Back to 1212

Saturday March 19, 2016

It was a long night but not that bad. They wake you up for the silliest things in hospital. At about 3 AM they woke Deidre up at 3 AM to take blood!!!!!!!

Lots of official visits, including the surgeon, physical therapist, discharge nurse etc etc. I got my 10 K steps just walking backwards and forwards to the car in the garage with "stuff". "Transport" came with a wheelchair just before Noon and she was in the car and we were on our way at 12:30 PM.

The drive to 1212 was uneventful. Per the official instructions, we stopped twice for Deidre to get some exercise. By 6 PM she was planted in the living room with her pills and flowers! Now the fun stuff starts with "Nurse Bob"

Sunday, March 20, 2016

Quiet day. Blossoms in our yard are looking good. I did the shopping, raked three bags of leaves.

Monday March 21, 2016

Today is our 44th wedding anniversary and I did not forget. Got Deidre a cool present. (See photo below). As a bonus, the "nerve block" medicine finally ran out and Deidre was able to remove the two catheters in her thigh.

Mason and Kylie visited, and Mason was impressed with Grandma Deedees' boo boo. Mason also likes to admire his good looks in the big hall mirror. I would too if I looked that good.

This kid cracks me up!

Tuesday March 22, 2016

Deidre is still doing pretty well. She has to keep her ankle higher than her heart, so spends all of her time in bed or in the lazy-boy chair with her foot on a stool. It gets pretty boring for her - only 5 weeks and 4 days to go!

Friday March 25, 2016

Deidre's knee has been swollen this week. She also seems to have a pressure point in her cast that is bothering her. We have called the hospital a couple of times for advice. This time they suggested we headed to the emergency room at UHSC. We headed out at 4 PM Easter Friday, great timing!

We were taken in quite promptly. Eventually the decision was made to "bi-valve" the cast and take it off so that Deidre's leg could be sonogrammed.

Our doctor seemed pretty young and had never cut off a cast nor used a bone saw before. I really wanted to take the saw from him and do it myself. (I read the instructions in the box). The cast did not come off easily. I was worried that Deidre's foot would literally flop off without the cast.

Once it was off we were sent to x-ray for a sonogram. Getting Deidre from the chair she was on to a rolling bed was a challenge. I was really stressed about her foot getting bumped.

The sonogram lady was very charming and professional. And she found a small blood clot! Now Deidre felt that she had made the right decision.

The vascular specialist lady gave us three choices of treatment:
1. Stay in the hospital on an IV for 5 days
2. Go home and have me inject her twice a day in her stomach
3. Go home and have a course of pills for 3 months

I thought #2 would work OK

Then the orthopedic doctor arrived. He was young, strapping, square jawed, blondish, blue eyed, good teeth, tall, thoughtful, gracious, well dressed, clean fingernails, professional etc etc. Deidre seemed to forget about her leg and fuss that she was wearing old undies and had not washed her hair for a week. She introduced me as her driver........

Back in the Emergency Room "Ken Doll" (that's what the nurses called him) and his buddy (who looked like Adam) installed a new cast on Deidre's foot. I must admit he did a great job and I was not inclined to give him any advice (I think that is a good thing with a doctor).

We still had one other major problem. I had not taken a walk that day and my steps were well under 10K. I was pacing around in the little treatment room and jogging in place, but not really making enough progress. The nursing staff would not let me do laps around the Emergency Room. Said I was making them dizzy. I explained that I had not missed the 10K minimum for two months!

We arrived home about 11:30 PM. Once I got Deidre in bed and settled I raced out into the street to get some steps but when the clock on my phone struck 12 midnight I only had 9,356 steps. Bad day.

Saturday March 26, 2016

I was woken by thunder and lightning at about 10 AM. (I am sleeping upstairs, Deidre is downstairs in the Master) I could hear funny noises about 10:30 and my conscience got the better of me so I went downstairs to find Deidre in the wheel chair but stuck in a doorway. She does not like to wake me!

Deidre is OK but feeling a bit beat up. Kylie popped in for lunch, and that was better for her than an ice cream and two pain pills.

Friday April 1, 2016

Not much going on here. Another week under our belt.

Its a tough life

I have dismantled the "office" on Tide Hiker and brought it home to refinish. It is mostly solid wood and stained a dark brown that I have never liked. So I am stripping it and will finish with "Spar varnish" and make it more boaty looking. Its sorta nice to have a garage.

We are also thinking of replacing the carpet and maybe re-upholstering the couch (its a bit grandma looking). Gotta keep busy!

Every now and again we get to pick the boy up from "school"- its just around the corner, so I like to walk. Mason gets to ride in the stroller.

I think we need to buy a bigger stroller.

Durham

Tuesday March 15, 2016

On our way to Durham at about Noon, after picking up a wheel chairs, crutches and a visit from Mason and Kylie. It was a warm sunny day. Our "new car" ran beautifully and we enjoyed the drive. The first 60 miles were across country on local roads (the SC 41) and through small rural towns. The rest of the way on Interstate Highways. Can't say we are thrilled with the 'extended stay" hotel, but it will do.

Its early Spring in SC. The white and pink blossom trees are quite amazing. One can see that the deciduous trees are a couple of warm days away from bursting their buds. The fields of cotton are all showing white.

Wednesday March 16, 2016

Spent the morning at the hospital. Deidre passed all the preliminaries with flying colors and we are all set for Friday. The surgeon pooh-poohed the idea of staying at a motel after the operation and suggested we drive home the next day. "She won't be feeling much on Saturday, so drive home then!"

Thursday March 17, 2016

David's birthday

Friday March 18, 2016

Up at 6:15 AM and at the hospital at 7:45 AM. A few interviews and a few more forms and then into preparation. The surgeon visited and marked her right ankle with permanent marker! She started with a red hat, but when it was changed to green, she was officially ready. I was asked to leave at about 10:30 AM.

 I had been told "3 to 4 hours" so I went for a walk and enjoyed a slap up breakfast. Back in the waiting room I was paged about 2:30 PM (Don't quote me) and met with the surgeon in a private room. He told me all went well and that they were 'stitching her up". (I assume the apprentice was attending to that.)

I was paged again about an hour later and led into "Recovery". She looked pretty pale and was a bit weepy but steadily improved. There was a nurse with us all the time. We were moved to her room on the 6th floor at about 5:00 PM.

Sleepy-head

Deidre ordered her dinner and ate the lot. She had not eaten for 24 hours, so no wonder. That gave her some energy and she was able to call her Mum in Australia and Kylie back in SC. Deidre was not in any pain but was obviously lethargic. We turned off the TV at about 10 PM.

The New House at 1212 Winding Ridge Court

Friday March 11, 2016

Moving in day. Not much to it really - clothes, contents of the refrigerator, contents of the pantry, a few bits and pieces - all done in two trips. We will finish up the lose ends on Sunday.

The house has been professionally cleaned, but it needs more. The inside is cluttered with old furniture and bric-a-brac, barely 1/2 of the light bulbs work, the yard is a total mess, and there is plenty of "evidence" of the two large dogs that just moved out. We have called the cleaners back and it will take another week or so of our elbow grease to get it livable. But its perfect for our needs and the cost is reasonable.

The location is also perfect - we are half way between Kylie;s house and Mason's day care.

This is the 18th house (including the boat) that we have lived in during 44 years of married life. There is no doubt, Deidre is a "moving houses expert".

Front of the house

The Living Room

The kitchen

Today is also the 4th anniversary of moving on board. So we went out to dinner - any excuse!

Sunday March 13, 2016

Deidre picked up a few more loads from Tide Hiker and I raked the front "lawn", producing 16 bags for pick-up. Hardly scratched the surface.

Back to the boat

Wednesday February 24, 2016

We were out of the house by 8 AM and in the air on schedule at 11;20 AM. All went well till an hour out of BWI when we were advised that the airport was closed because of severe weather, and after circling for a while we diverted to Pittsburgh. Waited on the ground in Pittsburgh for about an hour and then took off again for BWI. Upon disembarking we discovered that our connection to Charleston had been "cancelled". After standing in the service desk line for 30 minutes we were offered a replacement flight on SATURDAY!

So I rented a "one way rental" for the 575 mile drive to Charleston and we hit the road. It was late but I wanted to get south and thru the Washington Beltway so we did not have to battle peak hour in the morning on Thursday. Once south of DC we grabbed a meal at an all night place and found a motel.

Thursday February 25, 2016

Underway again at 9 AM. It was still pretty breezy but the rain had stopped and road conditions we OK. We had a "audio book" loaded on the iPad (that we had started on the Florida trip in January) and plugged that into the cars audio system and settled in. We arrived at Charleston airport at about 5PM and swapped cars and headed home.

Saturday, February 27, 2016

Deidre is suffering from the crud again.- assume picked it up on the flight home. She is really crook, spent all day Saturday in bed. It seems to be exactly the same "virus" that we both had in November, December and January. I finally god rid of it in the warmth and dry of Arizona.

Sunday, February 28, 2016

Today we moved Tide Hiker from D-11 to D-7. Engines cranked up OK. In between docks we idled up to the marina fuel dock and had a pump out. We feel a bit like "house sitters" moving from dock to dock, but we are good till June in D-7 because "Sand Piper" will be in the Bahamas until June.

Monday, February 29, 2016

Deidre is feeling a bit better so we drove down to Hilton Head to visit with old Solon friends, Jay and Lovie. The 2 hour drive each way allowed us listen to some more of our "audio book" but we still have 5 hours to go! Very pleasant day.

Wednesday, March 2, 2016

Deidre is feeling better, but still coughing. Another cool and windy day. I did my "stress test" at the heart specialist and passed with flying colors. Tonight we went to the new Gilliard Theater for a "Beetles Night". Big crowd of old people were there.

Wednesday, March 9, 2016

Today we purchased a car. I am a bit tired of paying $600 to $700 a month on rentals. After an easy negotiation we paid $7600 for a 2006 Mercedes E500 with 98,000 miles under its belt. It is 100% perfect outside, but with a bit of upholstery wear and needs a bit of a freshen up. It seems to run perfectly and is fun to drive. And it is big enough for Deidre to sit across the back seat on the way back from Durham.

Tomorrow I head to the Department of Motor Vehicles (dread....)


Thursday, March 10, 2016

I am beginning to wonder how much I have saved so far:

     Liability Insurance:                     $442.00 for 6 months
     Property Tax on`the car:               $87.50
     Title and Sales tax                      $335.00

Tomorrow I will get it detailed and the headlight covers polished: $265.00

Later in the week, new motor mounts and rear brakes: $1,050.

(Have I saved any money yet? What a crazy idea.)

Anthem, AZ - February 8 thru February 24

Monday February 8, 2016

We were up about 6:15 AM and the temperature was about 31 degrees. The surface of the docks was very slippery and we needed to be very careful as we schlepped the bags to the car, Getting to Anthem from the IOP is an all day affair even with a good connection in Dallas.

When we arrived in Phoenix the temp was about 85 degrees and there was not a cloud in the sky. I had been trying for several weeks to make a decent rental car deal in Phoenix, but because of all the events (The Phoenix golf open ended on Sunday) the rates were crazy. I had reluctantly settled on an "off the airport" company that we had used before, but had been not too impressed. 

We caught a cab to their location, but to make a long story short we did not get off to a good start with the proprietor and beat a hasty retreat back to the airport. Lo and behold, the rates had cracked and we were able to get a great car at the airport for less than the "off airport" place. Amazingly, I had checked rates from Dallas during our layover to no great effect. Anyway, we were now set.

The Anthem house was just as we had left it. The water had been turned on the day before so Deidre was able to tinkle in all three toilets to her hearts content. We were in bed before 9 PM local time.

Tuesday, February 9, 2016

The gas man arrived about 10 AM so we were enjoying a shower an hour or so later. Went shopping and filled the larder.

The house paint needs some attention so I called the builder and tracked down the exact paint and picked it up that afternoon.

Another perfect day. Not a cloud in the sky, high in the mid 80s. I used the car to measure three alternative walks.

Wednesday, February 10, 2016

Did the "big" walk of 5.1 miles this morning. Dinner at Dick's. Purchased a new TV antenna on the way over.

Thursday, February 11, 2016

Dinner at Miklers'

Friday, February 12, 2016

Lunch and a tour of AmazingMail's new digs with Danielle. She has done a great job and AmazingMail is once again strongly profitable. We ate at home!

Saturday, February 13, 2016

Another perfect morning. Met dick for coffee followed by a hike/walk in the desert. Deidre and I spend most of the afternoon at the pool. I finished the painting of the exposed edge of the slab in the cool of the late afternoon.

Sunday, February 14, 2016

Very pleasant breakfast at Aussie friends house (Kerry and Julian).

Monday, February 15, 2016

Lunch with Ray Thurston, AmazingMail Chairman. We had a good old chat and concluded we had been smart to promote Danielle to President & CEO.

Back home I repaired the man hole in the ceiling.

Tuesday, February 16, 2016

Breakfast with Tonni and Bill at the "General Store" in North Scottsdale. Another one of my favorite places. Just feels like an old Spanish Mission. Beautiful sunny morning.

Drove to cave Creek and visited the library. They have an amazing "used book" section and we purchased a couple of dozen books and audio books.

Then off to the gym and the pool. Another sunny day in the high 80s.

Wednesday, February 17, 2016

After a bit of a lazy start we headed north up the I-17 for a drive thru some of our favorite spots in the mountains and high desert. We exited the freeway at the Verde Valley and headed west for Jerome (after stopping for a coffee). The "big sky" desert and the mountains aspects in AZ are just amazing. From the heights around Verde we could see the red cliffs of Sedona and the snow capped San Francisco Peaks in the distance.

Jerome is an old mining town located at 5,000' above sea level on the face of Mingus Mountain. Its a favorite destination for bikers and has a fun personality. We bought a couple of sandwiches for lunch in the sun, then headed south on 89A over the famous Mingus Mountain pass - 158 curves in 12 miles and reaching an altitude of 7,000'.

Deidre dropped me out of the car about 5 miles from the general store in Peoples Valley. PV is a high, wide and productive mountain valley (about 5,000') devoted to cattle ranching. Very much a "Ponderosa" sort of location. I needed some "steps" so I walked alone the highway and caught up with her at the general store. My pace was good - 16 minute miles for 4 1/2 miles.

Thursday, February 18, 2016

Today I grouted in the sun.

Friday February 19, 2016

Good exercise day. Deidre and I drove south (again!) and met Aussie friend Kerry at the McDowell Sonoran Preserve, a desert recreation area. Kerry and I walked the "Gateway Circle" about 5 miles and then we all met for coffee. On the way back to Anthem Deidre dropped me at the freeway exit and I walked the 1.5 miles to the house. Gotta build up those miles. Today was a 23K step day.

Bill and Tonni came for dinner.

Saturday February 20, 2016

For me today was a "pay the bills day". One of the bills was a $A171 fine for driving at 68 kph in a 60 kph zone on the Esplanade in Melbourne in December. Talk about a police state. (On a similar note, when we looked at our Visa statement for December we noticed about $A80 in charges for driving on the toll roads around Melbourne. We were not there that long, did not use the toll roads that much, but there goes $A80. What a rort. The whole West Virginia tollway is only about $10 end to end!)

Walking Across the UK, and getting ready for TAR day

I have signed up with my long term Australian friend Bryce Ferguson to hike 18 days for about 190 miles across the UK, from Robin Hood Bay to St. Bees An average day is about 11 miles, but some days will be 20 miles, plus we will climb "the equivalent" of Mt Everest! So obviously I need to get into shape.

David gave me a "fitbit" for Christmas. This little watch like device measures how far you walk in a day. I love to have data and so I love my fitbit. As soon as I had tried it out I called Bryce and told him "You have to get one of these!" Our data can be shared over the internet, Bryce came up with a spread sheet and I anxiously log in each morning to see what he managed the day before. After two weeks we are now both averaging about 13,000 paces a day.

There is about 2,000 paces in a mile, so by August we need to be regularly managing days of 40,000 paces. The IOP is a great place to walk, but its flat. The only hill in the area is the bridge over the IOP.

We also need to prep for Deidre's TAR. Today we both joined a gym and we are both on diets. We have also been looking to rent a furnished ground floor apartment so Deidre has a sensible place to recover. Today we hit the jackpot and rented a whole house from a Canadian family who had to return to Canada for a medical emergency. We have it for 3 to 4 months.

(Today was a good day! We also tracked down a free child car seat! So now we can transport Mason without borrowing a car seat from Kylie and Ryan.)

Off to Florida

Friday January 22 to Monday 25th

We keep pretty busy on the boat but need a break occasionally. We have some boating friends camped in the Stuart area so on Friday we were up early and headed south. It was a horrible day, cold, wet and winy so a good day for a drive.

Stuart is about 600 miles south and where we purchased Tide Hiker back in 2011. Its a nice place, very "boaty". Don and Barb met us at a local sport for dinner (we had a 10% off coupon!) and it was fun to catch up with their news. Next day we had breakfast at a fancy spot and then drove to Palm Beach for a bit of shopping and to look at RVs - our next adventure. Saturday night we had been invited for dinner on Cavara, followed by cards.

Sunday afternoon we met up with Steve and Diane on Aurora - another DF RPH 49. Steve is a real "guru" on DeFevers and I was looking for advice on a bunch of "long term maintenance" issues. Steve and I spent an hour or so in the ER, then returned upstairs for pizza and a little imbibing

Monday we drove back to Charleston. I like putting lots of miles on rental cars.