Week One of Doctor Weeks

I had a 10 am appointment Monday for my ultrasound and she did both legs spending a lot more time on my left leg.  I am not sure if that is good or bad.  That gave me a late start with getting daily chores done.  I also had put an  8# pork butt in the crockpot before I left.

Ted had to buy a box and pay $88 to send his gun back, they would not send him the trigger mechanism.  He took it out, he said he could put a new one in.  But they said no.  He has been unhappy with this gun because of constant problems.  So apparently I am buying another set of tubes for Father's Day for his Kolar so he can shoot Sporting Clays with it.  Usually he only shoots Skeet with it.  Whatever!

The pork was done before he got home so I took it out, readied the crockpot and started a second one.  I had pulled most of it by the time he got home so we packed and froze 2 gallon bags, our first Reunion cooking!  We had a silly combination for dinner to help clean out the freezer in preparation for eventually freezing bags of pork. The second butt was done right before bedtime.  We worked together to get it packaged and the kitchen cleaned.

Next up on Tuesday was my neighbor's first cataract surgery.  I picked her up at 1:30, waited and brought her back home a little after 5:00.  I suggested some more freezer things for dinner but Ted voted for going out and chose House of Pies.  You have no idea how hard it is to eat there and not order Coconut Cream pie, but I did it!  Grilled chicken sandwich, fruit and water.  

Wednesday was an early day.  I had to leave the house by 6:15 am to drive a friend to the hospital for some foot surgery.  As fate would have it, I woke up about 3:00 am and never went back to sleep.  It was just starting to get light and raining something fierce when I left on my “corporal work of mercy.”  I used that term on my grandson but I think it went over his head!  We arrived in time, valet parked and made our way to surgery.  Everything went well and we were on our way home by lunchtime.  I helped her into the house and she wanted to take a shower and wash her hair.  Once that was accomplished I fixed lunch for us both and stayed until her husband returned home. 

The next day I went over to fix her lunch and stayed for a few hours.  Friday was back to the doctor for a bandage change and brunch out before returning home once again.  She has been doing so well and has had virtually no pain.  What a blessing!

Week One of Dr. Uber is in the books.  Next week is cardiologist, endoscopy and mammogram.  Two for me, two for Ted.  So far everything that has been done to everyone has been good with no problems developed and healing coming along nicely.

Meanwhile back at the ranch, Ted put his smoker on the deck and chose to smoke the rest of the pork butts and shoulders.  He finished two more along with a brisket and is it ever good.  There are 98 people coming to the reunion so we have to continue on until we have at least 25# of meat prepared.  I am not sure how many guests are children but we will have PB&J for those not interested in our pulled pork.  People arrive all day long so we will start serving by 3:00 and keep the crockpots going until all have eaten which may be late into the night.  There is a big shopping day at Costco in our future when we arrive in Nashville.

Ted is working an NSA registered shoot on Saturday and I will clean house and start assessing what clothes I am going to take with me on our trip.  Besides 5 days in Nashville, we will spend two days visiting The Ark, 4 days at Elk Lake for the 4th holiday and our godson’s college graduation party, a dinner with my brother who will be in Cincinnati when we are, a grade school group dinner and a group high school lunch.  That leaves about three days yet to plan!  Then we will move on north to Celina OH for two nights so Ted can shoot with my other brother before heading to where the kids live.  We will be there just short of two weeks and Ally’s baby shower will be the day before we leave for Indiana.  Except for a summer dress or two for the dinners, shorts and capris should be fine for the rest of the time.

Staring Down The Last of Three Gatherings Here

Because I schedule everything in May since it is the one month I know we are home, things get a bit hectic.  Thursday would be the Five and Dime gathering of a dozen women but I had things to do before then.

 Tuesday was a work day at the Thrift Store.  I arrived to the two paid workers fighting with one of those pop up tents, trying to close it.  They finally dropped it and walked off mumbling about the condition of the store.  Whichever group works on Monday of course wasn't there because of the holiday.  The manager, head cashier and Housewares lady were off all week.  Donations were piled everywhere and we had nowhere to work sorting clothes!  

Kim and I tackled the tent, opening the zippers which were keeping air inside, considered all the tabs and buckles, gave it a twist and voila, it closed!  We got hugs from Mark for that.  He proceeded to just put box after box out back in storage until we had a minimum amount of space to work.  Summer clothes were needed in the store so instead of opening bags of donations we brought down bins of pre-sorted clothing from upstairs to tag and put out.  I was to leave at noon but stayed an extra hour. My suggestion would be to stop taking donations for a few days but until the Housewares lady returns, the space robbing items were going nowhere!  But no one asked me!

Wednesday I cleaned, sent Ted to the grocery and got my tables and food ready for card playing.  The ladies arrived around noon on Thursday, ready to take my money again!  Shanghai consists of six different hands.  They each get more difficult.  "Getting down" with the called for hand and then playing the remaining cards is the focus and the lowest score wins.  We had two tables and ours was a doozy!  Everyone had triple digit scores, almost unheard of, and though I went out (0 scores) four of the six times, the other two hands put me in 4th place.  Now you know why I don't play poker!

Friday I put away the dishes and things I used on Thursday and did laundry.  Ted was scheduled to shoot in a competition in Huntsville but his trigger mechanism broke just as they started.  Since he didn’t take his other gun, he couldn’t continue.  He took the gun apart and could see a broken piece.  He will call the manufacturer for a whole new trigger mechanism and install it.  I encouraged him to order the proper tubes for his Kolar gun so it would be equally good to use for Sporting Clays.  I hope he can get that piece quickly, or the tubes.  Both would be best.  

The weekend was quiet.  Other than going to church and out to grab a burger, we stayed close to home.  I had to buy a shower gift for Ally’s baby from my sister so we stopped and did that.  I didn’t want to start traveling with that still on my plate.  Groceries to feed two meals to 100 people will be enough for the time being.

The next three weeks I am designating Uber Doctor week.  In order, I have to get an ultrasound, take Nancy for cataract surgery, take another friend for foot surgery and back again later for a bandage change.  That's the first week.  The next is cardiologist appointments for both of us.  Mine for ultrasound results, Ted's because our PCP said someone going on 75 should have a cardiologist!  Ted's annual endoscopy is next followed by my mammogram.  The third week is lab tests for me and a second cataract surgery for Nancy.  Everyone should be in good shape by the end of June!  Good thing because the next week we will be On the Road Again!  🎶🎶

It is hurricane season now until November.  Be prepared.🌪 ⛈

A Second Anniversary

Memorial Day will never roll around without me being reminded of my DVT/PE incident in 2017.  Though it has been two years I am just now wrapping up with all the "ologists" I gained on that day.  I saw the GYN this week and have scheduled a mammogram, both routine annual things.

In June I will have another ultrasound on my leg to see what is what with my historically long DVT.  I have no pain or swelling. I have successfully flown to Rome and Hawaii over the last year.  So I am expecting to get discharged from the cardiologist who said my heart was not damaged at all.  There was talk of collapsing a vein with leaky valves but that could cause a clot so I am leaving well enough alone on the advice of my hematologist and PCP.  They all agree I will need to stay on Eliquis for life since no reason was determined for causing the DVT.  I tolerate it well with no unusual bruising, and small cuts and needle sticks do not bleed more than normal

So in the words of Dr. C, I am doing great!

Friday night we had dinner in a restaurant with four other couples and then went to one of the couple's home to play cards.  Another loss!  I can't beg, steal or borrow a card when I need it.  I had ONE Joker all night.  Maybe I am just not good at cards, but it is fun to play.

After Mass on Saturday, though Terry and Carol were there, we had all decided we wouldn't go out to eat.  There is such a thing as too much of a good thing.  We came home to a simple dinner and stayed in.

We are starting to plan for our end of June departure to Nashville/KY/OH/MI/IN and where we are going in August.  We have three people in MT who want us to come out there and two in Nebraska.  But before that I have to think about serving dinner and breakfast to about 100 people at the family reunion.  It also is likely we will join the DOGs (DRV Owners Group) in Hot Springs in September and then travel with Tommy and Susan to Foley, AL in October.  Leaving there we will continue on to San Antonio for the Sporting Clay Nationals the next week.  The RV will get a rest as we travel to Ireland in early November with all Ted's siblings only to return and fly to Michigan for Thanksgiving.  By then we will be looking forward to Mission, TX where we will stay put until mid-March!  Whew!  

The rest of the week was quiet and Memorial Day weekend looked as if it would be the same.  I considered having folks over but many were out of town.  After Mass on Saturday we went to dinner with Terry and Carol and they invited us for dinner on Sunday.  While Ted and Pete went to the Houston Gun Club I made some peanut butter cookies and a fruit salad to take to dinner.  I sent Pete home with some cookies, set a few aside for Ted and packaged up the rest so I wouldn't be tempted!  

We had a delicious steak dinner and then played cards.  I was in first place until the last hand.  There was a card I needed but Carol drew a card without asking if anyone wanted to buy the discard.  I thought she had just picked up the discard.  When I saw it still sitting there I started to say something but she can't hear well and trying to undo what had transpired wasn't worth it so I said let it go and lost!

In the meantime we were invited to Barry and Gerre's pool party on Memorial Day.  Their grandson was not playing ball as expected so they put together an impromptu party.  Again a fruit salad was requested so I just made another one!

Behind Again

The trouble with falling behind is it is so hard to remember what I did!  The end of last week was busy.  That is my excuse and I am sticking to it.

I saw Dr. C on Thursday.  He ordered the thyroid panel requested by Dr. W, called in a script for my Eliquis at the request of Dr. P, ordered my refill of cholesterol meds, looked over my two week table of BPs I compiled and proclaimed them beautiful and no need for meds. I left there and went directly to the lab.  Bottom line, no problem with thyroid, cholesterol was 163, so I have 6 months of my two pills and an appointment for the last day in October.  Also, the Cologuard was negative.  I am good, for awhile anyway.

From there I attended our neighborhood ladies luncheon.  Eight ladies attended but we had no birthdays!

While driving home from Florida, my car windshield received a third ding and we developed a six inch crack that made a turn south and kept on for another two inches.  So Friday morning Ted made a trip to Safelight for a replacement.  There certainly is a lot involved in the windshield technology not to mention the several stickers needing to be removed and replaced.  But it went well.

That evening we met Jennifer, Gene, Gerre and Barry at the theater to see “Happy Days.”  The singing by the younger folks was a bit weak but Mrs. Cunningham and the Fonz stole the show.

We were scheduled to have our Couples Shanghai group on Saturday but only three other couples could make it.  So we played four men in the dining room and four women in the kitchen.  I lost!  We had prepared the snacks and managed to go to church at 5:00 and were ready by 7:00.

It was a Cards week for me.  The Canasta group, 12 in all, came to our house for three tables of four each to play.  I had really good cards, scored well but still came in third!  Another $1 gambled away.

Still not done, I went to the 3-13 card game at a local restaurant.  There were about 30 Newcomer members playing.  I was at a table of 5 knowing only one of the other four ladies.  I was in the lead until after lunch when I couldn’t do diddly squat.  So I went three for three in cards!

I colored my hair Thursday and then had it cut.  I wish I had pretty all gray or white hair but I only get salt and pepper mousey brown!  Here’s to Lady Clairol.

Our Installation lunch for Forum was on Thursday at the Conference Center.  It is a time when all the members come together, everyone dresses up and a lot is accomplished.  We recognize the outgoing president, Executive Board, Board of Directors, Volunteer of the The Year and a tip of the hat to everyone that was nominated as Volunteer of the Month throughout the year.  The Provisionals are elevated to Active members and 31 new Provisionals were introduced for this year.  Then we have lunch!

The program was a salute to all the hats our new president will wear.  

My Happy Place

Finally I was able to join my Forum Friends at one of our Senior Luncheons.  It has been a long time since I have been home long enough to do any volunteer work.  The theme was Summer at the Beach.  I didn’t purchase any bingo prizes recently so I used a small pink and white tin bucket, rolled up two solid colored dish towels and stood them on end and added a tube of skin cream.  I never thought about it but folks remarked it was such a great “theme” gift!  I also took a pound bag of coffee.  My tin bucket was taken right off the bat and there were several packages of coffee and I didn’t pay close attention to it.

Our entertainer had a great voice and sang terrific songs about sun, beaches, travels, etc.  He had an aloha shirt on and kept changing his hat or wig and was most enjoyable.  The Seniors enjoyed him for sure.  Carol introduced him wearing her beach wear.  A couple Forum friends and a Senior had the same thought on beachwear!  

Lunch was chicken salad, pasta salad, fruit salad, roll and a cupcake.  Our kitchen crew did a great job feeding the 200 Seniors.

So Close Yet So Far

We were up and out by 8 am Saturday morning and drove all the way to Lafayette before stopping for the night.  We stopped for lunch at a cute train themed restaurant and took a few photos. The first is a true dining car.  The second is a table attached to a specially painted wall that is the back of a pick up.  The rear window is actually a movie screen.  We sat at a regular table that was a shallow case covered by glass with lots of interesting train things inside.  The food was surpringly good!

We stopped in Baton Rouge and attended Mass at a mostly black church.  We were greeted and given rosaries as we entered and there was no hiding the fact that we were visitors when asked to stand.  It was such a warm and welcoming congregation and the music was terrific.  So many came up to thank us for coming to worship with them and we were given a prayer book for the Easter season though it is ending shortly.  What a bit of serendipity to our trip.

Much to our chagrin the Crawfish Festival was being held in Lafayette and motels were full!  We finally drove to the western edge before finding a room.  It was fine and we found four beers in the refrigerator so brought those orphans home with us

We were up early, way ahead of the crawfish revelers, but the coffee decanters were already empty. So were the syrup pitchers for the waffles.  I ate some Raisin Bran and Ted had waffles with jelly on them.  By the time we were done more coffee finally came out.  The late sleeping crowd may have been in for a rude awakening to go with their hangovers.

We made it home by early afternoon and put things away, and then our feet up.

We had talked to Scott the salesman in Winter Garden and made an offer on the light colored motorhome.  You can see they are the same but with different coloring.  It is a used 2016 versus a new 2018 that is about to turn two years old anyway, the price difference was $35,000 and I would rather someone else deal with that depreciation because there is more to come.

We got to $9,000 apart and didn’t commit, but once we got home I sent photos of other Mobile Suites for sale and included mention of the $4,000 of new furniture and the new Temperpedic mattress we put in last year and they came around until we were $5,000 and we said yes.

In the meantime we went to a dealer here and Ted drove one to be sure he was comfortable.  He said it is amazingly easy with the tag axle and articulating back wheels.  Ted asked Scott for the name and number of the previous owner and talked to him.  He gave it a big thumbs up, a lot of tips on use and driving but said it needed its yearly maintenance he had not done when he traded it 2.5 weeks ago.  This is about a $1,000 service and should be done and the fuel tank filled when a unit is sold or at least that is what we have encountered.  Scott said no, we would have to pay the $1,000.  Ted asked about their cost to do it and he said $1,000. That would mean those services owners use each year are doing it for nothing!  It was downhill from there.  They were pressing us for a deposit while I was waiting for them to tell me how to transmit it.  They weren’t happy about us not being able to drive our truck and trailer over for 10 days, etc. We were feeling rushed.

We have a very busy two weeks and I agreed to skip one thing so we could leave next Tuesday instead of next Friday, I told them I could easily charge a deposit over the phone but with the stipulation it was refundable based on a test drive.  We even checked into Ted flying over this week to test drive it and do the PDI on it but our things could not get there any sooner.  Finally we agreed we didn’t want to buy in haste and repent at leisure and called the deal off.  They immediately changed the price on the website to $5,000 less!!  And they lost a sale over $1,000 service that wouldn’t cost them that much and a week’s time.

Just Sunnin’

We spent time in the pool Sunday before heading to DeBary where we lived from 1996-2001.  My cousin and his wife have recently moved to the area and we took this opportunity to have dinner and a visit with them.  They are really enjoying this cute St. John’s River town  more than their “middle of the state” home and I am glad for them.

We had located an RV dealership in Leesburg, near The Villages where we owned rental property from 1994-2006.  We actually lived there for six months building our DeBary home in addition to spending many vacations over those years while we still lived in Michigan.  The two RVs we looked at didn’t float our boat.  My biggest hang up is the furniture placement in most, one of the reasons I like the Meridian best so far.  However, this one was blah and the Entegra had two recliners facing the couch necessitating you having to look right to the front or left to the back to watch TV, a common problem.  When you spend months in one, that would get old for me quickly.  So we ate an early dinner and came back to Winter Springs.

A trip to New Smyrna Beach on Tuesday allowed us to meet up with Tom and Eileen.  We all lived in DeBary together and shortly after we left they moved to Palm Coast. NSB was a good half way point for all of us and gave us a glimpse of the ocean.  Parking at the beach is $20!  Tom and Eileen will spend January in Mission with us once again next year.

Still scouring the internet we found a dealer in Winter Gardens and headed that way on Wednesday.  The Meridian was okay but the wall covering was sort of green/gold and rather dark.  There really isn’t much of it exposed except in the bedroom where a full length mirror and a large picture would make it less noticeable.  Then we looked at Newmar Ventanas.  I found one that had two recliners facing a couch BUT the TV comes up from behind the couch so you can sit in the recliners to watch.  In the event I wanted to lay on the couch I could watch the TV in the front above the cab.

Today we head to Gainesville and settle into the AirBnB Larry rented for our stay while he has surgery.  Ted is “pondering” the motorhome thing so we may or may not stop to revisit this particular decision.

We stopped again at the RV dealer to give them info on our truck and trailer.  They were having an appreciation luncheon for winning some awards and invited us to join them.  We were going to stop for lunch so why not?

We found a brand new RV that is the same layout but with darker wood that we liked better.

We gave them our info, we looked at several others but indicated we liked this one best.  I explained we were dealing with this surgery in Gainesville for Larry, needed to return to Texas for doctors, social engagements, volunteer things, etc. but also needed to leave on a 6 week trip the third week in June either in our existing set up or a new motorhome.  He didn’t give us any figures beyond the coach price.  Ted said he could drive the truck and trailer over in two days once we get things settled at home.  So we continued on our way.  Today when I looked on the website it said Sale Pending.  Not sure if it really is or they are trying to force our hand!  

We went to Four Rivers BBQ for dinner and came home ready for bed,

Up at 5:30 am we headed to Shands hospital and Larry had his “folded over, filled with sludge gall bladder” removed Friday morning and came home shortly thereafter.  He is doing okay so we will be heading for home tomorrow spending one night on the road.  

The Weekend

Friday we stayed home getting our plans for this week in order.  We ordered a cheese pizza for dinner and spent the evening in watching TV.

We talked to Kristin in Florida and arranged to spend a week with them and be there for Larry’s gall bladder surgery on May 3.  While I had the time, I got my clothes together and placed them on one of the twin beds.  Since we weren’t going to church Saturday evening we agreed to meet Tommy and Susan for dinner.  We went back to the campground and discussed some summer and fall plans once Susan retires.  I started yawning so we came home.

We had a leisurely Easter morning then went to the chapel of our local hospital for Mass at 11:30.  There were about two dozen people and it was an intimate service.  After church we met up with a dozen folks at the country club for brunch.  The food was delicious and was the only meal I ate all day.  We had forgotten Terry’s birthday present and I had purchased a jar of tomato preserves in Fredericksburg for Carol.  She loves them and they are hard to find.  So we went home, changed clothes, gathered the gifts and went to their house.  We visited and watched a TV documentary on Ireland.  I am more excited about the trip after seeing it.

We tied up loose ends so we could take off on Tuesday heading east.  We put Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama in our rear view mirror before stopping for the night in Pensacola, FL.  Wednesday we made our way to Winter Springs by mid-afternoon.  Kristin and Larry were meeting
with the surgical team and didn’t arrive home until in the evening.

Thursday we took a two hour drive to Sebring to check out a motor home but it had about $10,000 worth of tires, batteries, carpeting, paint repair that we didn’t want to deal with.  However, my sister Laurie drove over to meet us for what turned out to be an early dinner and we had a great visit.  We don’t get to see each other too often.

They predicted rain for Friday but it never came.  Kristin and I did some decorating shopping on Friday and checked out an estate sale but there wasn’t anything there.  We are still moving things around and may need to return some things and try other things we didn’t buy.

We have started watching The Crown in Netflix and are enjoying it.  We fill Kristin in on events we remember starting in the early 50’s like Eisenhower.  We will recall more as the series continues.

There was a NAMI walk on Saturday and Kristin was scheduled to work at the booth passing out water.  I went with her and walked around the park looking at the vendors.  There was a silent auction and a raffle so I bought a few tickets but didn’t win anything, but it was for a good cause.  On her break she and I did one lap around the lake, a mile, but never did the other two to make 5K.  Ted was in the pool when we arrived home.

Church was at 5:00 and the priest who married them seems to remember us.  He is the one who asked me if I had been the Mother of the Bride at their rehearsal.  When I answered “Yes, twice” he pointed to the front row and said “Park it.”  Good thing I remembered what to do!

Falling Behind Again!

Jamie and I rode with Susan to some of the thrift stores in town on Friday.  This is not an activity everyone likes but we have always done this during our HH rally.  I had nothing in mind but actually bought some things.  One is a gift so I can’t tell you but it has to do with Christmas.  I also bought measuring cups and spoons since I always seem to be searching in the RV for them.  I bought a Chico’s blouse for $8 and a pair of Talbot’s slacks that fit perfectly (no hemming) for $7!  If you are familiar with these stores you will know they were good buys!  My mother managed  a Salvation Army thrift store in Florida so this kind of shopping is ok with me.  I also volunteer at one and see the really nice things that can come in.

After happy hour, Ted and I drove into Kerrville and had Golden Chick catfish dinners sitting on the patio next to the Guadalupe River.  It was pleasant out, quiet and peaceful.

Saturday we started getting things ready for our Sunday departure.  Since there was a 6 pm dinner planned, we drove to Comfort, TX to a 4 pm Mass to get back in time.  The dinner was prepared by the campground and was very good.  Afterwards we had a white elephant gift exchange.  We ended up with a collapsible trash container that comes in real handy for outside the RV.

Early Sunday morning we went to the clubhouse to say so long to everyone.  We stopped twice on our way home and pulled into the campground at 1:30 with Tommy waiting for us.  After setting up we took things home before returning to visit with Tommy and Susan.  On Monday, Tommy drove me home in his Tahoe because I underestimated what we had left to take home and in was too much for the back seat of the truck.  When we returned, Ted was hooked up and we drove to storage.

I was busy Monday and Tuesday, putting everything away, getting my desk cleared off and doing two weeks worth of laundry.  I received a comment in my blog from the gentleman whose wife had fallen.  He thanked me for calling him and said he has followed my blog for some time!  She had a broken nose and they both were sore because he had fallen too.  Thanks, Mike, for the shout out!  I hope you and Sandy are feeling better.

Wednesday was my gastro appointment.  I expected a colonoscopy appointment to be set up but instead he ordered lab tests on lots of specimens and ordered a Cologuard box to be sent to me.  To fulfill these requests we went to Sweet Tomatoes and I ate a huge salad.  It took only two hours for it to do its thing.

By Thursday morning I had done all he requested.  I put two in a cooler because one needed to be frozen, another refrigerated.  I dropped it all off at LabCorp bringing the two needing to be put away to the lady’s attention.  All she said was Hmph!

From there I went to WW and weighed in for April.  I am still 2.5# under goal.  It has been 8 months I have stayed below goal.  The doctor had noticed the 43# difference from last time I was there and was glad I had done it on purpose and did not indicate a medical condition.

My Hawaii photo book arrived and I sat it next to my new Poppy Plaque I bought in Fredericksburg.  I don’t want to lose important digital files by not having some printed.  Shutterfly and Mixbook do a nice job of making an event into a keepsake.

Fredericksburg TX

On Thursday, 8 of the ladies headed to Fredericksburg, about a half hour away from our campground.  This is in the Hill Country and birthplace of Admiral Nimitz, commander of the Southern fleet in WWII.  There is an impressive museum and occasional re-enactment of taking a pillbox.  But we have all been there so shopping and lunch were our objectives.

Our first stop was the Wildseed Farm with their gorgeous fields of flowers and a gift shop, lunch bar, specialty foods, equipment, etc.

We all went our own way and I bought two things for me - one for the house, one for the yard and two gifts. We eventually all came back together again and headed into town.

We wandered around checking out restaurants and decided on a deli/ice cream shop we had parked in front of to begin with.  There were lots of selections and the food was good.

We split into two groups and perused many shops.  I bought another gift and garlic powder!  We returned to the benches in front of the restaurant where most of the ladies had an ice cream (but not me).  Kristin had just called and as I answered a lady tripped and fell face down on the concrete behind my bench.  I hung up and went behind the bench to help her.  She had cut her nose very badly and was bleeding profusely.  The restaurant called 911 and brought ice.  I helped her to sit up and secured her purse and shopping bag.  Her friend was trying to call the woman’s husband but was having trouble.  I could see she was entering the number where the pass code belongs.  I asked the lady for her husband’s number and called myself.  Thank goodness he answered and I quickly explained what had happened.  He said he was on his way.

The EMTs put her on a stretcher and into the ambulance to attend to her face.  When her husband arrived, he fell in the very same place!  The sidewalk drops off about 6 inches to another height about 18 inches wide and then drops to the street.  There is no painted caution along that edge and a big chunk of concrete was missing right where her feet were.  I think the city may be hearing from someone shortly!

We saw all was being taken care of and headed home.  Happy hour was at 5:00 and it was almost 7:00 when we came back to have dinner.  Ted wanted Skyline chili and I made the spaghetti in the Instant Pot.  It only takes one minute.  Cover the spaghetti with water.  Pressurize, cook one minute, natural release for 5 minutes and manual release until you can open it.  It worked!

Bluebonnets

We are about an hour south of the Willow City Loop, famous for its wildflower display in spring.  Tuesday after lunch we chose to take a ride to see for ourselves.  When we returned it was time to go to the Mexican restaurant for dinner with 23 others.  The food was good, the company even better.  But the rest of this post is photos! Well it wasn’t showing but the first four so I tried again - and again.  Then when published they all appeared!  But in EDIT I can’t see them to delete them!  So enjoy them a second and third time!

Working Around the Problems

I couldn’t get this last picture to post nor was I able to delete the last comment I started so just bear with me.  This is a man made grotto with 10 evil faces and a waterfall.

If we hadn’t gotten off the bus we would have missed this!  They are expanding the Riverwalk by four miles and are having hotels and restaurants like the existing Riverwalk so maybe the boat ride will be lengthened.

We took the bus to the King William district and ate at the Guenther House restaurant.  This was the residence of the founder of the Pioneer Flour Company.  It has been sold to a conglomerate but Pioneer products are still sold in grocery stores.  I use their baking mix instead of  Bisquick.  It is just a Texas thing with me!

We headed back home to freshen up before church at the Cathedral where we were graced with a mariachi horn and choir.  Afterwards we walked back towards the hotel to find the restaurant we intended to eat at closed.  So we took the car and headed to Augie’s BBQ.  What a crowd!  By 7:30 when we were finished there was no line!  We actually had hit the dinner crowd that we expected to be there around 7 or so.

There were terrible thunderstorms through the night and we woke to pouring rain.  We decided to just ride past the Missions south if town.  We did that at Mission Concepción but at San Jose Mission there was a Mass going on so we braved the standing water and pouring rain to see the inside.  Then we returned to the hotel to check out after drying off.

I dropped Margaret off at the airport and headed for “home” arriving around 1:30.  Ted had the bed made and even vacuumed in my absence.

There was a Happy Hour at 4:30 but dinner was delayed until 7:00 because some of the food was delayed in arriving.  Ted helped cook the burgers.

There are close to 50 people here with 10-15 having to cancel in the last week.  Health, distance, vehicle issues, etc. can crop up at any time.

🎶 On The Road Again 🎶

We spent the night in the RV and left around 8:45 the next morning,  We made two pit stops and arrived in Ingram about 2:30.  We got set up and headed into town to get my rental car for the weekend.  When we returned, I served the meatballs and spaghetti that was in the crockpot.  Eventually I packed my suitcase for the weekend in San Antonio and went to bed.

I was up long before the alarm went off and got everything together I was going to need.  Ted was up by the time I left.  I stopped once at a rest area and then continued on to the airport.  I was in dire need of a pit stop again but knew the cellphone lot was next to a Burger King so I waited until I arrived there.  Flyaware notified me the plane was going to be 25 minutes late so I pulled up to the gas pumps and filled the car.  I had a short wait until Margaret called to say she was at the curb.

We checked into the hotel and then walked to visit the San Fernando Cathedral before dropping down to the Riverwalk where we ate lunch and then took the boat ride.

We visited the Buckhorn Saloon where I couldn’t resist the shooting gallery where I scored an impressive 264,000 points!

We continued on our walking tour eventually ending up at The Alamo where I was disappointed to find the Long Barracks Museum closed for renovation.  We did arrive just as a talk was given in the courtyard about the battle which gave everyone some information on the importance San Antonio, Gonzales, Goliad and San Jacinto played in the creation of the Republic of Texas.

We then walked to The Mercado where we had dinner at La Margarita restaurant before heading home for the night.

Saturday weather had been predicted at 90% rain but we lucked out and it was a nice day.  We caught the Hop On Hop Off bus right in front of our hotel and started the days journey.  We intended to stay on for the entire loop taking one hour then circling back to The Pearl, a shopping/apartment/restaurant venue where the old Pearl brewery was.  The buildings have been blended into the new with a great effect.

Our driver was so loud and borderline obnoxious we got off at the next stop, the Art Museum and chose to walk back to The Pearl. We had no idea the Riverwalk continued until we followed the stairs down.  What a pleasant surprise!  If you think the boat ride in town is the Riverwalk you are missing many of the greatest parts.  I am having trouble loading the next photos so I will start a new post.

After pursuing the stores and vendors where I bought a Christmas guftwe caught the bus and rode it to

Weekend Before We Head Out Again

Saturday was quiet.  Ted went to Sam’s and I did laundry.  I also made reservations in Williamstown KY, Celina OH and Leonard, MI.  I am awaiting for a return call from the Cincinnati park.  We went to church and then to Joe’s for dinner since we missed last week before the play.

Sunday was a bit better.  Ted had to work a father/daughter shoot at the club and I met Irene to shop for a blue chair.  We never found one but we did get some blue and white jars for her new decor, a slip for me for under my Easter dress, had lunch and did not get to see Unplanned because it was sold out!

I started a pot of chili before Ted got home and he finished it up for our dinner.  Not a real exciting weekend but we will gear up to head out this week.

Monday Ted called Jim in Cincinnati and confirmed our two weeks reservation in Cincinnati so our plans through the end of July are in place!  Not sure where we will go when we finish up in Shipshewana, IN.  That’s the beauty of being retired with an RV.

Tuesday I had an appointment with my hematologist who released me back to my primary doctor.  He said Dr. C can order the blood tests and prescribe the Eliquis and he will only want to see me if I develop pain, swelling, bruising or scheduled surgery.  I anticipate sort of the same thing from the cardiologist in June.  One more ultrasound for confirmation the old DVT is done for and I should be good to go from there too!  Hooray!

From there I went to play Shanghai.  The night before Irene agreed to play cards because the group was a person short.  We stop in the middle to eat lunch and then finish up.  I came in third.  Irene was second.  From there we went to do a little shopping before going to see Unplanned.  We talked of going to dinner afterward but ended up buying huge boxes of popcorn and drinks.  This was my first time in a movie recliner with a tray and drink holder!  Nice!

We both “enjoyed” the movie but of course we found the subject disturbing.  Irene is going to our church Thursday night to see Gosnell where it is being presented for free.  She has asked others to attend with her.

Wednesday we loaded up the trailer again.  I tried to pack only what I needed for this short trip, unlike going away for 2-3 months.  While I was doing that, Ted took the trailer to the campground.  Once he was set up I brought the food and clothes over with his help.  We had bought a new valve for the toilet hoping someone in Ingram could get down and replace it since no water was coming in.  There isn’t much room to work down there so Ted was delighted when Camperland Mobile techs were installing an AC next door to us.  The guy came over and for $20 we were back in business.

Let’s Stick With This

 My best guess is the Blogger App would not update and that was causing my problem, probably in conjunction with the old I-Pad not being able to update to the newest ISO so by going through Safari I have it working again.  It is not as convenient as using the App but like many things in life, I will deal with it.

I may leave something out or repeat myself but I will start with last weekend.  We had to change our theater tickets from the first weekend in March to the third weekend when we would be home.  Gerre and Barry could not do it Friday so we opted for Saturday and just didn’t go to dinner so we could attend church.  They had grandkids’ ball games so it all worked out.

The play was Godspell and they did a superb job!  Their mudicals are usually their best efforts, though we enjoy the range of plays they choose.  There have been one or two I could have skipped.  But again, I just deal with it.

Sunday evening, our elusive Israeli neighbors stopped by for a visit.  They arrived home before us, took off Tuesday and we will leave before they return.  I received a set of three lotions from Wiesbaden, Germany in the classiest black bag and box I have ever seen.  It isn’t necessary for them to buy me things for the few things we do in their absence,  Lord knows we are like two ships passing in the night as it is!  But she insists.

I invited our Tennessee friends for lunch on Monday while they are in town.  We hadn’t seen them for quite awhile and everyone looked great, all of us having lost weight.  While I did WW, they did keto.  The best exercise or diet is the one you will do so to each his own.  We had a nice visit for a few hours catching up.

Tuesday I did laundry and my friend Judy stopped by to give me a gift.  It was an umbrella.  During an outing I had left my umbrella under a chair and when I went back for it, it was gone.  She is so sweet.  We got to talking about all the wildflowers in bloom and were trying to identify the ones we had seen so far.  As a thank you, I ordered a Texas Wild Flower book from Amazon that was delivered to her the next day!

I took it easy on Wednesday,  I had been so busy getting caught up I just did what I had to but nothing extra.  Thursday I worked on our taxes.  I had been missing one K-1 and got to thinking maybe they sent it to my old email.  It took some doing but I finally had it sent via my new email.

Thursday I was invited to breakfast by Jody and we had an almost 3 hour meal!  But we got caught up.  Time just flies by when you are with friends that are so easy to talk to.  It is like no time has elapsed at all.  Before we leave for the summer I will invite her to lunch one day.  If you don’t make time, it never happens.

From there I went to play Shanghai.  I did great until the last hand and then got caught and went from tied for 1st to 5th!  I dealt with it!

We have a friend receiving medical care at Methodist in Houston.  Another couple who are mutual friends are with them at one of the RV parks near the Medical Center.  The fellows asked Ted where they could shoot and he arranged for them to come to his club on Friday.  The girls stayed behind because with 3 treatments a day, it was too much for Jana.  Once he had gone to meet them I looked at the calendar and realized I had to get blood drawn for my Tuesday hematologist appointment.  Ted was home when I got back but I left shortly thereafter for a haircut.

I spent the evening finishing up our taxes.  Because I paid the same Estimated Taxes this year because I didn’t know how much the new tax bill would affect us, we are getting a tidy sum back.  I also can send much less each quarter this year.

Life is Good!

I Think I Can

Tuesday we made our way to Apple and bought a new I-Pad. Since Tommy had kept on me to get a new one, Ted texted him we were at the Apple store. I told him there was no Apple store in the valley and he would just have to be patient! Once we completed our transaction, we met them for dinner at the Mexican place. He helped me check out the new I-Pad and is offering suggestions on how to learn to use it and this Wordpress.

Thursday I weighed in and am still 4 lbs. below goal. I am doing well. Then we drove to Lufkin and looked at two RVs. I found a layout I like but these two aren’t just what we would consider. We are going to be gone again until mid April so that is on the back burner and may just stay there.

Ted had cleaned the courtyard, deck and furniture and I did the front porch and furniture. The lawn people came today so the outside is presentable again. The pollen was terrible this year! The laundry is done, things put away, mail and taxes handled, so I did some dusting, mopping and vacuuming today (actually Rhomba did it). Ted delivered the things we got for Carol earlier in the week but we had things for John and Irene so we met with them at Landry’s for dinner Friday night. It was good to catch up and certainly didn’t feel as if 2+ months had gone by.

I appreciate you all hanging in with me and the blog. I hope to learn quickly!

Progreso, Mexico 

Well I can’t seem to add anymore so I will stop here.

To Photo or Not To Photo

It seems this app needs to be updated by the developers!  There is a photo icon that goes to my albums, it shows a circle completing and says Upload, then nothing appears.  I will mess with Wordpress and see how that works!  I hope the developers decide to fix it!

Blogger is apparently going away as I know it.  Google is not supporting and/or doing away with various platforms.  Photos will still not post on my new I-Pad.  I have tried to sign up on Wordpress.  They tell me they are sending an email for me to confirm but none never comes.  

Not sure where to go from here!

OMG - The Mail!

We arrived in Victoria early enough to set up, eat ribs at Uncle Mutt’s and attend Mass at 4 pm.  We were happy to get home and call it an early evening.

We left about 9:15 the next morning.  We had decided to take The Grand Parkway, the third circle freeway around Houston (though it is not completed yet).  We would pick it up before Sugarland and get off at I-45.  Thank goodness I put it in my GPS because it is not real apparent where you leave 59 to pick up 99.  I led the way and when I got off 59 it was not clear cut how to get on 99 but I followed the purple line of the GPS and did it!  Ted had complete faith in me and just followed.  Another problem was at one point it said to take 290 to Austin.  What??  I knew not to do that but stayed in that lane in case it led to 99 north.  At the last minute it said move left to continue on 99 North.  Gee thanks!  But we made it!  

We spent the rest of the day unloading the trailer.  Getting 2+ months purchases, clothes and food from there to here was tiring.  Despite having everything spic and span earlier in the week, the light rain made everything dirty again.  After dinner I tackled a huge box of mail.  I was able to separate garbage from things I needed to tend to.  Then I went to bed.

Monday, Ted left to finish up at the trailer and then called me when it was time to put the trailer back in storage.  It takes two so he knows when he has backed in far enough.  After all, it is over 40 ft. behind him.  He worked on the pollen laden outdoor furniture, deck and porch while I worked on that mail calling my name when we returned home.  We went to Sweet Tomatoes for dinner after I started the first of four loads of laundry.  It was a long three days!

Despite having our calendar cleared until Saturday evening, I was invited to lunch on Tuesday with three Forum friends to pass off all the games I bought for the Silent Auction basket.  I was in a pretty good place with the taxes, laundry and putting things away so I agreed.  Two big shopping bags out of the house!  

I met Diane, Susan and Kathryn and passed the bags, went over our two basket contents and did the paperwork because we are a charity and need such things.  It was nice catching up on the Forum news and was a pleasant afternoon.

Ted suggested we go find a new IPad.  Sam’s will sell you one.  Good luck setting it up!  Best Buy will transfer for you as soon as they finish getting accredited.  So off to Apple which is probably where we should have started to begin with.  I told them of my Apple ID problem and it took three associates to finally fix the problem.  At least I hope it is fixed!  I am finishing downloading apps that didn’t come over and so far so good except for Words With Friends.  I had a previous account and it is the one that showed up.  So I notified the current players of my "new name" so we can continue to play.

I am going to start a new blog to see about photos.  The Apple guy said Blogger has only 1.6 out of 5 and lots of photo problems in the comments.  I may have to switch to Wordpress.

The End of Our Winter Sojourn

Tuesday we drove to the detailers and left my car.  Then Rick and his crew arrived to start washing the trailer.  In the meantime Eugenia came to clean inside.  I told her if it was high or low it was dirty.  To polish all the wood requires a ladder that Ted doesn't want me climbing and floors, baseboards, behind the toilet, between the shower and vanity, etc. requires crawling around and I physically cannot do that.  So for right now, the RV inside and out is clean as well as my car inside and out.  Until it rains!  It will be a smaller job emptying it and just putting it away versus having to clean everything.  Because we are leaving again in 2.5 weeks we hope to get permission to plug in so I don't have to empty the refrigerator.  Of course then every time I need something it will be "in the trailer!"  

We decided to drive to Alton to have chicken again and invited Sue and Niles along.  We had some good laughs talking about traveling mishaps in Europe.  

Wednesday we attended the Open House picnic for the gun range improvements.  I sure hope a new, updated IOS I-Pad fixes this "cannot post" problem for photos.  From about 3 tables to a full shade cover shooting stands and separate picnic area complex, the work put in was enormous.  Ted helped with the painting and screen stretching part after the welding was done.

For his part we were invited to a potluck for all the workers on Thursday.  I made warm, German potato salad and bought an apple pie at HEB.  If I do say so myself, the potato salad was as close to my mom's as I have ever made.  A lady asked how I made it and a fellow chimed in saying it was great.  Made me feel good.  Earlier in the day we had dropped Ted's truck off to be washed and waxed and then we both got haircuts.  I came home and got rid of the gray!  Then we went back for the truck.  All was clean.  Then it rained!

Friday I hit the nail salon.  I knew I had more time here than when I get home.  Two months of mail, our taxes, Ted's sister in law's taxes, 8 medical appts and another 10 day trip in the next month will keep me busy.

I played mahjongg in the afternoon and won 2 games after a long drought!  It was a fun time with lots of laughter.  When I returned home Ted was in the backyard.  The electric and water had been turned off too early!  We plugged in to our backyard neighbor's post with his permission and Niles used channel locks to turn the water back on.  We contacted the owner, he apologized for the mixup and I was able to tell him all was well.  

We went back to the Italian restaurant we had been to the week before with Gerre and Barry for dinner and had the same waitress who recognized us!  Two meatless Friday's down, five to go!  It's hard to imagine we used to do this every Friday!  

Tomorrow we will drive to Victoria and spend the night.  If we drive straight through we would hit Houston traffic mid to late Saturday afternoon and then have to go to church Sunday.  This way we can stop and fuel my car, go to church, eat dinner and leave early enough Sunday morning to miss bad traffic.  Sounds good in theory!  We will be at Woodlands Lake emptying the trailer on Sunday and putting it back in storage on Monday morning.  

It will be good to get home and get things caught up but it is with heavy hearts we leave our friends and "second home" until next year.  

A Visit With Friends

I am really slacking off!  What I am writing is off the top of my head.  Let's see what I can remember!

Gerre and Barry arrived on Wednesday later than originally planned.  She was in charge of her church's Shrove Tuesday pancake supper and they started out Wednesday morning later than planned. 

Ted and I attended the Ash Wednesday Lenten service and then we picked them up for dinner at Cracker Barrel where I ate trout and Ted had pancakes.  

Thursday we traveled to Mexico but we were caught behind the road patching caravan and it took 1.5 hours!  Our first stop was Almost Free pharmacy and then on to El Disco where Gerre did a bit of shopping.  We met up with the boys in Pancho's Bar, already on  their second margarita.  From there we headed to Jessica's for Ted's eyedrops but didn't even stay for the free margarita.  We received farewell hugs from the owners who wished us safe travels.  

That evening we went to Golden Chick for their roasted chicken for me and Gerre and tenders for Ted and Barry.  We have learned they are mostly in small Texas towns and Alton, TX fills that bill.  We all agreed it is great food for little money.  We came back to the coach house for a game of Shamghai.  Gerre had a Shanghai and didn't even realize it at first.  I also was holding one, needing to draw a card that would fit but with three jokers to manipulate, but I never got the chance!  

Friday our guests went to find a Sun Hut to use a gift card and in the afternoon we played mahjong while the fellows went to Da Range as our gun range is aptly named.  Sue had pointed out an Italian restaurant when we were shopping so we chose that for our meatless Friday dinner.  The pineapple pizza with extra sauce on thin crust was excellent.  We will certainly go back.

I was under the weather again Saturday morning so begged off a trip to the Mexican flea market.  By 10 am I was feeling much better so our afternoon and evening plans stayed intact.  The annual Toppa Hoppa (not sure what that means) started at 3:00.  We all went to the clubhouse for wrist bands and to buy into the "game."  There were 5 food stations and one dice roll when you bought your game sheet. You had to roll 5 die and get a 6 to get your ship, then a 5 to get your captain and the cumulative score of all 5 die to get your crew.  

My first roll I got my 6.  At our first stop I got a 5 and we bought $2 margaritas from the roving wagon and feasted on Frito pie.  Next stop was 1-2 ribs and cole slaw.  I threw a total of 18 for my "crew."  Our third stop was pulled pork and broccoli salad.  I was getting full so gave the pork to Ted.  I rolled in the teens.  Fourth stop was charro beans and mini corn muffins.  Three spoonfuls of beans and one bite of muffin and I was done.  I rolled in the teens again.  Our last stop was chicken Hawaiian skewers.  There was no way I could even think of eating it.  The chicken chunks were huge!  Someone gave me a ziplock bag and I took ours home. We stopped at the clubhouse for a brownie bite and one inch square cheesecake.  My total crew was 63.  Scores in the 80s won the first three prizes but Ted and Barry tied for last place with just 6 that they finally got at the end.  Barry won the roll off!  We said our farewell because they were taking off early in the morning.  They promised to return next year possibly for Smokin' on the Rio if the dates work.

I played mahjongg in the afternoon and we attended evening Mass at Our Lady of San Juan of the Valley Basilica.  Their 15 piece mariachi band provided the music and singing cantor.  Mass was a combination of English, Spanish and Latin.  Some I got, some I didn't.  We had dinner at BJs where I tried their tri tip sliders.  There are four but I put half the meat on one, the other half on another and didn't eat the two extra buns.  They were good and I would get them again.  

Monday the people to wash our RV did not show.  Ted tried three times to call but got no answer and there was no way to leave a message.  He called Rick who had been too busy and he said he would work us in Tuesday in the afternoon.  Ted emptied our tanks, checked all 14 of our tires and started gathering his things together in the coach house.  We took down my two card tables and put up the table Norm had given us along with four chairs.  We will leave that along with the tower heater he gave us too.  I have all the meds sorted by person and the games are in two Jessica Pharmacy sturdy shopping bags.  I emptied our hall closet and put the coach house things away and re-organized everything.  We are good to go!