landscaper to fix some things in the yard.  Our stone wall has a section being pushed up by live oak roots and he will have the root removed and wall repaired.  The metal edging of the paver brick walk has rusted out and that will be replaced with a stone edge, the two magnolias that have been fighting with the two live oaks for 20 years are going away, and my rain sensor is broken.  The ajuga and hostas are doing great and perhaps the magnolias being taken out will get a bit of sunshine to them to help them along even more.  My last project was to get the bedroom painted.  The old paint was too dark and with my new bedspread it looked even darker.  I thought perhaps the carpeting would need to be replaced.  But once the new light color, Navajo White went on, the rug blended nicely. 

All of this tearing down, work, cleaning and putting it all back together took its toll and caught up with me.  I went to bed at 7 pm one night and slept until 6 am!  I don’t believe I have ever slept that long.  Fatigue is a side effect of my Arimidex and I chalk it up to that.  

Just so you do not think I had all work and no play, I put together a yogurt bar to make your own yogurt dish for our Newcomers Continental breakfast.  What a gorgeous house and yard where it was held.  And we attended a Newcomers outing to the Sam Houston Raceway.  We cashed 3 tickets, not big, but it kept our losses down to a minimum.

We went to church as usual, a little concerned about protestors but all was calm.  I did notice a lot more men, in blue jeans and boots, being ushers and staying by the doors.  I am sure there were quiet precautions going on in the background to avoid any trouble.  My heart aches for what has happened to our country.  We took Communion to Jeanette and Dick then went to Joe’s Italian since we had not been there in awhile.