Our Cincinnati and Elk Lake Week

Monday my friend Donna (K-12) visited us in the condo. Everyone is mesmerized by the gorgeous view of downtown Cincinnati and the Ohio River.  We eventually left for lunch at Mi Casa.  They also have a bakery and Donna bought a few things to take to her daughter. 

Our impressive building sits at the end of what was the 8th Street Incline.  Next door to us is the Incline Public restaurant with a patio with an equally breathtaking view.  It was there we met Ted’s 7 siblings and in-laws for dinner.  It is always a great time to get all together for a visit.

We chose the American Sign Company museum to fill our afternoon on Wednesday.  It starts back in the late 1800s and starts with “Objects” used to show what service was offered, mostly because many could not read.  The rise of electricity, light bulbs, eventual neon, etc. were all represented.  We lucked out in that two busloads of seniors had just arrived for their scheduled tour.  Their tour guide invited us along!  The info was quite interesting.  I solved a mystery for the young tour guide.  A 5 star restaurant for years, “The Maisonette” was represented by their very recognizable black awning and red door entrance.  In a window above this display was a window with LaNormandie Taverne and Chop House.  The young man admitted he didn’t know what that was.  I said it was a restaurant in the lower level of The Mainsonette.  Procter & Gamble was just down the street and both restaurants were frequented by many employees.  He thanked me for filling in that blank of his tour.  

Thursday we met our Maid of Honor and Best Man (now married 50+ years).  She has developed Parkinson’s but was doing very well needing very little assistance, mostly getting in and out of her chair.  We had a very long lunch and hated to say goodbye!

Friday was Lake Day!  We arrived at Tim and Cindy’s in time for lunch.  I brought boiled ham and cheese for lunch, goetta for breakfast and hamburgers and filets for two dinners along with soft drinks!  They cook every meal no matter how much we protest!

My brother Kim arrived with his friend Kathy in time for grilled burgers and way too many sides.  We took a pontoon boat ride around the lake afterwards and then spent the evening on the deck at the bar with nephew Brian and family stopping by.  

Saturday was the Poker Run!  Riding the pontoon again, we all chose a sealed envelope with a card from 5 boat docks.  Each place had adult drinks and appetizers or cookies.  One had hot dogs and the last check in place was pizza!  You turned in your cards to make your best poker hand.  I had 2 pair - jacks and 4’s.  But I didn’t win!  Tim won a cooler as a door prize and a niece won $50 for the worst hand!  It was a fun time!  We waited a long time to grill the filets because no one was very hungry until later.

Tim, Ted and I went to church on Sunday.  After breakfast, Kim and Kathy left and the four of us crashed in the family room for a bit of napping.  For dinner, Ted and I took Cindy and Tim to dinner at Merrick Inn in Lexington.  The food was outstanding!  I had walleye pike, stewed tomatoes and corn pudding plus rolls to die for.  I had a delicious peach and Moscato drink plus shared strawberry shortcake with Ted!  A real southern feast!

Monday we cleaned our bedroom and bath then packed up to leave.  Our hosts were leaving Tuesday to their house in Aruba.  

Time With CeCe

We had no plans for Wednesday, other than a load of laundry so we drove to visit Pat and Barb, two ladies I worked with while we lived in Troy. We had a nice visit and I was delighted to see them both.

On Thursday, Kelly met us at Culver’s for lunch, saving our ice cream coupons for later. After Despicable 4 (that CeCe pronounced scary with a mean grandma and beetles!), we returned to Culver’s to have our ice cream. 

When we got home, there was a crowd.  Sam and Haley stopped by to say hello, Pat and Kelly came too to take CeCe home, Cassie came by later, and Bill, Kara, Morgan, Ted and I were on hand.  CeCe loves a crowd!  

Ted picked CeCe up at 7:45 am Friday in time for her parents to get to work.  She was ready to go to Frankenmuth to see the Christmas store (Bronners’s).  

It is about 1.5 hours to get there.  I had two tops to exchange at Chico’s so we stopped first to do that.  We made our way to Bavarian Inn for the famous family style chicken dinner.  We made stops at the fudge shop where we watched fudge and taffy being made.  I bought some for my neighbor.  We visited Bronner’s last.  CeCe started singing Jingle Bells immediately.  Later, for some reason, she switched to Happy Birthday!

Saturday we packed up the car and headed to Cincinnati.  We stopped at Jungle Jim’s, a supermarket and then some, is a real tourist attraction!  Kara loves it!  I hated it!  It is so filled you can’t figure out where anything is and when I finally found a map, it didn’t have the info I needed.  I just wanted coffee items and bagels!  I couldn’t get out of there fast enough.  

We arrived at my brother’s condo that he had so graciously offered to us for our week here in Cincinnati.  He is at his house in Columbus.  It is located high on a hill overlooking downtown Cincinnati and the Ohio River.  We have the whole place to ourselves!  The view out of our 5th floor window.

We had planned to go to church and then out to eat but we were too tired so just opted for dinner.  I chose Ron’s Roost who serves great chicken and a few local favorites.  I had my favorite turtle soup and hot bacon slaw to go with my chicken.  We came home and I immediately fell asleep.

Sunday we went to church at the parish Ted’s family belonged to for years.  He attended elementary school there.  We stopped at Sam’s to get goetta and brats to take to the lake, and Walmart for a toaster and Tide.  

Then we attended a Pompeii program at the Cincinnati Union Terminal train station that is a museum complex now.  It was a good program but having visited the ruins, in person, it lacked the awesomeness of what the area is really like.  It is amazing and the sheer volume of what happened is hard to portray.  But had I not been there, it would whet my appetite to go there.  

We stopped at a church festival, enjoyed a drink and the music but didn’t stay too long.  We are both finding being on the go is wearing us out.  Age is catching up on us!  

Made it To Michigan

A lot has gone on over the past couple of weeks.  I slowly eased back into regular activities.  We worked out that Ted would go on ahead to Columbus, driving himself in the car because of needing to take his guns and ammo for the competitions.  If I needed PT or other appointments I would be able to drive myself.  Kristin was still in town so I thought I would be busy.  

We never expected a hurricane!  We were lucky in that our generator kept us with electricity but we had no internet, cable or WiFi!  Pretty boring!  I could drive to the parking lot at MDAnderson to make phone calls and check messages and emails.  

After 2.5 days we got our power back and the other things came back on line eventually.  Two funerals I was to attend were cancelled, Shanghai and 3-13 were both cancelled, but I did attend our neighborhood luncheon before going into Houston to spend the weekend with Kristin.

On Monday I flew to Detroit.  Ted had finished shooting on Sunday but stayed over to Monday so he could plan his arrival from Columbus at DTW when I arrived.  The timing worked out perfectly.  As soon as I stepped outside, Ted was pulling up.  We drove to Kara’s, had dinner, and settled in for the next 4 days.

Today we had to take an Amazon return to Kohl’s and stopped at Office Max looking for those round hole reinforcements Ted wanted for his shooting sheets.  Turned out it was Closing and very little was left.  While looking for the circles I found a pack of ink cartridges that worked in our printer that I normally pay $80 for marked down to $3.50. What a bargain!  

We were close to CeCe’s school so we stopped and asked if we could say hi.  She was just finishing lunch and would move on to nap time so they let her come out into the hallway.  She didn’t understand exactly why she was being called out and had a worried look on her face.  But then she broke into the biggest smile and ran into our arms.  I told her I liked her haircut and she said it didn’t get into her mouth anymore.  It was way too long!  Then she said she had peanut butter on her face.  I said “I noticed.”   She had to go back but we told her we would see her Thursday for a day out.  

Kara fixed a beef tenderloin for dinner.  Evening entertainment was the All Star baseball game.  Three Astros were voted to play but two were injured!

Success!

Happy 4th of July!

I am happy to report I am mobile.  The steroids plus gabapentin have worked their charm … that and 6 weeks have passed and that was the prediction of time to healing.

My MRI confirmed lots of things going on in my back, much of it contributed to my age!  There are a few areas of impinged root nerves.  I will have to be careful to baby my back and not fall again. 

Terry and Carol were in for John’s funeral. They called and suggested we go to 5 pm Mass and out to eat so we did that.  On Sunday they called and asked if they could come over to see my cabinets. We said yes.  They stayed all afternoon, took us to dinner then came back and we played cards. I won! 

It has been a sad week. We buried our good friend John on Tuesday.  It was a lovely service and Irene appears to be doing well.  Next Monday is another funeral for Joanne’s husband.  We received a message from Niles, Ted’s best friend down in Mission, that said he was entering hospice after a long battle with cancer.  Another card playing friend, Anita, has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer that has migrated to her lungs.  This certainly is a very sad time of life

Last night we attended the Houston Symphony’s performance at the Pavilion of Red, White and Blue!  It is a free performance each year and the place fills up.  It supposedly holds 16,000 including the pavilion and the hillside.  We sat with the Newcomers group next to a non Newcomers couple and the man attends Bible study with Ted.  Then, a lady came in the row and it was Sally from Newcomers and then someone called my name. It was Frieda who moved away10 years ago and recently moved back.  It is such a wonderful performance and fun time!

Today is friend Tommy’s birthday and they invited us to Taste of Texas.  Last fall we celebrated my and Susan’s birthday there.  Kristin was in town so she joined us.  It is  a very popular Houston steakhouse and the food is fabulous.

Not Much Progress

Here I sit!  I am getting more mobile but a trip from FR to bathroom and back is about all I can do before the pain gets to be too much.

I have appts. for a sonogram at cardiologist followed by meeting with the orthopedic dr.  Hopefully they will get together and decide if this is a vein or nerve problem.  

I cancelled our two week apartment reservation in Troy.  To get my money back I had to cancel by tomorrow.  Our time frame has been changed to maybe leaving on July 1.  We will stay at Hilton Tru for our shortened stay if we get to go.  Our bottom line is being in Columbus on July 11 for the first shooting competition.  

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Not much else going on.  Watching lots of BritBox on TV.  Ted is doing a great job feeding and caring for me.  We do have a lunch and dinner invitation for tomorrow.  Ted will drop me off at front door with my cane so I just have to walk to the table.  I think I can do that.  He is going stir crazy so I am going to push through for him.

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Well, I made it out to eat with drop off curb service and my cane.  Ted found a tool and hubcap for the motorhome so we met the present owners after she had a doctor appt near us to give it to them.  That evening our nephew Greg, visiting from Illinois to golf in an invitational at Carlton Woods, took us to Citizens Grille  for dinner. It was the only meal we had with him.  He ate all other three meals at the golf club.  Such easy company!  Our neighborhood lunch was the next day and Anna from next door drove me and fussed over me getting in and out of the car.  She is my angel!  

It was off to the vein and nerve doctors.  They both seem to think this is an aggravated nerve issue.  The sonogram indicated nothing going on with my ablated vein but one that was supposed to be closed has blood running through it.  I really hesitate to let them try again!  

The orthopedic guy who believes this is more a pain management nerve issue ordered back X-rays.  When they took my cane away and said stand up straight I thought I would pass out. THE PAIN!  It showed I have a questionable L4 and I have a slight scoliosis curve that curves one way for a short distance then curves back until the spine is straight and keeps my hips level.  I never knew I had that! Add in the arthritis and spinal stenosis diagnosis and it is a wonder I can walk around at all.  

So … he ordered an MRI that will be done next Friday.  He also gave me a steroid pack and it has helped immensely.  I am continuing the gabapentin.  By next Monday we should have some answers, know how I am feeling and can make a decision of about when we should leave for the Midwest.

In the meantime I booked our flights to Boston for our New England fall tour and paid off that trip.  Good to go!  Eileen and Tom are all set too.

Our 2025 Family Reunion will be held at Geneva on the Lake, OH and our cottages are ready to be booked.  My family has three.  Six in one, 4 in another, 3 or 4 in the third.  It is a bit pricey for my taste so I am going to not sleep for the 48 hours I am there!  We will probably visit Marblehead, Put in Bay, Cedar Point, and maybe a few other places. 

Our two 4-day weekends in Columbus are paid and one of the two days for next year are paid.  I have insurance on everything!  Just praying we stay well enough to do this all.  

I had an appointment at MDAnderson to discuss my continuation of the hormone therapy due to one of the side effects being osteoporosis.  I didn’t want to get debilitated with bone issues if the pills were contributing to what is going on.  Thankfully my doctors are all on the same computer system so Dr. O could see everything from my ER visit on.  She said my spine was fine last year and the MRI will indicate any change.  If there is no change, there is no reason to take the chance and stop the pill.  She also indicated it will only be for 5 years (I have already done 27 months)  and they would never indicate to continue on to 10 years.  

The MRI report is in but has not been read by my care team yet.  There is a lot of scary stuff, a good bit of it  part of being 78+!  The L4 Dr. B was concerned about from the x-rays shows impingement of the exiting root nerve from L-4.  There is not much I can do until they get back to me.  I have requested an appointment to discuss these findings.  Depending on proceeding affects our travel plans.  

I drove myself to the nail salon which is just across the highway to get a pedicure.  I told her not to touch my left leg!  Yesterday I drive myself a lot further to play cards at Janet’s.  I went early to park in the drive so I had a short distance to walk.  Everything went fine but I didn’t win!

I am not sure when I will have more news.  Until then just remember me in your prayers.  I can walk but not for long and not too far.  But at least I can get around the house doing small tasks.

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Three Things Done

Our AC problem, beyond the drain needing cleared and a flexible hose replacing a hard pipe, the new coil installed called for a drain pan and they just didn’t install one!  Once one was located and installed it has all been working perfectly.  

Our yard needed work!  Two years ago our neighbor wanted no part of replacing the common .”good neighbor” fence so we just had the back done.  With our new neighbors getting a new fence, we agreed to pay our half of the common fence.  Our opposite neighbor was ok all along so the fence is now complete though several colors as the wood ages.  

Our back corner was the site of a stump for many years until it finally rotted away.  Fedilia and Christo who did my front oval did the corner digging up lots of buried bull rock, washed it all, and built a “creek bed”  from the next yard across the back, creating a triangle, to the easement in back to help water movement.  They planted some perennials.  The sod has taken very well with all the rain.  Success!  

The doors in the kitchen will be hung tomorrow.  Thursday night and Friday morning, with some help from Anna, we restocked the cabinets.  I gave 6 shelves of stuff away.  I have no intention of filling the empty space! 

Christine had skipped cleaning two weeks ago because of the flood waters so we finished up loading everything away in the kitchen just as she arrived.  It felt so good to have accomplished so much in projects and then have the house cleaned!  Now we can take our trip without things hanging over our head.  

Doors installed!  We are pleased.  Certainly lightens up the kitchen that has no natural light.  

I invited 3 neighborhood couples to celebrate Memorial Day with us but that didn’t happen.  I had my red/white/blue decorations and table settings all ready.  The menu  was fixed and Ted was going to smoke an 8# Pork shoulder … and then I was in the ER being diagnosed with Superficial Thrombophlebitis.  It was 2017 when I was hospitalized with a DVT and PE and had to cancel a Memorial Day outing planned for here at home.  No more Memorial Day invites from me!  

I was sent home with 4 prescriptions none of them for pain. I was miserable until Tuesday when I could finally contact my cardiologist and orthopedic doctors.  

Life came to a standstill.  I can hardly walk, it is so painful.  I saw my cardiologist and he said he thought it was a pinched nerve traveling down my leg from stenosis at the base of my spine.  But it was who the ER told me to see due to the ablations I had recently.  

I was then sent to the ortho hip guy who tended to agree with them.  He said give it a few weeks to heal before starting a nerve work up.  This week was my follow up for the ablations and my doctor was back from vacation.  Going with the neuropathy diagnosis she gave me a gabapentin script and scheduled an ultrasound in 10 days.  In the meantime, I can walk short distances with my walker.  A trip from the bedroom to the kitchen and preparing a cup of coffee will do me in and I just flop on the couch.  

We are adjusting our departure date to see how good I get and will I be able. or want, to travel.  Our hard dates are a need to be in Columbus 7/11-16 and 8/1-5.  The rest of the time we can split between Cincinnati, Michigan and the family cabins at Elk Lake in Kentucky.

I will update as my condition improves (or not).  We won’t be going anywhere or doing anything so there won’t be much to say. 

Happy Mother’s Day to Me!

We had Couples Shanghai Saturday night and in lieu of appetizers, Jane was fixing dinner.  The time was moved to 6:30 instead of  7:00 to allow us a bit more time,  but it was going to be close for us depending on how long church ran.  We never leave before the last song is finished but in this case, once they were “doing the dishes” from Communion, we left.  There was still final prayers and blessing, then a song, but we were really going to be cutting it close.  Turns out we arrived right at 6:30 and all was well.  Except neither of us won.  The scores were all really high!  

We had plans for dinner and a live performance at Main Street Crossing theater on Sunday for Mother’s Day so we slept in.  Fidelia showed up about 11:00 with a beautiful lemon meringue pie she made using the springform pans I had given her!  What a nice, and delicious, dessert!

We arrived early at the venue to give us time to have a sandwich before show time.  The show was advertised as an Elvis Presley legend singer doing 50s/60s rock and roll.  In reality, he did everyone’s famous songs.  Very entertaining reliving our youth!  We even danced to Can’t Help Falling in Love with You!  And I did a lot of “dancing in my seat.”  Maybe that’s where CeCe got it.  We received a video of her dancing in her seat during brunch.  She did the same thing during Disney’s Hoop Dee Doo Review. 

The singer mentioned he lived and worked in Branson so we asked if he knew John Seger, a Branson performer who we saw each year in the Rio Grande Valley.  He was quite an entertainer but died suddenly at an early age of a heart attack.  He did know him and said everyone was shocked when he died.  Small world.  This is January, 2017, the last time we saw John perform.  

Monday was kitchen and yard day.  The folks who did my front oval came to do the back corner now that the fence is done.  There was a lot of bull rock buried in that corner that they removed and used it to create a water pathway off our property to a utility easement.  I went to the nursery and we picked out perennials for plants.  That will finish the yard! 

The different color of the fence is the new “good neighbor” one against the one replaced along the back 2 years ago.  Same on the first photo where that portion was just replaced too.  Good neighbor fences aren’t always!

The kitchen folks are taking down the cabinet doors because they go away to be done.  Now they are taping and wiping the remaining stuff in preparation for painting.  I will be so glad to get everything put back by the end of the week!

The AC people who were to come Monday came Tuesday.  That’s ok because it is working but the drain issue needs to be resolved, it is still emptying out the pipe from the soffit to the deck still!

The whole kitchen is now enveloped in plastic.  We have no access to anything!  

The AC has been working and draining so we have high hopes the trouble is over.  The plumbers all said it is clear, just get the water to the pipe drain, not the overflow pan.  

The first two coats of primer and first coat of paint should be on by tonight.  They will do the doors in the shop and bring them back next week.  But I will be able to get things put back Thursday evening,  Christine comes Friday to clean, she missed two weeks ago, so I absolutely need her.

Hoping for all three projects to receive a check mark as completed the beginning of next week.  Woohoo!

Banging My Head Against the Wall

Christine bailed on cleaning Friday due to the high water. I can’t say I blame her. It continued to rain into the weekend. There was damage all around us.  

Saturday was church and the Mexican restaurant. Ted saw Dr. C for his annual check up on Monday.  His lab work was fine.  When we asked about PSA (considering family history), Dr. C. said “Ted’s is better than mine.”

Ted has to have his colonoscopy and endoscopy at the hospital and not the clinic because of his age.  The first appointment he can do is the second week in August unless someone cancels in the next 6 weeks.  

We had the AC company come out for regular spring maintenance on the AC.  He talked Ted into a chemical clean of the compressor.  He said our drain that comes into the guest bath sink was not draining well and we may need a plumber. We have had trouble in the past so we had a plumber clean and snake it. 

But the soffit drain started dripping onto the deck.  

The plumber came back and Bill suggested we get a flexible line put under the sink for easy access if it clogs. 

 It still dripped outside.  We called the AC people again!  They came out and put chlorine tablets in the drain.  It continued to drip.  Finally the manager came out.  There was a soft start on the condenser knocked off (assume from the chemical clean) so they fixed that for free.  He made them access the coil upstairs and it was leaking and freezing up.  So we got a new coil the next day.  We had AC once again and thought all was good.  Nope!  Water was “streaming” out of the soffit drain.  Back on the phone and they sent the master plumber who also does HVAC.  He said the unit is working, the drain is not clogged but the path of condensation missed the pathway to the drain so it goes in the overflow pan and out the drain from the soffit.  So … someone will be here Monday to find out just what needs to be done with the pan and the paths to the drains.  I was getting really stressed about trusting it when we are gone 6 weeks.  Fingers crossed.

While all this was going on Anna, Ted and I were emptying the kitchen cabinets preparing for the cabinet painters to arrive Monday.  We agonized over a color.  There are 1000s of colors with the slightest shade difference and it is such a big decision.  I have the whole dining room filled with dishes.  There are a lot of things I am giving Anna and Fedelia for their South African resettlement program.   Several sets of glasses, a coffee service for 12 with lunch and dessert plates plus coffee cups, flan pan, trifle bowl, set of 3 spring form pans and probably other things when I am putting everything away at the end of the week.  

Because Ted and I unloaded most of the cabinets, we all decided to put together the fence to hide the transformer box in the SW corner of our back yard.  Uwe had stopped over so I let the four of them work on it and just stayed out of the way. 

 Christo is coming Monday to work on the last NW corner.  Not sure just what he has in mind.  It’s a small area so a bull rock water path and ground cover maybe.  

On Thursday our neighborhood lunch turned out great.  Fedelia joined us and Joy, a new house renter, came too.  Joy volunteers at Canopy Cancer Care and has taken a patient under her wing.  Vicki is a cancer patient getting radiation for one month and staying in a motel.  She joined us.  Originals, Gail and Jeanette, were there too.  It was amazing how the whole group clicked.  Recipes and info were exchanged and plans to go to an exercise dance class were in the making.  It was a fine time.  

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I Don’t Know If Anything Interesting Has Happened But Here Goes

Happy 59th Wedding Anniversary to Us

Ted’s trip home from Phoenix and being picked up was quite an adventure.  His plane boarded late, got stuck on the tarmac behind a plane that lost its wheel and finally arrived back here late.  He landed at Terminal E which does not have Arrival or Departure areas so he had to change terminals.  I was in the cell lot, the airport is one big construction zone, and I started out for C, arriving at Departures where he said he was but then he called and said he was at D Departures!  I had to exit the airport, make a U turn back into it to follow the signs to D.  But the lane ran out, blocked by concrete barriers.  I could see Ted up ahead but the guard didn’t want me to stop in the outer lane.  I did anyway!  As Ted got in the car, the guard was shaking his head,  I said “this hasn’t been fun” and pulled away!  By then it was dark and I had to drive home because Ted was in the passenger seat. 

Wednesday was our 59th anniversary. We celebrated at the cardiologist, Ted for a EKG as part of his Clearance to have his annual endoscopy, me for my last ablation.  What fun!  He worked at the gun club Thursday and Friday so Saturday we attended “date night and dinner” presented by his Bible Study group.  I finally met many of the men he gathers with every Monday.  The presentation was on marriage so it was a fitting evening.  

Ted had an Echo cardiogram the next week.  Then he was able to take his Clearance papers to Dr. W who is going to do a colonoscopy and endoscopy at the same time.  We are still waiting for them to tell us when.

Today I drove an hour in pouring rain, through standing and rushing water, attempting to go to a Newcomers breakfast!  It was in the south that floods and I eventually had to turn around and pray I made it home.  There were cars abandoned all over the place.  My trusty Jeep Grand Cherokee Summit handled it beautifully.  I received an email when I checked my phone.  The breakfast was cancelled!  

Good news from our friends Tom and Eileen.  He has been cleared of any cancer now.  He went through surgery, chemo, radiation and immunotherapy to a clear MRI.  So we are planning a New England tour in September to celebrate our 79th and 80th birthdays.  Of course we are now waiting for Ted’s colonoscopy, endoscopy and PSA results from his routine checkups to make the deposit.

On a sad note, we lost our good friend John, Irene’s husband, to pancreatic cancer just two weeks after diagnosis.  They were here in January for dinner and my last memory of him will always be of John and Ted sitting in our family room sharing a Guinness!  Rest in peace, John.  You were a good and faithful servant.  

Things are a bit busier in the next weeks.  But not anything to get excited about!

Our CeCe photos from school this week.  She is graduating to Transitional Kindergarten because her fall birthday keeps her out of Kindergarten for the 2024-25 regular school year so this is a step in between.  

Playing Doctor, getting her temp taken.

Writing her numbers left handed.

Drawing with right hand.

Back to the left.

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Different Day, Same Stuff

 Not much going on other than doctor appts.  I have completed 4 ablations with follow up sonograms.  All is going well.  Lots of “sticks” along my leg but the wrapping tightly from foot to thigh is the worst of it.  

I did do a book signing for a Woodlands author with my Forum Sustainers.  What a lovely home!  And food! I bought two books of the 12 she has written but I haven’t started reading them yet.  

Uwe and Anna joined us for Easter dinner.  Smallest one I have ever cooked.  

Easter week was 3 ablation appts snd one PCP 6 month check up.  Everything checks out!  

We are making progress on the yard.  When we did our back fence, our “not good” neighbor wanted no part of having the common fence replaced.  The other side neighbor was agreeable.  We decided to wait on the two common fences until we could get them both done.  Our new neighbors are replacing their fence so our two common ones will get done at the same time and our new fence will be complete.  All neighbors honoring the good neighbor protocol!  

Anna is a sponsor for legal South Africans settling in our area.  This younger couple, both chefs, was not able to bring a lot with them so they are outfitting their new home a little at a time. When Anna said they had served them wine in a plastic yogurt container I had a great idea.  I had my very first set of china, 7 piece place settings, service for 12 plus 36 matching glasses that have not seen the light of day in two decades.  I got them all out of the cupboard above the refrigerator along with a new lidded sauce pot, crockpot, and several platters to help them out.  

Anna wanted to pay me and I told her those beautiful dishes had gone from OH to FL to OH, to MI, to FL again to TX and local moves in between.  One dinner plate and the sugar bowl were the only missing pieces.  I was only too happy to have them put to good use!  

The gentleman was reworking the oval landscape for Anna one day when we came home and we met them for the first time.  The next morning as he was spreading mulch I stopped and told him what a fine job he had done and discussed my wait for sod and cleaning up our plant area.  I thought while he was waiting for an answer on a job application, maybe he would like to earn a few dollars fixing my planted oval.  When I approached Anna she laughed and said he had just told her he wanted  to fix mine up for free if I will buy the plants.  So Tuesday we are going together to buy plants but he will NOT be working for free.  

Ted’s sister in law, Jeanne, died the day before Easter in Phoenix.  She will be buried there April 19 which is her 86th birthday.  I am unable to fly until May 8 so Ted is going alone.  He will get on Terry and Carol’s connecting flight in Houston, rent a car for the 5 of them (2 flying in from Cincinnati) and all stay at the same hotel.  

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, I had just purchased theater tickets for the night of April 19 for us thinking the funeral would be the week before!  So I wrote my friend who lost her husband last December.  She said she would love to see The Buddy Holly Story with me.  So she has her first date, with me!  

Next week is Canasta, neighborhood lunch, Shanghai, 5th ablation and sonogram.  Some things never change.  At least our bluebonnets have been consistently beautiful,this year!

Moving On!

Margaritaville in Kissimmee.  A nice shopping and dining area.  

Ford’s Garage

Tuesday was spent doing laundry and cleaning out the refrigerator.  Kristin brought lots from home in the way of condiments, fruit, drinks, etc. so she had several bags of groceries and we had a bag and two small coolers.  Once that was all finished we decided to go to Ford’s Garage for dinner and not mess up the kitchen.  There was a Margaritaville area close by so we started there.  It was chilly and at least an hour wait but no indication if it would be inside or out so we went across the street to El Jefe Tequilas.  We were seated right away and the food was good.  It was a pretty area so we walked a bit, stopping in a confectionery store.  I was given a small piece of praline and a bite of Ted’s strawberry cheesecake ice cream and it was out of this world!  But I stopped at just that one taste.

I woke up at 4 am and never did fall back to sleep. Ted heard Pat and Kelly getting ready to leave so he got up about 5:30.  They left about 6:15 and wrote back they were on the plane a little after 8:00 and eventually wrote again that they had landed. 

Meanwhile we and Kristin took off at the same time with all the towels in a heap in each of the 5 bathrooms, garbage emptied and dishwasher running. That was all we had to do. Ted dropped off the keys and we were good to go. 

We stopped at the exit in Tallahassee on the way over for fuel and a car wash. Next stop Dolphin Street in Destin, FL!  

We arrived late afternoon and walked the one block to the beach to see the sunset!  Very pretty.  Barb fixed dinner and we got caught up on family news. 

This house is huge!  Sleeps 24, 8 bathrooms, 8 burner stove, 2 dishwashers, 3 coffee pots, 9 TVs, pool and hot tub, parking for 6 autos and is one block off the beach.  

Terry and Carol arrived the next day and we sat around the pool and in the hot tub until we decided to go to MacGuire’s for dinner.  Barb and I split a chicken sandwich that I could hardly finish.  We went home and played cards.  I won!

Friday we headed east to Sandestin which is a bit more upscale in stores, housing and rentals.  We visited Topsail State Park and walked to the beach but rode the tram back.  Ted walked down as far as the tram station and waited with Kevin while Barb and I pressed on to the beach.  Terry and Carol rode the tram both ways.  

It is our favorite camping spot but is very hard to get reservations.  It has lovely sand dunes and is a different kind of beach beauty.  

From there, because it was Friday and no meat in Lent, we chose to take friend Tal’s suggestion to eat at Goatfeathers, the second oldest restaurant in the area.  The ambiance was fishing or beach shack, the view non existent, but the food was excellent.  I chose grilled mahi mahi, hush puppies and Brussel sprouts that were honey glazed and excellent!  The peach margarita was pretty good too!

After the long walk to the ocean since we didn’t take the tram down and then continued on the boardwalk to the ocean, plus a margarita, I excused myself from card playing when we returned home and I went to bed. 

Saturday was a pool day.  We all just hung out, went to church at 4:00 then to a Mexican restaurant for dinner.  I was underwhelmed though Barb and Kevin really like it.  The raspberry frozen margarita I ordered was not frozen and must have been missing the Simple Sec, it was awful.  All 6 of us agreed it was terrible.  Ted gave me his drink and they brought him a frozen margarita to replace it.  Then we both ordered the same entree and received similar but different stuff!  Oh well, it was one meal of thousands I will have eaten in my lifetime!  

We went back and played cards and a game called Spinner followed by Shanghai cards.  We were all ready for bed before midnight. 

We were up early Sunday morning and on the road by 8:30.  We made it home right at 6 pm.  Monday was putting everything away and doing two loads of laundry.  At the last minute I was asked to sub in a Shanghai group and ended up last!

I finished up things on Tuesday because I had Dr appts on Wednesday and Thursday.  We plan to go to the Home Show this weekend!

Happy trails!