Just Hanging Out

 Not too much going on.  I met friend Jody for lunch that turned into almost 4 hours of catching up.  Good friends that don’t see each other often can jump right in where they left off as if no time has passed.

Our yearly kick off for Newcomers was last week so I went to see what, if anything, I wanted to sign up for.  Well they have a new app system so we need to go into the app for each event every month and choose it versus the chair sending a reminder that it is time to send your RSVP.  I did agree to help with the February Continental breakfast and told Sally to keep me on the list for 3-13. Not sure if that will work!  I may miss a few things until I get the hang of the new system.  So much on our phones and it drives me crazy.

Last week our internet went down and our remote wouldn’t work.  We called and finally got a response that there were no outages in our area.  So we scheduled a service call.  The next morning we received another notice, Service has resumed in your area. Trying to talk to a person is futile.  They kept giving me a website to visit.  How, with no WiFi, was I supposed to do that?  Like I said, drives me crazy.  Traveling is also all on your phone.  I created an album in my photos just for screenshots of emails so I can find it quickly.  Must be my age catching up with me.  I keep reminding my kids I learned to type on a manual typewriter in 1962 when there was no internet.  Just bear with me!

CWJF Sustainers had a lunch outing this week.  We were bussed to Craftex where they have beautiful decorative, holiday and floral items.  I just cleared the garage of most all Christmas stuff but it was fun looking.  They gave a lesson in making big bows.  If I need a bow I give the ribbon to Irene and she makes them!   

Lunch was at Brennen’s in Houston.  We used to eat at their New Orleans location when we visited there every third year for conventions.  It is one of the few restaurants serving turtle soup!  It is restaurant month in Houston so we had 25 cent Cosmos and Martinis.  They were small, low in alcohol but enjoyed by all.  

Our last stop was a designer furniture store going out of business due to the owner developing Parkinson’s.  I did buy a double pumpkin 🎃 decoration to sit on the front porch table between the two chairs.

I played cards with the ladies and we both played with our group at the country club.  Other than that we have been home getting ready for a few trips, first one coming up is a bus tour in New England.  I will knock off #47 and #48 of visited states (NH and VT)..  Not sure I will ever make it to Nebraska and North Dakota!  

Francine missed us!  We still have trees and débris along some roadways from Beryl.  

We have a busy (and hopefully a more interesting blog) between now and the end of October. CeCe is very excited about her trip on the Disney Wish!  I will be flying to Fort Lauderdale to meet up with her, Kelly, Kristin and Cassie!  Since I aged out on some excursions. I am “visiting” with the dolphins in Cozumel and riding a floating bicycle when we visit Castaway Cay, Disney’s private island.  No plans whatsoever for November and December … yet!  

  

Home Again

We spent the night in Arkansas as planned and after a good breakfast and taking a breakfast bag to go, we were on our last leg home. We arrived about 3 pm.  I immediately started two loads of laundry, went through the mail and checked the closet light, shower sprayer and garage door opener pad installed in our absence. 

Wednesday was unpacking what wasn’t in the laundry bag and working on a few things that popped up in that they needed attention. Thank you for your hospitality cards, birthday card, Hilton rebate, sign up for Southwest Rapid Rewards.  

Our neighborhood birthday luncheon was Thursday.  Since I had most everything under control it was a pleasure to have somewhere to go.  Four of the gals were missing but the group had a good time anyway. 

Friday we planned to return the wheelchair to Irene and lend my floor peddler to Rachel who just had her second knee replacement. Her husband starts radiation and chemo for prostate cancer next week.  An all too often occurrence among our friends. We had stopped there first and continued on to Irene’s.  We had never seen their house renovation so we spent some time with her.  She is doing well in John’s absence but says she feels “off.”  Ted is going to help her dispose of John’s guns, most are old hunting shotguns but still firearms and sales must be done properly.  I suggested she get someone at Home Depot to change the battery in her garage remote.  It isn’t working but the inside button does so I encouraged her to try the easiest thing first. I also promised to go back over and get her sprinkler system set properly.  First I have to determine if she has a rain sensor!  

I am glad to report Irene took all 3 remotes to Home Depot where they replaced batteries to her garage doors.  They are all working perfectly and she thinks I’m a genius!  

We went to church where a family of four sat in front of us after we were seated.  Let’s just say I told Ted to remind me to sit behind some adults already seated!  We went to Local Table afterwards, Ted’s first time to eat there.  We both enjoyed our food and he said we will definitely go back.  

Sunday I got dressed and drove to the nail salon and it was closed!  Ted has his endoscopy and colonoscopy on Tuesday so we just stayed home while he started his first bottle of medicine.

Monday Ted was confined to home and continued his prepping and I had my monthly Canasta game to attend.  My neighbor Anna joined us as a sub.  Neither of us finished in the money!

We had to be at the hospital at 6:30 am on Tuesday. All went well with both the colonoscopy and the endoscopy and by the time I drove Ted home he was ready to eat breakfast.  Pathology will take two weeks but Dr W said there were no findings to be alarmed about.  Wednesday we went to church for the holyday.

I had a routine doctor appointment on Thursday and while I was gone Ted took four small meatloaves to Rachel.  They were uncooked so could be baked right away, which she did, or freeze them, which she did with the other two.  With both down, it is tough to get meals together.  

Friday we both went with Irene to help her get info for sale of a gooseneck trailer and tractor John had in storage.  The tractor was on the trailer and both buyers wanted to know what was in there.  She had two boxes of keys to try!  Finding the place was the hardest part and it didn’t take long since the lock and key were numbered.  Once we fished through the proper size keys and found the right number we were in!  Problem solved.  We were treated to breakfast for our trouble but we were happy to have helped. I did stop at her house to check the sprinklers because they had come on in the morning and shouldn’t have.  I found a few random zones on Programs B and C and removed them.  I told Irene to watch the lawn to see that it is getting enough water and we can adjust if needed.

Kristin is back in Houston and will be here Saturday evening. We are working on our booked Disney cruise with Kelly, Cassie and CeCe!  I am dumbfounded to learn I have aged out on at least two different excursions!  Up to age 70 on one and 75 on the other.  Good thing I don’t want to swim with the dolphins but I did like the idea of the glass bottomed kayak!  

  

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Our Last Week of Vacation

We left Cindy and Tim to get their things in order.  They were driving on Tuesday to Indianapolis because their flight out was Tuesday very early, they arrived in Aruba safely.  They have invited us to visit them in Aruba next April for our 60th annniversary and we plan to take them up on it.

We took laundry back to the condo and I did two loads but not much else got done.  We were “resting up” mostly from the hills and steps.

We did realize that our two freezer packs were left behind.  I texted Tim and he said they would bring them up when going through Cincinnati.  That gave them the chance to see the condo.  They were very impressed!  

Tuesday we hung around because we didn’t know exactly when they would come and really had nothing else in mind to do.  But Wednesday was cleaning day.  I dusted the bedroom and living room furniture, cleaned the master bathroom we had used, Ted ran the vacuum, I mopped the kitchen floor, emptied and unplugged the coffee pot, ran the dishwasher and emptied all the trash cans. Thursday morning I stripped the bed, laundered the bedclothes and remade the bed.  We packed our cooler with the freezer packs, brats, goetta, filets and ham.  We had a refrigerator at Comfort Suites to keep it all frozen.  After loading our clothes and guns into the car, we headed towards Columbus. 

Since we couldn’t get into our room until 3 we went to the Cardinal Shooting complex for Ted to get registered.  We hung around a bit waiting for Kim, Kathy and Dan to meet us for dinner.  We had

 another good visit.

Friday I didn’t go to the range but hung out in the pool and our room.  It was relaxing after a somewhat hectic departure from Elk Lake to condo to motel!  Ted came back to clean up and get me to return for the evening festivities.  They had the most beautiful and delicious display of appetizers I have ever seen for a bunch in blue jeans and shooting vests.  

The next day it was supposed to rain, I had been awake most of the night and over indulged in the “finger foods” so I decided to not go to the range again. I will point out Ted had good scores both days.  I didn’t expect him to come back a second time to get me but he did and there was a dinner for all 600 folks and guests.  We sat around a table with some folks we knew and some we didn’t.  Scores were the biggest topic as well as being asked about Ted’s friend Tal that lives in Bentwater.  He helped start the Ohio State Chapter and was a Master Shooter.  He has had health problems and everyone wanted to know how he was getting along.  He adores Ted and calls him most everyday.  Ted takes him shooting when Tal feels up to it.  The spirit is more than willing but the flesh is weak.  

Sunday we went to church, came back to eat breakfast at the motel before heading back, once again, to the range.  I am Ted’s bad luck charm.  He didn’t do well and fell out of second place in his class.  

No one was more disappointed than him, or maybe Tal, who called as we drove home for the last time.  

There were no festivities except for the winners so we bid Dan goodbye and came back to a restaurant nearby before calling it a day.  Tomorrow we pack up for the last time.  We have unloaded my Christmas dishes for Kelly, a stack of clothes for CeCe, a few Pyrex bowls Kara wanted and about 1000 rounds of shotgun shells, spent and empty hulls, left lying on the ground.

Next stop, God willing, is Forrest City, AR for overnight and arriving home Tuesday by dinner.

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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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