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| September, 2011- CA, |
September 26 - 30, 2011 - AZ
Tuesday, September 27. I spent the morning yesterday trying to make a decision about going to Florida and after all of that pondering, I just feel that it is the right thing to do, my conscience wouldn't let me do anything but go. To see Marty again and to provide some comfort and support to both her and Jonnie. So, Wednesday morning at 5:30 (yikes!) I hop on a plane to Tampa, then rent a car and head to Ocala for the next week.
Also yesterday morning, Frisco had his annual checkup with the Vet and he got a perfect report card - is in excellent health, just the right weight, and he doesn't have any periodontal disease, thanks to Mike's efforts at keeping them brushed regularly - well, sort of regularly.
As we were leaving the house for his appointment, I noticed a puddle of water on the floor of the carport. Guess what, the water heater is dead, yucky slime pouring from the relief valve. After some online shopping and price comparing, Mike called a friend from the park for a referral and learned that Rodney, they community's maintenance man would do it. Later in the afternoon, Rodney came by, then returned with a new water heater and plans to install it today.
The laundry is done and my bag is packed. We're heading for the pool.
Thursday, September 29. Yesterday was my travel to Florida day, starting with a wakeup alarm at 3:15 am so I could get to the airport in time for my 5:30 am flight - what an awful time to have to get up. Construction at the airport caused some confusion but we finally made it to my terminal and all went well. Both flights were on time and I arrived safely in Tampa at about 2:30 pm EST, picked up my rental car and also made it safely to Summerfield.
It was so nice to see Jonnie and Marty again and they were happy to see me. Marty is looking pretty good although she is pale and feeling comfortable because of all of the medications that she is on. We had a very nice evening talking about old times and also what is going on with Marty's cancer - and that is not good news. She is now under the care of hospice and they have been wonderful to them, explaining what is going on, providing attentive care, calling to check on them, being available to answer questions, and just plain helping her to not suffer.
Today was a good day and we did some shopping at Beall's and Publix, loading up on groceries and a few halloween decorations (it is Marty's favorite holiday and they go way out). While at the grocery store, Marty got a call to let her know that her sister and aunt will be coming in on Monday for a visit - she broke into tears of happiness at the thought of it.
Other than a short nap this afternoon, she was awake all day and we even had an Old Fashioned out on the porch tonight and a Skype conversation with Mike. It was a good day for all of us.
Friday, September 30. I think yesterday's activities kind of did us all in because none of us had much energy today. Jonnie and I did some more decorating but it was a hot day, so didn't spend too much time outdoors. Marty was worn out and not feeling too good.
I fixed dinner tonight and we all were ready for bed fairly early.
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September 19 - 25, 2011
Wednesday, September 21. Last week after a shopping trip, I realized that 2 of the doors on the car wouldn't come unlocked, either manually or with the key fob. This was the case for about 3 days, then yesterday all of sudden, they came unlocked. Today, Mike drove to the dealer in Tempe to have it checked out and since it was no longer a problem, they weren't able to detect the cause of the problem. What a waste of time that was.
Yesterday, I had a doctor appointment to follow up on my health issues over the summer. Even after I made at least 2 calls to the clinic requesting that they get my records from Lee's Summit (back in July), she didn't have a clue as to what went on. After the appointment, I went home and got my records, took them back for the clinic to make copies - and now I will wait to hear back from her after she has had a chance to review them. So that was another waste of time. One good thing, I am hoping my insurance covers the cost of a new diagnostic test that can determine if you are a person at risk for stroke. If that comes out negative, I may be able to stop taking Crestor for high cholesterol - my LDL is borderline and I would definitely prefer not to have to take the medication.
I made a batch of Lois' delicious granola. It's a huge batch so we should be able to enjoy our breakfasts of granola, yogurt and fruit for a long time. It's Yummy stuff and really healthy stuff too.
This morning, we got up early, packed a few snacks, then picked up our friend Connie and headed to Show Low to spend the day with Jan and Jim. On the way there, we took the route through the Tonto National Forest to Payson, then along the Mogollon Rim (a giant slanting escarpment of volcanic and sedimentary rock and pine that is 200 miles long and forms the southern end of the Colorado Plateau) to the White Mountains of northeastern Arizona. The views were gorgeous. We had a wonderful afternoon with Jan and Jim. They fixed a delicious lunch of skinless green chile bratwurst, a tasty sausage that none of us had ever tried before. The visit was way too short but we wanted to get through the Salt River Canyon before it got dark, so we had to leave around 4:30.
Our return trip took us to Globe and then back to Phoenix. Connie had never been on that route before and Mike hadn't seen much of it because he was driving the motorhome when we last went through it. I drove so Mike and Connie could enjoy the views along the route that took us through the Salt River Canyon, a miniature version of the Grand Canyon - it is absolutely gorgeous with glimpses of the Salt River here and there, far away and way down at the base of the canyon. There was a long stretch of construction for several miles approaching Globe where there were no center lines or outside lane markings that was pretty scary driving.
We're all pretty tired after a long day of mostly being in the car, but the scenic drive and seeing Jim and Jan again was well worth it.
Thursday, September 22. I was feeling a bit sluggish this morning and it took a while to really wake up and get moving but I did manage to accomplish quite a bit today. I washed the bedding and made a batch of Frisco's liver treats, stinking up the kitchen for a couple of hours. While I was in the kitchen cooking, Mike took care of the vacuuming.
I had a nice, long conversation with Ben and he sent me this recent photo of Charlotte. All is well on that front and I'm looking forward to our next Skype conversation, maybe later this evening.
After a trip to the grocery store for a few supplies, I made a batch of peach freezer jam from peaches that Nita brought to us last week. I sure hope it turns out well as I have never made jam before. I have to wait 24 hours to check to see if it thickened - keep your fingers crossed. While I was doing that, Mike was making a batch of trail mix to have around for snacks. This week has been good for doing batch cooking - hope it all keeps.
Friday, September 23. It's 7:30 pm and I just realized this date is a significant milestone in our lives - we got engaged on this day in 1967. I remember sitting in the driveway in Mike's 1957 Chevy at the Starr School when he proposed.
We just got home from our weekly TGIF potluck dinner and it was another enjoyable evening. We celebrated Brenda's 60th birthday, the poor girl has been confined to a wheelchair since age 48 because of a brain tumor. She has a great sense of humor and appreciates living here and having so many good friends in the community.
We just walked in the door when I got a call from Ben to setup a Skype conversation. Charlotte was a little bit fussy tonight but she was wide awake and looking right in the computer at us. It was fun to see Ben doing the Daddy dance, trying to keep her content. And we also got to talk with Jill a bit - it is so great that we can stay in touch that way.
Today was a pretty busy day for us. I went to an estate sale with Connie this morning and we both came home empty handed. Mike and I spent an hour at the pool this afternoon - we were the only ones there and the thermometer on the wall read 117 degrees - I think that is off a bit, as my home thermometer was only readying 96. In fact, I haven't seen mine read more than 100 degrees yet, but it is all over the news that it has been over 100 for several days now. It felt nice in the pool, but a little hot when we walked there and back, but not unbearable.
Sunday, September 25. Yesterday after coffee at the clubhouse, I shopped at Joann Fabrics for material to sew a project for Charlotte. I ruled out clothing since it has been so long since I have actually sewn anything that complicated. I opted for a car organizer that hangs on the back of the front seat and is used to hold toys, snacks, etc. I got started and so far it looks pretty good.
Had a very nice conversation with Pat this morning, sounds as if all is going well up nort with him and his family. They were having a rainy day and are winding down on the amount of produce that is coming out of the garden.
I worked on my sewing project and we spent an hour or so at the pool this afternoon.
I called Jonnie to see how Marty was doing and got bad news from her. Marty will be going home from the hospital tomorrow (she's been there since Wednesday) and will be getting care from Hospice. Mike and I talked it over and decided it would be a good thing for me to go there to help them through this awful time. Poor Jonnie and Marty - my heart just aches for them and what they are going through.
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September 12 - 18, 2011
Wednesday, September 14. Oh my! I haven't written anything all week, nor have we done a whole lot. I started the week by going to water exercises this morning, then I worked on cleaning the dust from the inside of the house. It really isn't too bad, especially considering that we do live in a mobile home, some of the windows have gaps and they did have a couple of huge sand storms this summer. Many of our nick-naks were packed away, so I've been taking them out little by little too.
Our friend Connie stopped by for a little chat on Monday and it was nice to see her again. It's sad - she is still struggling with grief since Danny passed away in May. She has a lot of support from her family and friends in this community and she will feel better some day.
On Tuesday, I picked up my bike from the repair shop and paid them $115 to get it back. My derailer wasn't damaged, so I only had to pay for a new wheel and a small repair to the frame.
Allan and Sharon invited us over for a delicious lunch and we talked and shared stories from our summer travels. It was so nice to see them again. We are all glad to be back in Arizona and agree that the summer travels were a bit tiring.
Today, we took the car in for an estimate on the damage that was done when I backed into the pickup truck in the parking lot in Nevada City. It amounted to $712 and our deductible is $500. We are considering doing a repair ourselves. The car seems to be starting awkwardly and it did that again when we went to leave from getting the estimate, so we went straight to the Honda dealer to have it checked out. The problem was the battery (it is 4+ years old), so we had them put a new one in. We did check with Walmart (their reputation for car batteries is excellent) and their price was only $20 less with less of a warranty, so the dealer was the way to go.
I got the hummingbird feeders back up and they showed up to investigate within a very short time. We have enjoyed sitting out on the patio in the late afternoons. The mornings are also quite nice, but we tend to be on the computer in morning while we drink our coffee, catching up on the news.
Saturday, September 17. What have I been up to the last 2 days? Hmmmmm. Cleaning up the yard, shopping, cooking, swimming, reading, computing, all kinds of stuff, but there's not a lot to write about.
Cleaning up the yard - there is lots of debris that has accumulated over the last 3 months. My Palo Verde trees have grown a lot, one much more than the other, resulting in the need to trim off several of the suckers that were making it look more like a bush than a tree. I also soaked down the area between our carport and the neighbor's patio. They tie their dog, Watson, on a lead and let him use that area as a toilet. The bad part is that they wait for the poop to dry out before they clean it up - sometimes later the same day but most of the time it waits until the next day. Since the mornings have been cool and I've been opening my windows, I get to smell the fresh stuff for a while. We don't see each other real often, so the next time we do, I'm going to have to ask him to be more prompt. I like Watson, but the poor dog rarely gets a walk and he is so overfed that he is starting to look like a tick.
I got to thinking about some Wisconsin friends the other night when I made Leslie's Spicy Baked Shrimp recipe for dinner. It's one of those tried and true, always good kind of recipes and the shrimp was delicious - some that I bought at the Farmer's Market in Stoughton. I guess I will have to give her a call one of these days again.
We haven't seen much Charlotte in the last few days, did get to see her sleeping in Grandma Lois' arms the other day. Ben is back to work (from home), so he doesn't have as much time for Skyping. He called while we were at the pool this morning, so we're just going to have to try again later.
I'm off to the clubhouse to help Sue with the BBQ ribs for tonight's potluck. I made Stella's Thai Cucumber Salad that I absolutely love and I hope others do too.
The ribs turned out good, some were more done than others (one of the oven's quit heating and went undetected for a while). My salad was not a big hit, Mike thinks it is because it was placed in the middle of the table and should have been on the outside. I think it might have been because there was another cucumber salad with mangoes in it - folks opted for that one because it was prettier? Who knows, but I won't make that for a potluck again.
Had a nice time, it was good to see many of our new friends and neighbors again.
Sunday, September 18. The best thing about today was a nice, long conversation with my dear friend, Pat and another with my brother Bob, a visit from our friend and neighbor, Connie, another visit from our friend and former neighbor, Nita (she also brought yummy peaches from Oregon and a gift for Charlotte), and topped it all off with good dinner with just the 2 of us.
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September 5 - 11, 2011 - CA
Monday, September 5. Charlotte had her first checkup this morning and they learned that she is progressing normally, feeding well, and there are no concerns. Mom and Dad also learned some strategies to help them get a little more sleep and were much relieved after their visit.
We had a wonderfully enjoyable afternoon. Mike and I were with Charlotte for over an hour while Ben and Jill enjoyed some lunch and got a few things done. I can't believe how active she is; stretching, yawning, hiccuping, rolling her head, smiling, grunting, tooting - it's been a long time and I had no problem just sitting in one place with my eyes focused on her.
We shared a bottle of champagne, toasting to the new addition to the family and followed that with a photo session. By then, Mom and Dad were ready for naps and we needed to get over the bridge before the traffic got bad. We said our goodbyes, it was hard - but we will look forward to our return in a couple of months. Ben assured us that he will provide frequent photo updates.
Tuesday, September 6. On the road again... Once again, we tried to get going early but it just didn't pan out. Yesterday, while sitting outdoors reading, a woman walked by me, nodded hello, and after she passed I got to thinking that I had met her somewhere before. Suddenly, I realized that it was at Betty's RV Park in Abbeville, LA, back in 2008. We had to leave yesterday before she returned, so we just had to stop by to say hello this morning. Sure enough, we had met there, conversed during happy hour, and even had dinner together one evening. It was nice catching up with them again and learning that they have been wintering in Benson, AZ, not too far from us.
On our way back to the motorhome to get starting on the disconnect process, we got to talking with the folks parked next to us. Now they are traveling, 2 women and a man visiting the US from Norway, by way of Russia. They drove to the east coast of Russia, had their Land Cruiser (complete with a pop-up bed on the roof) shipped to Seattle. They have 2 months left to see as much of the US as they can.
We finally got on the road around 10:30 and made our 1st stop near Tracy for gas. Pulling up to the gas pump, the guy next to us was driving a Wonderdog Rescue van (the place we got Frisco from back in 2007), so I just had to talk with him. It turns out he is making a documentary film called Guarding Dogs and may even be coming to Arizona to do some filming.
We pulled in at the Bakersfield Palms RV Park ($25 with our Escapees discount) around 5:30 and got settled in for the night. Mike was so happy when he turned on his computer to see a picture of Charlotte after her 1st bath. Y'all might get tired of hearing about her, but I don't think I will ever tire of writing about her. I just know that Ben will be great about giving us progress reports.
Wednesday, September 7. Yawn! Another long day of driving in the heat. It got so bad today that we turned our generator on a couple of times to help the dash air cool it down a bit. The drive was about 315 miles today and we stopped for the night at Prospector's RV Resort in Lake Havasu City, AZ ($18/night with our Camp Club USA discount). We talked about going the rest of the way to Mesa but decided against it as we need this opportunity to clean out our holding tanks good and get it ready to be stored for a couple of months.
I can't wait to unload everything in the 108 degrees that is forecast for tomorrow in Mesa. We will just have to take our time and do it when it is relatively cool.
Today's Charlotte update - a peaceful, sleepy photo in her new jammies and a note from Ben announcing that he got a 5-hour sleep this morning. Welcome to parenthood, son.
Thursday, September 8. WE'RE HOME! Such a relief! Last night was a hot one and not a good one for sleeping. I kept hearing the AC coming on - that thing had to work hard. We were on the road early and it was a pretty easy drive. We ran the generator a couple of times to help out the AC - that really made a difference.
It was 1:20 when we pulled in front of our house and what a welcome sight it was! Mary and Eric did a wonderful job as caretakers, the place is in good shape. We turned on the AC, cranked up the fridge, ran the water for a while until it came out clear (yes, it was brown and yucky looking), swept off the patio (not bad from the summer dust storms), and started carrying stuff in, one basket load at a time.
It is now 7:20, it is dark outside but still the thermometer is reading 99 degrees. The forecast is calling for a cool down and that will be welcome. I'm tired and ready to head to bed in a little while.
The Packers are playing the Saints - GO PACKERS!! I couldn't stay up for the finish but they won the game, 42-34.
Friday, September 9. Our little Charlotte is 1-week old today. Amazing. I also heard from her daddy that she let them get some sleep last night. What a sweetie!
I didn't get a lot of sleep last night, must be the old 1st night in a strange place thing. Whatever the cause, I'm getting tired of it.
The motorhome is empty and we had it put away in storage before noon. I can't believe we were so efficient with the project this time. It still needs a good cleaning, both inside and out, but I'm going to put that off until it cools down a little bit. The laundry is almost done, the last load is in the dryer. And I just finished with a short but very nice nap. It's a good day, feels good to be back home.
Sunday, September 11. Yesterday was spent just hanging around home, going through mail that had accumulated while we were gone, doing some cleaning, and having a nice dinner. The best thing about the day was having a video conversation with Ben and Charlotte (she didn't do much talking), but we got to see her taking a nap - I think she does that the best!
Some storms rolled through here last evening, bringing a good bunch of quite welcome rain. The temps cooled down to a pleasant 70 degrees during the night. When I walked this morning, I noticed the 2 retention ponds in the back of our park were full of water. This is the 1st time that I have seen this.
Today is the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in New York City. It was such a sad event that made lasting impressions on most Americans, especially those that lost loved ones or rallied to help with the cleanup.
It was a day in my life that I will never forget, not only because of the terrorist attacks, but we were waiting to hear that Ben had arrived safely in the US from a flight home from Tokyo. We knew that his plane had taken off from Tokyo early in the morning but we were worried that it wouldn't be allowed to land in the US or even worse, it might have terrorists on it like those on Flight 93 that was heading for San Francisco. Mike made several calls to the FAA and to Thai Airways to check the status. Everyone he talked to were understanding, helpful, and reassuring. Ben's flight was not allowed to land as scheduled in Los Angeles but was diverted to San Francisco (where Ben lives), escorted in by military fighter aircraft that had been scrambled as a precautionary measure, and landed safely. Most airports were closed after the attacks and his flight was the only international flight allowed to land after the airport was closed down. Until they got off the plane, facing the strange sight of the airport empty except for police, military, and security staff, they were unaware of the tragedy that occurred earlier in the day. It was such a relief for us when we heard he was safely back on US ground.
We met Nan and Dale at the theater and saw the movie, "The Help", a story that takes place in Jackson, MS during the 1960s, written from the perspective of black women working as maids in the homes of affluent white people. We had both read the book and found it to be very good and the movie was just as good. Nan and I sat next to each other wiping our eyes throughout the movie. After the movie, we stopped at Texas Roadhouse for a drink - couldn't believe they didn't even have a Lone Star Beer in the house. The *bleep*tails weren't that good either - guess we should have known.
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September 1 - 7, 2011 - CA,
Thursday, September 1. Oh, boy, this is a hard day. Jill and Ben decided to have labor induced today and I am so glad they didn't wait for things to happen naturally, their due date was the 8th. They had to wait until a room became available at the hospital, calling at noon if they hadn�??t heard from them before that time. They will now go at 3:30 this afternoon. This has to be totally nerve-wracking for them because it sure is for me. My emotions are so at the surface, I have busted into tears several times already. My only way to cope was to clean and stay busy. I washed windows and cabinets, vacuumed and scrubbed the floor. Mike couldn�??t stand my activity, so he took Frisco for a nice, long walk. I still couldn�??t sit still, so I made a pot of chicken noodle soup - who knows what the rest of the day will bring. It just has to be joy and excitement.
At 3:30, there was another delay and they finally headed to the hospital around 5:00. By 7:30, they were waiting to talk with a doctor so the process could get started. I called Jill�??s Mom to see how they were doing and they�??re going through the same thing. Ben called at 10:00 to say that labor was starting to progress, they anticipated it could be a long time, and they were going to just try to get as much rest as they could get. I feel anxious, nervous, excited, scared, hopeful, happy, and anything but sleepy.
Friday, September 2. I had a hard time getting to sleep last night and when I finally did, it wasn�??t a good sleep. It is now 7:00 am and no news yet, so I�??m telling myself that no new is good news. A little more than an hour later, Ben called to announce that Charlotte Casey Bridge arrived at 8:00 this morning. Mom and baby are doing well and Dad was quite emotional and happy. I can hardly believe how shaken with tears of happiness and relief I was when I heard the news. She hadn�??t even been weighed yet, they were just holding her and celebrating her arrival. I later learned that she is a healthy 8 pound baby and is 19 inches long.
A couple of hours later and Ben called to say we could come up to meet her and we jumped right on that, especially since we were just waiting for that news. Lois and Dennis (Charlotte�??s other grandparents) were there, but left shortly after. I just melted when I saw her, such pretty colored skin, sweet little round face, lips like her mother�??s, just a precious little bundle. When it came my turn to hold her, she was making the sweetest little sounds and twitching her lips and nose. I haven�??t experienced such joy and happiness in so long. After Mike had a chance to hold and love her up (she smiled at him!), we took some photos and left them to get some much needed rest.
This evening, we joined Dennis and Lois at Ben and Jill's apartment and walked to one of our favorite restaurants, The Pacific Cafe, for dinner. Poor Ruby doesn't know what's going on, she laid on the floor next to Lois or in front of the door, yearning for her own people. I can't wait to see how she is around Charlotte, she loves little kids but I don't know if she's ever been around an infant. We had a great dinner, lots of good conversation with such a feeling of relief and happiness and celebration.
The drive back home in the fog was a bit scary, as it's been a long time since we've had to do that. Mike got us home safe and sound!
Saturday, September 3. Other than run a quick errand for Ben and Jill, we did absolutely nothing today. It is a relief to have the tension we have been feeling for weeks is gone. Ben has called a couple of times throughout the day to let us know that they were back home, trying to get settled back in, trying to get sleep whenever they got a chance and working with Charlotte to get her to nurse. She is learning. Ruby has met her and it will be interesting to see how that works out - I'm sure she will be just fine, that too is going to take some time.
Sunday, September 4. We started the day with a trip to the city for a visit with Charlotte and to pick up some coffee for Daddy and bagels for breakfast. It was getting close to feeding time, so we were hoping to see her with her eyes open, but she was just too sleepy for that.
We went over to the apartment where Dennis and Lois are staying - rather than stay in a hotel this time, they chose this option. It is an efficiency just 3 blocks from Ben and Jill, it's nicely furnished, clean and cozy for about 1/2 the cost of a hotel and parking. If you ever need a place for a vacation in a big city, check out airbnb.
After having a bite to eat and taking a nap, we headed into the city again for a visit with the family. Driving south on 101 towards the Golden Gate Bridge, we ended up sitting in traffic entering the city for 45 minutes. We finally got to Ben and Jill's about 9:15 pm. Charlotte was pretty active and we got to see her beautiful eyes and black head of hair. She was worth the wait in traffic.
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Created on 08/30/2011 08:01 PM by bridge
Updated on 10/01/2011 02:25 PM by bridge
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