The pic-line is out!

The best news of all; the pic-line was removed yesterday.  No more
of those "every-eight" hour infusions.  I can shower with outtaping
a newspaper bag over my arm.  And we can sleep later than
6 AM!!!!!  The bad news is that I am still taking antibiotics orally
4-times a day and an hour before meals or 2 hours after
meals.  This will go on for, I think she said, 3 months.  And perhaps
6 months?!?  What a vicious bug I must have had.  It doesn't want
to completely disappear.  If it comes back the next step is pretty
dire and I don't even want to think about that.

I feel good and am walking without cane most of the time.  If I've
been sitting for any length of time I stagger a bit as the right leg
acts contrary.  But, that is very brief.

I am going to Physical Therapy twice a week.  I ride a stationery
bike for 10 minutes or so.  Most of the rest of the time I am
working on improving my balance.

We listened to President Obama last night.  I'm sure I empathsize
with him.  We really don't need another war!  And where is the
rest of the world.  So far it seems that France has joined in, but
where are the Brits and the Germans?  To say nothing about the
neighbors of Iraq and Syria. 

This morning we woke up to a dark and drizzle morning with
the temperature at 47F.  Rebecca arrived at 7 and pulled weeds
for 2 1/2 hours.  It looked like a miserable job.  I shall probably
end her work, until Spring, soon.  I have ordered 8 plants from
High Country Gardens.  I hope they arrive today.  Otherwise
I have nothing for her to do tomorrow.  She has trimmed and
mulched and the yard looks well cared for.  The forecast is
for snow by morning!

The briefest of posts

I am doing VERY well.  I go to PT twice a week and am
suffering the consequences this evening.  But have less
than 10 days to go and the infusions will be over.  They
have required a tight schedule, every 8 hours 24/7 and
we both will be glad to see them over.  However, I think
they turned the tide.  I feel well and am getting stronger
each day.  I want to finish my PT before we go traveling
if I can hold Robert down that long.  We may take
some four-day trips to ease the boredom of home.  I'm
happy at home, but after a while he really needs to
get on the road or do something.

We've just been to dinner at Jo's and I'm tired. 
Soon to have my last infusion of the day and
am ready for bed.

Post Hip Surgery 2

It has been a while since I wrote here, I see.

Hip Surgery 1,2 and Post-op

The surgery went off, as planned on July 7th.  That was a Monday
I went home Tuesday noon.  I did my previous PT exercises which
was pretty hard since they were all pre-op exercises.  By the end
of week #2 I was doing really well and felt fine.  However, I looked
at my wound on the morning of 22nd and it looked fine.  We
had an appointment with the surgeon that day, to have the staples
removed.  Jamie removed the staples, but it seemed like she was
pretty careless with respect to cleanliness. 

Three days latter the incision didn't look good, but this was late
Friday afternoon that I noticed.  I called early Monday and got
in to see the Dr. that afternoon.  He sent me directly to the
hospital where I had a 2nd hip replacement.  Not quite.  All
the loose pieces wee removed, but not the main part that was
hammered into the bone.  The wound was cleansed and the
parts replaced and I was sewed up again.

Unfortunately, the 2nd seems to have been a bit much for my
heart.  It's been more than 2 weeks and I am just beginning
to feel better.  I haven't been in pain, but very lethargic.  Dr.
Boehm, my primary care physician has been great.  I've made
sure he has all the reports and he even called last night to fill
me in on the latest lab reports.  It helps to feel that there is
someone on my side who is keeping track of all this.  In any
case I have been very anemic, still am, but better.  I have had
to wear oxygen when Robert and I walk and much of the
time in the house and all night, too.  But, Dr. Boehm assures
me that I am getting better and that I'm not as anemic as I
was.  Robert has to infuse me with anti-biotic every 8 hours.
This has been hard because it cuts into our sleep. However,
after making a few adjustments it's going well.  I have PT and
OT coming to the house 3,2 times a week. On the week of
Sept 8th I start out-patient PT at Avista.  I look forward to
that.

Jeanne was here for a couple of weeks, but had to return
home last Friday.  We both know she'll be missed, but
happy she could be here when I needed her, the most.

Jo came over Sunday afternoon and we sat out under the
shade of the huge Ash in the back yard.  I am cold all the
time so was happy to sit outside.  I expect Jo was pretty
uncomfortable before we went in.  By then it was almost
90F.

PT is due any minute so I'll close for now.

Hip Replacement Surgery on Monday, July 7, 2014

This was an interesting week.

On Monday I went to the gym for my last pre-op visit.
I'm taking a month off since I'll be doing out-patient PT
at the Hospital.  I'll resume with Hannah at the gym in
August.  For a few weeks I'll be seeing Hannah on
Mondays and Wednesdays and going to the hospital PT
on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  Hopefully, this will get me
back on my feet and ready to walk at least 2 miles.

On Tuesday Robert went to the VA and discussed with
Dr. Braun the noddles that showed up on his CT scans.
Dr. Braun is sure they aren't cancer and are probably
lymph nodes since they are appearing in other parts of
his body, too.  Just part of the leukemia.

Connie and I went to the hospital for my pre-op training.
The first step was meeting with a nurse, and getting a
run-down of what to expect before and after the actual
surgery.  That meeting ran over time such that we were
late for my appointment at the surgeon's office.I showed
obvious concern about being late, but the nurse so not to
worry about it, they are used to it.  Maybe so, but they
don't like it.  The nurse in the surgeon's office, Jamie, had
called my home phone and left a message saying that I
had an appointment at 10 AM and I wasn't there.  We
arrived about 15 minutes late.  I should have gotten a
wheel chair and had Connie push me because it was
some distance from one office to the next or one end of
one building to the far end and basement of the other.
By the time the day was out my pedometer registered
1.09 miles, all in the hospital!  And I was bushed. At
the surgeon's we met with his assistant.  She was
concerned that I wasn't stopping the blood thinner
sooner and said that I'd probably have to have a
general anesthetic instead of a local.  Because of my
heart this was not in the books.  So we were sent
on a goose chase to "just stop an anesthesiologist in the
hall and ask if I could have a local anesthetic if I hadn't
stopped my blood thinner until 48 hours before the
surgery."  For her that was probably possible; she
probably knows them all and they her.  We went
back to the other end of the hospital looking for any
doctor.  Finding none, we talked again to the first
nurse and she said she'd look into it and we shouldn't
worry about it.  A relief!  Later she called on my Cell
and said she had checked and not to worry; 48 hours
was fine and I would have a local.  At noon we were
due in a class to orient us about after the surgery.  We
were late to that, too. But it was  useful class and they
also provided us with a box lunch. After the class we
went to the PT department and I got signed up for
PT for six weeks.  We got home about 3; I was
exhausted.  Connie headed home and I fell asleep.

On Wednesday both Robert and I were happy to
take it easy.

Thursday Rebecca arrived at 7 and was busily
working when I went out about 7:30AM.  At
10:45 AM, Viki picked up Robert and they
went to the County Commissioners meeting
where Land Marking the Red Barn was on
the agenda.  It passed with minimum discussion.
The barn in Salina is now officially Land Marked
as the Red Barn in Salina, Colorado.

On Friday, the 4th of July both Rebecca and
Lorena came to work.  I'd offered them the day
off (without pay), but they both preferred to
work (for pay).

After they both had left and we'd had lunch we
headed for Connie's.  Carl and family also
showed up.  We all sat around inside and
chatted while Connie bustled around from
kitchen to outdoor grill and back again.  She
refused help from Martha and me, but Greg
did pitch in and help her.  Alan and Meara
were home for the 4th.  They had come from
California via the Grand Canyon and had
walked three miles down on the Angel Trail.
At the three mile mark there is a rest stop.
They turned around at that point and walked
back up.  Along the way Alan developed
some lovely blisters and both feet.  He was
limping almost as much as I.

Connie provided us with a magnificent buffet
dinner; half of the dishes without salt.  Thank
you, Connie!!  All the dishes were delicious.
I especially liked the lamb and the curried
chicken, but it was all pretty spectacular.
Carl and Martha provided the dessert; Key
Lime Pie from Carl and homemade Heath
bar ice  cream from Martha.


In the evening Greg and Ariel set off a bag of
fireworks, some of which were quite spectacular.
Ariel did a good job and I think, had a great
time.  From their deck we could see fireworks
from Pike's Peak to Longs Peak.  The town
of Parker out did itself.  What a mighty show
they did put on.  Quite the competition for
Ariel and Greg.

Robert and I spent the night there, in our Van.
Carl, et al drove home.

This morning Alan and Meara took off at
8 AM heading for California.

Robert and I stayed and had breakfast. Connie
had made an apple crisp for breakfast which
was mighty fine.

Shopping for a surgeon

I have been shopping for a surgeon to do my hip replacement.
This was more difficult than I anticipated.  I found two with whom I
felt very comfortable; one at Community Hospital and one at 
Avista.  I finally picked the Avista doctor because my Cardiologist
is there.  I'd feel more comfortable knowing he was only a few 
steps away.  The surgery is set for July 7th and I'll probably stay
two nights.

This week we also picked a DMV disabled placard for our
car(s).  

Steve came and washed the windows, inside/outside.  We are
bright  and shiny.  

On Saturday, the 14th we met the Erie Cowleys at Spice China 
to celebrate Martha's birthday.  After dinner we met back at
our house for cake and ice cream.  I had planned on giving 
Martha her b-day present at that time, but it totally slipped
my mind until after they had left.  It was delivered at a later
date.   Robert had another CT scan that morning, but we
won't know the why of it until July 1.

Sunday night, the 15th, Jo and Alf came for dinner. They 
were between trips; Jo was just back from California 
where she visited her sister, Sue and Alf was just back
from Chicago where he had met with a group of his
College buddies.

The gardens are looking beautiful, thanks to Rebecca!
She works Thursdays and Fridays from 7AM - 9:30 AM.

Back yard feeder with Goldfinch

Ariel mowing the "back 40"

I haven't entered anything here in quite a while.

Kate has worked with Robert until last Tuesday when she left for Chicago with her estimated return was very vague.  While she was here Robert taught her how to wire-up the solar panels and she
wired the remaining panels.  Then, a ditch digger machine was rented and she dug a ditch from the panels across the back yard so that the wires could be buried.  After digging the ditch she
put the wires in the pipes they had obtained.  We are now using the full 3000 Watts from the solar panels.  It is great to have all that going again and also to have the wires protected, especially where Robert moves equipment from the front yard to the back.  I wish I had gotten some pictures of the ditch digging
process.  I was afraid that Kate would shake to pieces, but she managed to hold together and said she could feel the back muscles the next day.

We had the Lovette Tree company come and fertilizer our Ash trees as well as inoculate them against the green ash beetle.  We keep our fingers crossed that those beetles will stay away from our
beautiful ash trees.  Our house would not be nearly as comfortable in the hot summer weather as it is now, if we were to lose those trees.

Rebecca has been steadily working on our flower beds and weed patches around the house.  The yard is beginning to look quite well groomed.  There is still much work to be done to make the rose garden a happy place.  The former owners put down black plastic around the roses and covered that with inch-sized rocks.
I plan to have Rebecca remove the rocks and black plastic.  Then we may put down the weed-stop cloth under the mulch.  In the meantime I am on the look-out for lady bugs to get after the aphids that are happily destroying the rose buds.

I visited my cardiologist on Friday, May 28th and got a clean bill of health.  My pacemaker was checked and is doing its job. In fact my heart stopped twice in the short time that he was running the computer and checking the pacemaker.  The pacemaker did its job and I was unaware of any problem.

On June 2nd I picked up Ariel at her house after my work-out at Frasier Meadows.  She came to spend the night.  The first time since we moved in here two years ago.  It has not been a good two years, at least as to how my health has been.  Hopefully, things will continue to be Okay.

On Tuesday Robert, Ariel, Mira (friend of Ariel's and I went to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science.  It was sort of a bust.  We should have just gone to I-Max and had lunch and come home.  Instead we "did" the Museum and had lunch and came home.  Unfortunately, I think the girls were pretty bored with the
museum.  Too many field trips to the museum so that it was no big deal.  My hip was such that I could do very little walking.  We sent the girls on their way to explore on their own while Robert
and I did a few of the dioramas.  Or, rather, Robert did them and I sat and watched the people go by.  It is a very busy museum.

Suzanne VanScotter came over on the 4th of June.  We were going out to have coffee, but Suzanne said she'd prefer to stay and sit in the yard.  The weather was perfect and under the shade of the Ash tree the temperature was perfect, too. We hadn't gotten together in a very long time.  It was great to have a chance to catch up with her life and that of her kids.

On Thursday the 5th we went to the Historical Preservation AB (HPAB) meeting.  Robert's Red Barn was under discussion as to whether to make it an Historical Landmark.  There was only a brief discussion.  They passed it with very little discussion.  All seemed delighted to have it Land marked.  We are delighted,
too, assuming the County Commissioners also give the final approval.  He can then apply for grant money to help pay to stabilize the barn.

Early Friday morning I had an appointment with my reumatologist, Stuart Weisman.  I had called earlier in the week to say the medication he had given me was not doing its job and that he had said that I should come back.  They had no opening until June 25th, but I was called on Thursday that if I could come in at 8
AM on Friday they had a cancellation I could fill.  So I did that.  He again said that he could continue to prescribed stronger and stronger opiates, but they all eventually wear off.  He would urge me to go talk with a few orthopedic surgeons and get a first-hand account of what a hip replacement entails and how long the recovery and what that entails.  He then said that since you've survived open-heart surgery, this is NOT like that.  Open heart surgery is about the worst it gets. We'll see.

A gardener and a handy-woman have joined our team

This week we have had regular afternoon thunderstorms.
However, most of them have missed us.  A little rain
has fallen, but not very much.

On Monday I went to Frasier Meadows and worked with
Hannah.  I think some of the work out she is giving
me may be causing me more pain than good.  I shall
only do the upper-body work outs this week.

On Tuesday Kate came for tea at 10:30 AM.  She is
a delightful young woman and we shall be using
her as a "handy man."  Or should I say a "Handy
person."

Rebeca started on Wednesday afternoon and worked
Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.  She is a hard
worker and was able to get the front bed and the
side bed weeded and planted some annuals and then
covered the front bed with mulch.  Since then I have
purchased some more plants, most to go in the side,
but some to go in the front.  She is coming Wednesday
and will mulch the side bed, after planting the
plants.  Also, I have many other projects for her to
work on, one at a time.

Kate is coming tomorrow to help Robert get the final
phase of his solar project up and working.

On Friday, last, Lorena came to clean and Connie
came to take me out to lunch.  She also brought
some chili for us to have dinner some evening and
lunch for Robert to have while we are gone.

On Saturday the Erie Cowleys came for dinner.  That
is always fun. Gabby announced she is going back
to being Ariel.  I'm happy for that.  She also
brought this year's year book.  What a gorgeous
publication it is.  It makes my year book look
pretty shabby in comparison.

I think I may go ahead and have my hip replaced
if my cardiologist gives the OK and if, after I
talk to the surgeon I'm convinced it'll be worth
it.  Time will tell.

Gardeners, a Play and Such

The Van is clean.  Lorena cleaned it last Friday.
She does a superior job; it is lovely.

Connie and I went to lunch at Carelli's on the
Pearl Street Mall.  The place closed its doors
a day or two later.  Was it something we said?
That's too bad.  The service wasn't great, but
the food was fine.

Saturday night, the 10th we had snow, about an
inch.  They had much more up in Salina.

Viki stopped by on Sunday to wish me a happy
Mother's day and I ordered some spring/summer
clothes.

On Monday and Wednesday I went to Frasier
Meadows in the afternoon for my usual work
out.

I have hired Rebecca to help with the gardening.
This afternoon will be her first go at it. I'm
a little disappointed, already, because I
interviewed and hired her last Friday, but she
couldn't start until this afternoon, Wednesday.
All the time, of course, the weeds have been
growing and spreading.  I hope she won't say
she can't come again until next Wednesday.
I'll see how much she gets done today.

In the meantime another young woman whom I had
contacted finally got back to me.  I told her
I was sorry, but had hired someone else.  She
said she'd like to me us anyway.  She, Kate
came for tea Tuesday morning, the 20th.
Kate is a delightful young woman, about Rochelle's
age.  She teaches pre-school kids, but in the
summer she free lances and does most anything. She
Nannies and would be happy to help us out with any
chores we might have.  We'll certainly make use of
her enthusiasm.  And if Rebecca can't give us
as much time as I think we need, we'll have Kate
start on the weeds and trimming etc.  There is
much to be done, especially this time of year.

I had an appointment with my rheumatologist this
week and he said there wasn't much more that he
could do and suggested I talk with my cardiologist
about whether I could have a hip replacement.

Hannah, the young woman therapist I work with at
Frasier Meadows, has been doing her homework and
is working hard to help me diminish the pain in
my knees.  This pain is probably because of my
gimpy gait because of the hip pain.  I have been
spending 45 minutes/day following her instructions
and my knee is definitely more comfortable.  I
also concentrate on my gait, trying to walk more
normally.

On the Sunday afternoon, the 18th, Robert and I
went to a play at "The Dairy."  The play was
"This" by Melissa James Gibson. The play is about
5 friends, two couples and a single gay man. They
have all been friends for ages, since college. In
their thirties now, and testing boundaries.  The
play should have been titled "I'm sorry" because
that was the tone of much of the play.  It was
done well, I think, and the attacking was superb.
We both enjoyed it and laughed out loud a few
times.

The Mosburgs were also at the play and suggested
the four of us go out to dinner somewhere. The
play was performed late in the afternoon.  I
suggested they come to our house since I had a
London Broil marinating at home.  Earl jumped
at the suggestion, but Shirley felt they were
inviting themselves to dinner, but after a bit
of persuasion she gave in.  Dinner was easy to
fix..the London broil, baked potatoes (started
in the microwave and finished in the convection
oven) and spinach salad and of course, ice cream
for dessert.  It made for a lovely evening.

This noon we are having lunch with some of my
NCAR co-workers; Buck, Dennis, Vince and Dave
Fulker.  Buck and Vince meet every Wednesday.
The rest of us drop in and out of the Wednesday
lunch.

 

A Trip to Canyonlands

Arches National Park

Over-view of Canyon Country..Robert behind tree.

Camping Spot behind the Reef

We left home to go "camping" for a few days
in our Van.  The first stop was in New Castle
to spend the evening with my friend, Betty.
We go way back; we both worked at NCAR and
when she retired she moved to New Castle where
her husband, Jack, had been spending his
retirement building their retirement home.

We arrived there about 6:30 PM and had brought
a long a lovely piece of salmon and parchment
bags to bake it in.  Betty fixed a salad and
thawed some twice-baked potatoes her daughter,
Janice had prepared.  A tasty dinner.  We were
tired from having packed the Van just before we
left.  We retired to our Van quite early.

During the night the temperature dropped to
18F.  We hadn't expected that.  In the middle
of the night Robert got up to turn some heat
on the  water pipes.  While he was up he
grabbed my down jacket from the back.  I was
freezing.  I put on socks and with the jacket
over me I was comfy again. I had forgotten to
pack a down comforter; it's hard to remember
When the weather is in the high 70s.

In the morning we had breakfast with Betty and
she and I continued talking..we can do a lot of
that without ever running out of things to share,
or so it seems.  While we were talking Robert
was thawing out the Van's plumbing.  He came in
about lunch time to say everything was OK. After
lunch we were on our way.

At 3:30 PM we stopped at James Robb-Colorado River
State Park, for the night.

I started taking Aleve, which is a no, no.  I decided
that if it helped it was worth the risk and it does
make my life much less painful.

By now it's Friday and we visited Arches.  It is 80F,
what a change from 18F!!  I'm still not up for much
walking but we did a little.

We spent the night at Pack Creek Campground.  It is
off the beaten track in Moab.  We have camped there
in the past.  It costs $20 where as most of the RV
campgrounds in Moab are $40-$42 per night!

Moab is a mess.  It is wall-to-wall people and has
grown so fast that it is unreal.  I hope I never
have reason to go back there.

The next day we drove to Grand View Point and Moon
Flower Canyon.  Moon Flower Canyon was another
shock.  It is an established BLM campground and
it was full of people!  I remember when we used
to be the only people there, but the last time
we visited,  there were no people, at the moment,
but there was garbage and toilet paper every
where.  At least there are out-houses and although
it is sad to have it be an established campground
it is better than the last time we visited.

We then took UT313 and drove off of that and
discovered, even as close to Moab as we were,
there was dry-camping about 10 miles in and
it is, of course, free.  We spent the night
there and much of the rest of the day.

We ended up at the San Rafael Reef and that
was not crowded at all.  I guess everyone
is in Moab.  We drove through the reef and
found a lovely place to camp across from
Temple Moutain.

On Monday it was very windy, but despite the
wind we decided to take a walk.  I was feeling
pain-free enough to try walking and we were
able to walk a little more than a mile.  Yea!!

In the afternoon it clouded over and looked
like we were in for some thunder storms.  We
decided to move out of the canyon and away
from the creek.  We are "gun-shy" about flash
floods.  We found a good spot to camp outside
the reef, although the BLM has fenced off a
large portion the area.

Tuesday, after a leisurely morning we headed
east and for Betty's house.  I had called her to
let her no when we'd be heading home.  She is
a gracious hostess and makes us feel we are
always welcome there, at any time.

We spent most of Wednesday at Betty's, but
finally felt we should head home.

We arrived home from our "camping" trip on
Wednesday evening, the 7th.  I unpacked the
frig, but the rest had to wait until the next day.

It is always great to head out in the Van for
somewhere but it is always good to get home, too.

My computer crashed I took a tumble....

I continue to work-out at Frasier Meadows three times a
week, twice with Hannah as my personal trainer.  I feel that
gradually my upper body is getting stronger.  I also try to
spend time on the treadmill three times a week.


On the 16th my computer crashed.  I had to re-load the
operating system and even that didn't seem to work, but I
had only loaded the "fix" the problem re-load and since it
didn't fix the problem it didn't do anything.  Carl came to
the rescue and did re-load the operating system successfully
and I have had no problem since then.  I have had to re-boot
twice, but each time it came back up OK.

Also that day Bob Gray dropped in to spend some time with
Robert.  I had to leave for Frasier Meadows and when I got
back Bob was here and Carl arrived shortly there after.
It was good to see Bob and he and Karen seem to lead very,
very busy lives, but also seem to thrive on that.

Connie and I had lunch at the Cork on the 18th.  That was
fun.  I really like the Cork, but it has gotten very
expensive.  It didn't help that we had dessert.

On the 20th Pete and Marti brought pizza and I made a salad
and we had a fun evening.

On Tuesday, the 22nd I had an appointment with my dental
hygienist, Jill.  I spent an hour flat on my back getting my
teeth cleaned.  When that was done the dentist arrived to
check my teeth and found 2 small chips out of my front
teeth.  He announced he had the time to fix them today, if I
would like him to.  So I said for him to go to it.  That
meant another 45 minutes on my back.  I figured when I sat
up I'd be really dizzy; I wasn't.  I drove home and was fine
when I got out of the car.  I decided to get the mail before
I went in the house which meant Robert didn't even know I
had come home.

I proceeded to the mail box, opened the box and took out the
mail and then made the mistake of leaning down to look
inside to make sure I had all the mail.  The dizziness hit
with a vengeance.  I leaned over the mailbox hoping it would
go away and watched the cars go by.  The traffic was heavy at
1:30 PM.  Finally, I decided my head had cleared and with my
cane I felt I could make it into the house.  I was wrong. I
took a step a way from the mail box and the ground came up
to hit me and there I lay.  I laid there for a while
watching the cars go by, 10, 15, 20 and none even slowed
down.  I decided I'd have to get up and pull my siren 
system that Jeanne had given me and hope that Robert would
at least look out the window so that I could wave him to
come out.  I was leaning on the cane and pulling out the
device when a truck pulled up and the passenger said, "I saw
you fall; are you alright, do you need any help."  I
replied, with some relief I must say, that I could sure use
their help!  They both jumped out of the truck; one took one
side the other took the other side and they very gently
helped me into the house and to the easy chair in my office.
I sat down with a sigh of relief and called to Robert and
said that my husband was in the house.  They both looked
relieved and as soon as Robert made an appearance they said
they'd be on their way now that I was in good hands.  It was
clear they weren't about to leave me there alone and didn't
know what they were going to do so Robert's appearance was
quite a relief.  They were construction workers and had on
green and orange vests so I assume they were working on a
road somewhere, but I didn't even get their names or their
bosses name so that I could put in a good word for them. I
just was able to say thank you about a 100 times.  They had
been going north and turned around and came back to check
that I was OK.  I am so grateful!

I have bruised ribs on my left side, but they aren't broken.
I have broken ribs before so I know these are not broken,
but they are sore.  That poor side has been so beaten up by
first, my open-heart surgery and then the pacemaker and now
the fall.

I did go to work out on Wednesday and Thursday despite the
sore ribs.  And on Friday Connie and I went to the Pearl
Street Mall and had lunch at the Tratatoria on the Mall.  It
was good, not great, but I always enjoy our time together.

Last evening we went to Viki's for dinner and to celebrate
Vernon's birthday.  Liza and Ellery were there as well as
Viki and Vernon.  Liza has just past her comps, with some
relief since she has been working on her PhD for 4 years
now.  She is hoping to finish within the next year.

Today Sean Wayland is here doing some electrical work for
us.  He has installed 2 light fixtures in the hall and one
in our bedroom.  All three have LED fixtures in them!  I
wanted the hall brightened up so I can hang pictures of
grandchildren and their children.

We are hoping to leave for Utah in the near future.

I thought I had missed two weeks of Blog, but it looks more like
three weeks.  In any case, here I am again.  And for all friends
and family please note that FINALLY I'm loose from the medical
system until the end of May.  I done, done, done with heart
problems.  That is when the day comes that it just stops.  I feel
well and have my energy back.  The arthritis keeps me from walking
except on the treadmill where I can take the weight off of my bad
leg when it gets too bad.

I have been going to the Wellness center two times a week, but
have decided that five times would be much better.  In any case,
I'll aim for three and then four and then five.

Mostly, the last three weeks have been pretty routine.  I did
order a MedicAlert bracelet which describes all the things that
have been done to me in the last year, as well as the medications
that would be significant.  I wear it 24/7.

I bought a cane and am struggling to learn to use it effectively,
such that it takes some of the weight off my right leg when I
walk.


Victoria did our taxes this month and they are off.  We pretty
much broke even which impresses me with her ability to estimate
how much we will take in, etc.  With the medical expenses we have
had, we itemized for the first time in a very long time.

Connie and I have lunch every week at a restaurant either in
Louisville or Boulder depending upon whether either of us
need/want something in Boulder.  That is fun; I really enjoy her
company.  She often brings lunch for Robert, which he enjoys,
too.

The weekend of March 29-30, we took the Van to Nebraska.  Viki
had said she was going to see the Sand Hill Cranes so we thought
it would be fun to join her.  We stayed in an RV park near
Oglalla Lake.  At dusk we went to a site that Viki had found very
near the Platte River.  The Cranes roosted on an island in the
middle of the river.

Pretty soon they started coming in and they came and came by the
hundreds and then the thousands.  What a spectacle they make and a
noisy one at that.  It was a fantastic display. It is difficult
for me to describe the sight and my feelings.  I do know I had
two thoughts, the first..how that many birds, at one time, can
find enough to eat and the island must really be crowded.  And on
they came.  Because it is dusk they show as silhouettes.  It
would be lovely to seem them with more light.  We assumed there
would be more light at daylight when they all leave to head for
the corn fields.  But, I was in enough pain that I didn't want to
walk any more.  I suggested we drive to the meeting place and I
would stay in the Van and he and Viki could walk to the sighting
place.  But, Robert said no, that we'll just go home.  I called
Viki to let her know what was happening.  I'm sure it is more
fun if you are with someone so you can share the experience.


The next day was Gabby's birthday. We had dinner with the local
Cowley's at Spice China, to celebrate Gabby's 15th birthday.  How
time does fly.  She'll be off on her own before we know what
happened. 



During dinner Smart Phones were discussed and I said that I had
decided that I couldn't ignore new technology for ever.  That I was
intrigued with what I was hearing.  It was arranged they would pick
me up in the morning, early, and we would be at the Verizon store
when they opened.  And we did that.  I now am the slightly
confused owner of and Samson Galaxy S4 with the Android
operating system.  I am gradually learning to use some parts of
it.  Answering the phone part was a challenge.  You can't just pick
up the phone, turn it on and say "hello."  You have to swipe
through pages and then swipe the phone icon.  I have yet to
get it out of my purse and do all things before the phone stops
ringing!!!  That is a pain..makes me want my old phone back,
sometimes, but most of the time I am happy with it.  I seem
to be spending excessive amounts of time playing scrabble.
That is fun.



On Tuesday morning, April 8th I met my friend Susan Wayland for
coffee at Starbucks and 80th and Wadsworth.  It is a good place
to meet because it is about half way for both of us and I can
easily avoid the construction on the turnpike!

And here we are now, April 12th, Jeanne's birthday.  Jay arranged
a trip to Washington, DC for her birthday.  I'll be interested to
hear where they went and what they saw.  I know Jeanne was intent
on seeing the FDR Memorial and that is certainly a wonderful one.
It's full of quotes from FDR which say a lot, just by themselves,
about his Presidency and the state of the World at that time.

March is marching along

We had snow off and on all day yesterday, but it is mostly gone
now.

This week I have been having a terrible time with my knees, but
yesterday I took a snooze in my chair and pushed the ottoman up
close to the chair such that my knees were supported.  I slept
for an hour and when I got up I couldn't believe it, my knees
didn't hurt at all!!!  They still don't hurt today!  I can deal
pretty well with the hip, but when it was the hip and both knees
I was in trouble.  I bought a cane at the grocery store
yesterday, but it never got into my cart.  I'll pick it up
tomorrow, but the need isn't nearly as pressing.

I have new glasses; they don't make a big difference, but help a
little.  My left eye is still so blurry that it is hard to tell
whether it has been corrected or not.

On Wednesday Robert and I joined Buck Frye, Dennis Joseph and
Vince Wayland for lunch.  They meet every Wednesday, but I seem
to forget it most of the time.  It was fun, lots of conversation
with very little discussion of ailments.

I had a 10:30 hair appointment on Thursday and shortly after I
got home I had another attack of vertigo.  I was so dizzy I was
really scared.  I went to my cardiologist to have my pacemaker
checked.  It checked out beautifully!  That was a relief.  The
doctor asked my why I hadn't taken one of the pills prescribed
when I was at the ER with dizziness before.  I told him they put
me to sleep almost instantly so I had put them out of my mind as
a choice.  He suggested I try taking half of one.  When I got
home I did that and half worked; I was still awake and the
dizziness was gone.  I suppose one of my falls has caused
disruption in my inner ear.  And, the position I am in to have
my hair washed seems to cause problems.  I'll take a pill before
I go to visit Nancy again.

On Friday Connie came bringing lunch for Robert again.  He ate it
all and was very happy with it, what ever it was.  I don't remember.

Connie and I went to the Walnut Cafe because she had read a
review of it in the Denver Post, especially their pies.  We had
a light lunch (not great) and both ordered pie.  Connie ordered a
lemon pie which sounded really good, but they were out of them so
she ordered a cherry/apple cobbler and I ordered a Sawdust pie.
I should have known that with a name like that it might not be a
wise choice.  It was a mix of pecans and praline sauce in graham
cracker crumbled pieces.  It was dry as dust; the name fit it
beautifully.  Connie suggested they should have had either tart
apples and sweet cherries or sweet apples and tart cherries, but
they had bland apples and overly sweetened cherries (canned, I
assume).  In any case we were both disappointed.  I commented to
the waitress that "Sawdust" was the perfect name for the pie it
was so dry.  She brought me some whipped cream (fake) to put on
it to see if that would help.  It didn't.  We won't go back there
again, but we had a good time anyway.

We woke to a very dreary day on Saturday. Black clouds over the
mountains and shortly it began to snow, as I mentioned earlier.
We went grocery shopping in the morning.  Neither of us had slept
well.  I sat up for three hours and managed to read most of the
latest Atlantic magazine.  It was probably too interesting
because I didn't get sleepy.  I got up at 1 and went back to bed
at 4:30, hence the nap in the afternoon that "cured" my knees.

In the evening we went to Mosburgs for dinner.  We always have a
good time with them.  I took a bottle of the Chilean wine that
Robyn had introduced to me.  Shirley was thrilled with the bottle
and the wine, too.  She is a fantastic cook so every meal with
them is a culinary delight and the conversation is very
interesting.  Earl's health isn't very good so he has slowed down
a lot, but Shirley is still very active and goes to many lectures
and movies.  Earl runs a "literature" group.  One of the recent
books he picked turned out to be a real winner.  The group
claimed it one of the best historical novels they had ever read.
It is " Isle of Passion" by Laura Restrepo.  It's based on true
events in Mexican History.  The author is a Colombian Journalist.

Taxes,Smart Phone and luncheon guest

Tall Girl has added another stem of blossoms since last posting

Little lady arrived in blossom last summer and is in blossom again!!

I have spent too much time learning bits and
pieces of how to use my Smart Phone.  I finally
called Verizon because I pay for unlimited
texting, but I have been unable to text.  Long
ago I requested that all texting be blocked
from my phone since I was paying for the spam
calls.  The technician I spoke to this AM
allowed as how texting was still blocked from
my phone.  Ever since I have bombarded
relatives with my texts.

I called the bank this last Monday to ask for
a 1099 for our account there.  It seems that
our year's interest was less than $10.00 so
they don't send the 1099s.  We would move
to another bank, but it is such a hassled since
both retirement checks are deposited there and
many of our bills our paid from there.  What
I can do is move all but the necessary funds
out of there on a more regular basis.


On Tuesday we went to Oxford Road to pick
up our friend and widow of Gerard Ochs.
Alice is struggling, but not complaining. It
was good to see her.  We hadn't seen her
in more than a year.  We felt badly that it had
been so long, but enjoyed visiting with her
and catching up on news of the struggles of
her and her kids to get the county to open
their part of the road so that they can get
to their houses up beyond open space.  As
it is the kids (obviously grown adults) have
been using the ATVs to come and go, but
that is difficult in the winter weather!

Most of the week has been mild with a few
sunny days, some wind, some clouds and ab
bit of snow.  Today it's lovely.

Connie and I had lunch at the SALT, a
restaurant that occupies the building that
housed Tom's Tavern for years and years.
I had a fantastic salad with lots of lime
and cilantro.

On Thursday we had a crew come to trim the
bushes between the street and the fence.
They were getting out of hand and it turns
out the red-leafed "bushes" are actually
Plum trees.  No wonder they have taken
off for the sky.  Hopefully, Burt can
turn them back into bushes.

We had a friendly chat with our tax CPA
this week and got rid of our tax file, for
a while anyway. I didn't go last year
because I was in the ICU waiting for my
open heart surgery.

This afternoon I finally got the rose
bushes pruned.  I hope it isn't so late
that I'll have damaged them.  They should
have been trimmed in February.

Betty will be happy to know I finally was
able to contact Schwan's and received my
first order Thursday.  Everything looks
lovely.  We  had Salmon burgers for
dinner on Thursday.  They were delicious
and I didn't have to fix them!

Is it spring?

I've gone to Frasier Meadows Wellness Center 3 times this week.  Instead of going on Friday, I went on Saturday.  The Center was apparently not aired out as well as during the week because the whole place had the typical Retirement/nursing home smell.  Not urine, but a definite common odor.  I'm glad I only go to use the gym!

I met my friend Susan at 80th and Wadsworth Starbucks
for coffee on Tuesday.  She lives in Denver so we try
to find places half way between our homes.  We talked
and talked for more than 2 hours....then said, we
should be on our way and talked for another hour.  It
was great.

I saw my Cardiologist and his assistant, Kim, on
Wednesday.  All is looking good, they say, with my
pacemaker.  The site looks awful to me, but they
were reassuring.  I'm now completely off of
warfarin!!!!  The stuff I'm taking has its draw
backs, too, but I don't have to go to a lab
every two weeks or so to have my blood
checked!!  One more step towards freedom.

Connie and I went to the Huckleberry Cafe
on Friday.  It had been written up in the
Denver Post and most note worthy were
its pies.  Of course, we had to try their
pies; we both had cherry and they were fine,
not especially noteworthy, but very good.

In the evening, despite the snow, we met
Jo and Alf at a new Mediterranean 
Restaurant.  It was different.  For instance,
they had a variety of gins, but none that we
had ever heard of.  Alf did have a martini
and claimed it was very good, but different.
Jo and I had wines.  I had a Merlot from
the Willamette Valley and it was fine.

Martha has had a terrible week.  She went to
Albuquerque to help her dad and see her mom
in the ICU.  Bev (mom) apparently had been
having a series of TIAs, but not admitting to
that, probably not even to herself.  Now she
has had several strokes, is able to eat and
drink and is forcing herself to do so because
she wants to go home.  She is not able to
speak much more than to say yes or no.
While all of this was going on with Bev, Don
(dad) had a heart attack.  They are in two
different hospitals on opposite sides of
Albuquerque!  Fortunately, brothers Greg
and Joe have been there to help, too.  And
Martha's sisters arrived yesterday, I think.
In any case Martha flew home this afternoon
and will drive back tomorrow.  She wanted
to pick up her car from DIA.  Carl and
Gabby drove down on Friday and back
today.

On the good news side.  Today was fabulous.
The temperature reached 70F and we walked
for about a mile, enjoying it.

I have a new "smart" phone that I am learning
to use.  I can make/receive phone calls and
messages.  I can also play a word game very
similar to scrabble.  I'm getting a little help
from my friend, with whom I share this
home.  Thankfully, that keeps me from
being totally slammed by my daughter and
grandson.  I hold my own with anonymous.

Pace Maker Time

ASPEN ANN REVALLO having fun.
 

This has been a week of WIND.  It blows and blows and warms up,
the wind stops at it gets cold.  And so it goes.  Not pleasant
walking weather.  I've been glad of my membership at Frasier
Meadows Wellness Center.

On the medical front, I've been trying to get my blood thin
enough such that I can revert from Warfarin to another chemical
that requires less attention to the details of what I do/do not
eat. On Monday I went to get my INR tested and decided that I
should mention that I was having frequent and more and more
frequent dizzy spells; I don't actually pass out, but feel as if I
might.  My INR was good such that I could get off warfarin, but
it was determined I should wear a heart monitor for 48 hours to
see what was going on.  I picked one up while I was there at the
clinic.

On Tuesday we went to the VA to see what were the results from
the blood draw.  It turned out that he can't take more infusions,
at least for 4 weeks. Robert was disappointed, but I must admit
that I was relieved.  He has been so sick after each set of
infusions that I wasn't sure whether he was going to be able to
stand any more.  At the moment he feels good and his blood work
says he is out from most of/if not all of the cancer.  The
question is how long this will last, but there really haven't
been enough tests to determine that at this time.


Wednesday noon I turned in my heart monitor and Dr. Weksler
called shortly after that.  I was out, but Robert took the
message.  It seems that my heart stops from time to time for as
much as 4-5 seconds (the dizzy spells).  Of course the question
is, will it start up again.  So far it has, but.  In any case, I
went in to talk with the cardiologist and stayed to be admitted to
the hospital to have a pace maker inserted!

I came home yesterday.  I think I had taken too many percacet and
benydril pills.  I had a terrible lower back ache such that I
couldn't sleep nor sit still for very long either.  I paced, sat
and read, got up and paced, etc until about 2:30 AM.  At that
point I was so tired and sleepy, I tried sleeping on the sofa and
did manage to sleep until 4:00 AM, at which time I went back to
bed and slept until 7:30 this morning.  I feel fine this morning.
I really have no idea of what was going on last night.

I think, as soon as the incision heals up and the pacemaker
settles down, I shall feel fine!

A Busy Week

On Monday, I saw my primary physician to get lab results.
I was happy with the results; kidney function had improved and
cholesterol was good!  In the afternoon Robert had an appointment
with his ENT.  His nose is doing better, but still drips more
than is comfortable.  At 3:30 I met with my personal trainer,
Hannah and she put me through 1/2 hour of work to improve my
balance and upper body strength.  Finally, at 5 PM, Rosa arrived
and brought the essay she had written, after interviewing me.  
It was interesting to read; she drew things out of me that I had
forgotten.

Tuesday we went to the Denver VA for Robert to have a blood draw
and see Dr. Braun preliminary to having infusions Wednesday,
through Friday.  However, his blood work was such that Dr. Braun
postponed the infusions until next week.  That was a
disappointment.  This was to have been his 4th round, leaving
only 2 more. But, it was not to be, at least this week.

I went to the gym and walked on the treadmill for 20 minutes,
until I suddenly felt really dizzy.  I stepped off and sat down
for a few minutes until the dizziness passed and then finished
off the hour working on some of the machines.

Jo came over Thursday afternoon and we blocked the scarf she had
been knitting off and on for several years.  We used my blocking
boards.  That is we measured and pinned the scarf to the boards
and then used the steam iron to set the block.  While we waited
for it to dry we had a cup of tea and chatted.

Jeanne, Ryan and Rochelle arrived at DIA early in the morning on
Friday and arrived at our house about 11:00.  Lorena arrived
at 11:20 just as Connie and Greg showed up, too. I had
reservations for all of us at Efrain's in Lafayette. This was so
that we could let Lorena clean.

We had a lovely lunch and Efrain's turned out to be very
inexpensive Mexican, but very good.  It was fun and we tucked
away in a corner such that the noise was minimal and we could
actually talk and hear.

We all came back to the house for more conversation except that
Ryan and Robert disappeared to work on the Solar system.  Connie
and Greg left about 3.  By dinner time Robert announced the solar
was up and running.  He was so appreciative of Ryan's help.  Our
brains don't work as well as they used to and he'd been having a
hard time figuring out how to get the system running.  Ryan was
able to help him with that.

Jeanne helped me with my new smart phone.  I can now answer calls
as well as make calls.  I can also play scrabble, probably one of
my least favorite games. It is easier playing it on my phone
because I can take days, if necessary to come up with another
word.  In any case, Jeanne is beating me and Ryan is, too.

Saturday, we three ladies spent the day, with my smart phone and
talking.  Rochelle has a new job such that she is not tied down
from Jan-Apr which is why she was able to be with us. She is
really happy with her new job.

Sunday, Carl, Martha and Gabby came for brunch.  Jeanne arrived
from their house with fruit for salad and home-made quiches; one
crab and the other cheese and broccoli.  I ate some of the crab
quiche and it was delicious.  We had a lovely brunch and
conversation.

Carl, et al had spent the day, Saturday in Evergreen where Gabby
was competing with her Color Guard Team; Sunday evening they had
tickets to the Dinner Theater.  They do keep busy.  We were lucky
they had time to come to the brunch.

Winter is with us.

The two images were taken this morning. 

I went out to get the paper and to raise the flag.  It was so beautiful I retrieved my camera and took these two pictures.  The top is of the side of the house, taken from the north.  The lower one is also of the side of the house also taken from the north.

DA's office of Consumer Affairs

This has been a rough week; Robert has been very ill
and miserable all week.  It turns out, on top of the infusions he
has picked up a cold.  Today, finally, he is feeling much better.

I have a new author I am reading; the first one is "The Sea
Captain's Wife" by Beth Powning.  She writes well and it is a
good story.  I am enjoying it very much.

We have been hassled by the company that handles the payments to
the physician whom read the X-Ray of Robert's arm.  We stopped at
a Hospital/Clinic on our way home from California last February.
He billed us for approximately $667.00  Our insurance company told
me that the Medicare payment for this would be $60.36.  I paid
the $60.36.  Despite that every month I get the bill for the
remainder.  The Insurance company, at my request, sent them a
letter telling them that I had paid the Medicare amount and that
it was against the law for them to hassle me further, or words to
that effect.  It did no good.  The last bill was from a
collection agency with all sorts of dire threats.  I put it aside
for a few days trying to figure who/what could help us in this
situation.

I called the DA's office of Consumer Affairs last week and talked
to a gentleman who was very kind.  He said that I should gather
all my documents and if I had available a copy machine, I should
copy them otherwise they would do that.  He would send a form for
me to fill out and I should get a copy of both sides of the check
proving I had paid them. He kept repeating that he was so glad I
called and that was what they were there for and I shouldn't
worry about it any further.  What a relief; I was euphoric!

This week I turned in my paper work to Fraser Meadows and I shall
meet with Hannah this week to set up a schedule and for her to
access where I am at physically.  I'm hoping to work out 3 days a
week and spending 20-30 minutes on the machines and 30 minutes in
the pool which is at 100F.  It is really too hot to swim although
they do have it set up so by throwing a switch the center of the
pool has a stream such that you can swim continuously.  The stream
can be set to be gentle or not so gentle.  I'm not sure I'll make
use of that.  I think I'll just let my joints enjoy the heat.

Seems like Spring

Monday, January 13

I had a meeting with Hannah at Frasier Meadows.  I had received
an invitation to join there Health Club and decided to take them
up on their invitation.  Hannah showed me around the gym and the
pool.  The pool is kept at 100 F.  They had much more equipment
than I would ever use, and the equipment I felt I would be
comfortable using.  The notable thing was that there was only one
person in the pool and looking at the sign up sheet the pool is
rarely used.  There was no one in the rest of the gym.  I had
hoped I would meet interesting people there, but apparently not.

At 5:30 PM we met Lisa, Viki and Ellery at the newly opened
Gondolier.  They have been closed for most of a year while they
looked for a new place to open.  They are now at the shopping
center on Baseline Rd and 47th St.  Robert ordered meat lasagna
and I ordered Linguine & clams & mussels; the other three ordered
vegetable lasagna.  All dinners were excellent.  It is nice to
have the Gondolier open again

Tuesday, January 14

Robert and I met Susan Wayland at the Olive Garden on 88th Ave.
Susan lives in Denver so we meet from time to time at places that
are half way between her house and ours.  Robert was disappointed
in the lasagna, but having eaten the Gondolier's lasagna the
night before, I wasn't surprised.

Wednesday, January 15

This morning Viki arrived at 6:00 AM to drive us to the VA
hospital in Denver.  Robert was due in the Infusion Clinic at
7:30 and had to check in at "Specialty 2" at 7:15.  We were there
by 7:00.  The traffic is quite different at 6 then at 7 or 8.

Everything went smoothly and we were ready to leave by 2 PM.
Connie arrived at about 1 PM. to drive us home.  Robert felt OK
as we left, but half way home he started vomiting.  Connie,
always prepared had a canvas waste bag at her feet and got it to
Robert in the nick of time.  He was pretty miserable all the way
home, but did not have any more vomiting.  He went to bed as
soon as we got home and slept until morning.

Thursday, January 16

We were not due at the Clinic today until 11 AM.  I dropped
Robert at the front door; he assured me he was well enough to
make it through the rigmarole and get to the clinic.

I drove to the top level, level 7, of the parking garage, but no
space was available.  I left the parking garage and drove around
the block; no spaces available there, too.  I drove a bit further
and found a place to park.  As I got out of the car a gentleman
walked by with his dog.  I asked him if there was any street near
by  where I could park for more than 2 hours.  He thought a
moment and then said there were none that he could think of,
maybe over by the VA Hospital.  I said that was were I had just
come from and found no place to park there, either.  He then
said, "Hey, I just live in the next block, see the red car
is in the drive and the truck on the street?  That is my place
and you're welcome to park on the left side of my driveway."  I
said that would be great and offered him a ride there, but he
just laughed and pointed out that he was walking his dog.  I then
drove on and parked in Ed Clark's driveway.  He caught up with me
and we talked for several minutes when I finally said that I had
to leave because my husband was in the hospital and I don't want
him to worry about me.

It turned out I was 3/4 of a mile from the hospital, but it was a
nice day for a walk and I was happy for that.  Robert did call me
but for some reason I didn't hear the phone.  That is hard to
believe because it makes such a ruckus. I was just entering the
hospital when my phone rang and I had voice mail.  It was from
Robert.  Since I was just entering the hospital and would be with
him in a few minutes I didn't call him back.  The whole staff was
obviously concerned because I was welcomed with a shout, "Here's
Mrs. Lawrence!"  I quickly explained the reason for my tardiness
and they were then very understanding.

Robert was through with his infusion about 1:30 PM and we were
home before 3 PM.

Friday, January 17

Another infusion day, but we were not due there until 11:30 AM
and when we arrived we did find a place to park in the parking
garage.  I called Ed to thank him again for the parking spot and
that we had found a place in the parking garage so I wouldn't
need his driveway today.  Perhaps in 4 weeks I would again need a
spot.  I'd call him when/if I did indeed need a place to park.

The infusion went well and we were home by 2:30PM.

Saturday, January 18

Robert is tired today, but otherwise seems to feel alright.

The weather is gorgeous.  The temperature was in the high 50s and
it was mostly sunny.

Sunday, January 19

Robert did not sleep well and was up at 4 AM gagging, but not
actually vomiting.  He took a nausea pill and went back to
sleep, but didn't really sleep well.

This is the first day that Robert has to have a medicine injected. 
Neither of us was anxious to do this.  Robert said he would do
it, but I would have to help.  He thought, because I had injected
myself several months ago that I would know all about it. The
problem was that I had injected myself, but I had used a pre-filled
syringe.  We got through it, but tomorrow I'll fill the syringe,
because of his damaged right hand it is very hard for him to do
that part.


Again, the day is beautiful.  The sun is out and it is 63F
outside.  I found a cocoon attached to the light pole next to the
driveway.  It's small so I  am assuming it's a moth of some kind.
I'd like to be out when it comes out, but I shall probably miss
that.

Windy week

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The first week of 2014

We walked around this lake.....where is it?

Another view as we walked around the lake

The Orchid Robyn gave me for Christmas

This week past we have made an effort to walk every day.  We missed two days, Friday and Saturday.  On Friday we got the unhappy news that our Mastercard had been used without our
authority and the bank had cancelled the card.  They said we'd get another in 3-4 days.  I groaned and asked if we couldn't get one sooner and was assured that was the best she could do.  Later that day I got an e-mail informing me the card would arrive thenext day by USPS.  Amazingly, it did.

We walked our usual loop in the neighborhood twice. Another time we walked one of the Boulder loops around a lake. (See pictureand tell me where we walked).  We also did a mile in the Super Target in Superior, and the Louisville KingSoopers on another day.  Target was the easiest, there was so much to look at.

Connie came on Friday and we went to Boulder for lunch and ate at Aji, a Latin American restaurant that Robyn and I had eatenate when she was here.  The meals are all different from any other restaurant we have eaten at and very good.  It was fun both times.

Yesterday, Carl and Martha stopped by and brought me a vase containing tulip bulbs.  The instructions say to keep the roots wet, but not the bulbs.  The vase has a base that holds the bulbs on little plastic pins and there is a separate compartment with water where the roots are growing; interesting. The blossoms are opening today despite the -3F temperature overnight.  Actually, because of the cold I have put up the blind between the plants and the window and in the north window I have moved the plants to my office until the temperature warms up.

Note the tulip in the foreground and orchid beyond

Pete and Marti came last evening, bringing Nick and Willy's Pizza!  We supplied salad, wine and fresh strawberries and ice cream for dessert.  Lots of conversation concerning boundary lines between Marti and her neighbor.  Her neighbor has threatened some of her visitors for trespassing.  He is being more than   a     little tiresome.

This week is another week of treatments for Robert's cancer.  We'll go tomorrow for a blood draw and to see Dr. Braun.  On Wednesday Viki is picking us up at 6:15A.M.  and will drop us off.  This is the day he gets the anti-body infusion that makes him so sick, but is killing off the cancer!  He has been feeling better than he has in a very long time.  It is heartening to see. But also hard to know that he'll feel rotten again while his body copes with the new medications. Connie will pick take us home after the treatments.  Because of my loss of sight from the Shingles, I find it difficult and dangerous for me to drive in the dark.  That is why we need drivers.  Thank you Viki and Connie once again!!