What's happening now!

What's up with us: September seemed to fly by. ML went from supposedly needing a pacemaker to having a CPAP machine and is feeling better. We spent 4 days up in the hills at the SKP (http://escapees.com/) park we discovered. It's a interesting concept as it's a nonprofit orgainzation with multiple levels of membership. We joined at the lowest level but are interested in possilbly buying in for a permanent space in the Coarsegold park. tp://www.parksierra.net/ I went to a prayer meeting for the first time in years and reconnected with a woman I'd known since 1975. She's 90 years old and still loves the Lord; what a blessing she's been to so many for so long. I'm still losing weight; thank God and am feeling good.

October has been eventful: ML had 2 cataracts removed and doesn't wear glasses any more after 72 yrs of wearing them. I had one removed and no more glasses for now. Ari ate half a bottle of Rimadol and had to go to the vet's ER and is just now recovering after 2 wks of meds, etc. I volunteered to provide support for the Bass Lake Powerhouse 200 mile bike event (http://www.fresnocycling.com/powerhouse/2006/) and along the way discovered an alpaca ranch with a 2 wk old baby. We followed several riders insuring they stayed on course and were ok.

We continue the downsizing idea with a plan to move in the next 5 yrs. This weekend I'm having a big yard sale in hopes of moving out some of the stuff we've accumulated over the last 20 yrs here. We've been looking a mobile or manufactured homes; so far, I like some in the mountains above Oakhurst in an area called The Grove. http://www.yosemitegrove.com/

I took Mom out for a ride last month and should try again this month as it seems to perk her up a little. She's slowly declining but is more contented and less angry. I went out and cleaned her power chair and found it needed a part I haven't been able to locate yet. It's useable so....

I can't believe I'll be 65 yo in 3 months; however the change in the weather produces aches and pains I haven't had before. My new knee lets me know to get going and get the kinks out which I do by walking the dogs every day.

Recovery and Discovery

I finished my physical therapy and the MD said I was doing very well and wouldn't see me again for 4 months. No more "Franken knee".

Sam and Margie visited us this month as their lives are changing job wise. It was fun and different; we ate out and they stayed in a motel. Larry's girls joined us and we had fun catching up with their lives.

As you can see my brothers have really matured over the years ;))!

One thing I'm struggling with these days is finding a place I can volunteer which enriches me by letting me use my experience fully. My dream is working/being outside enjoying people and helping them some how. I've explored SAGing for various groups. This month I helped Team in Training but there's more coaches than participants. So...I don't think that's it.

Another struggle I have is trying to help MaryLou with her health issues and diminishments. She's had a full heart assessment and learned her arteries, veins, valves and rhythms are good but her pulse is very slow but not enough for a pacemaker. Now she's having a sleep study tonight and hopefully that process with yield some help for her. It may indicate she does need a pacemaker.

I took a trip up to Jones' Store north of Bass Lake some 11 miles; it's one of my favorite spots and it gave me and the dogs a break.

Knee Replacement

This last month has been all about having surgery and recovering from it. I'm doing really well but have had a few ups and downs. My surgeon used what he called the quad saving technique which results in faster recovery as the quad muscle & tendon aren't cut. I would highly recommend him to anyone; for more info check out this site: http://www.spoc-ortho.com/phys_gill.html

Here's the first two weeks of pictures: I had to use a walker for 2 days then went to a cane. This is week one:
Week two
After two weeks, they took the staples out; a few hours later, it opened up and I had to go back in. They glued and taped it shut; here's what that looked like.

The tape is now working it's way off and I'm almost as flexible as they are working for. Larry, my PT, and Tyra, my massage therapist, have been great to work with. My knee is at 110 degrees and we're going for 120.

Along with this surgery I've been trying to lose weight to ease the knee as much as possible; since April 1, I've lost over 30 lbs. As always there's been mixed results but I have always lost something each time I weight in. I wish I had taken a before picture but will try to add one from this year for comparison. This was me in January of this year at the party Sam threw for me.

Climb to Kaiser part 2

This was our Kaiser Krew. We were the main lunch stop and had just begun to set up for the big "rush." The picture with me in it didn't turn out; the man put his fingers in the way.

Here's the first guy coming in for a lunch break. He had started at 5:30 a.m. and it was 9:40 when he arrived at our stop.

This was part of the main group of riders. They arrived about 10:45 a.m. They had 9 miles to go to the Kaiser Pass turn around and another 2200' of climbing to do.

The two guys who won the race didn't even stop at all. Their time was 8 hours and 4 minutes for 155 miles and 13,500' of climb. I thought they were supermen!

Surgery: next adventure

Cycling has been my passion since retiring. I had joined Team in Training with the goal of riding a century for the charity. Several prior injuries and one fall caused my right knee to swell to the point I couldn't complete the goal. The knee was scoped and repaired but it still could sustain that level of activity. I have volunteered for several biking events locally until I can get going again. In that hope I'm having the knee replaced on July 8: please keep me in your best hopes.

Tomorrow I'm helping at a local event called the Climb to Kaiser. I'm working a rest/refueling station near the top of the climb. Fresno Cycling is sponsoring this gruelling ride: 155 miles and 13500' climb. http://www.fresnocycling.com/kaiser/ I'll take some pictures and add to this post.

Stay happy, healthy and getting moving!

80th Birthday!

Mary Lou celebrated her 80th birthday this year; so , I threw her a big party. Invitations were made and mailed or emailed. Decorations were hung up and cake/ice cream prepared. The big day arrived with perfect weather and the patio was filled with family and friends.

She was queen for the day! The poster presents a family history in pictures: her parents, baby picture, brother and herself as teens and later in the convent and lastly floating down the Kings river after moving to Fresno. It was a great day for her.

Update: End of the Road

The end of the road didn't quite happen as planned. The two months I tried to sell it brought several strange experiences: one person gave me $1000 deposit and called two days later saying he changed his mind and to keep the money...I did. Another time a woman was coming from Lodi to pick it up at one pm. but never showed or called. The next day I got an email from her saying she'd stopped in Merced and bought something else.

I felt like I was on a roller coaster with these two failed sales, so I believed I should take it off the market maybe the good Lord had something else in mind.

End of the Road

This last trip to San Simeon allowed us to make some hard decisions. I decided to sell the fifth wheel and truck and perhaps downsize. ML feels she needs an emergency alert call devise. I need to have my knee replaced and my hip evaluated. UGH!!!

I've posted our rig on Craig's list but anyone out there wants to see it; here it is. I'm asking $30K for both.

Happy Easter!

I grew up in Virginia where the state tree was the dogwood. My great aunt, Nin, had a huge one in her front yard and we often took pictures there for Easter. Here I am "just the other day".

(After 3 hrs of trying to transfer a photo from my memory card to the tower, I gave up. If I get it right I'll put it in later. ugh!)

My church here in Fresno has one on each side of the entrance and here's a picture of one.

If you don't know the ledge of the dogwood, it is particularly interesting to know at Easter. Check out this link:http://www.the4cs.com/~cathy/Photography/dogwood.html

House Painting

Sam, my dear brother, volunteered to help me paint my house. It took him nearly a week but he got the job done with one weather delay due to high winds which kept him from spraying. Here's before and after pictures along with the process shots.

A big thanks to Mike for providing all the tape for masking the house; we really appreciate it, Mike!


In the middle of all this, Sam made MaryLou a raised flower bed so she could see her flower from the kitchen window. She was really happy about this.

When he was almost finished, Mom came over to check out the process and was really wow-ed by it all.

Sam really wore himself out and deserved a good rest.

Thanks a million Lord for a great brother! Thanks a million to Mary Lou who through it all supported us by cooking and keeping us going. I am so blessed with such love from them both.

Recent activities

The garden was planted and MaryLou has enjoyed watering and watching it grow which has been surprisingly fast.

We celebrated Saint Patrick's Day which corned beef, boiled cabbage and potato dinner with Irish beer. Our friend Clara joined us in a favorite Irish prayer for friends.

I continue to play with the kayak at the closest access to the river which precipitated a trip to the river/Sycamore Island for three days and two night.

The dogs swam out to me in the kayak, flushed the albino deer that lives on the island and chased the rabbits until their tongues hung out and they couldn't go another step. We saw quail, an eagle's nest and lots of ducks and geese swimming and flying.

The morning we left was foggy which made an interesting picture of the fifth wheel. The river road is a great place to spot all sorts of small animals; especially along the ponds.

My latest cooking class, Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone, was fun and easy. We've only met once so far but already I found a receipt I liked and made it for MaryLou who hates fruits and vegetables. It's a potato and bean stir fry with arugula, garlic, onions and mushrooms.

Mom's 93rd birthday is Thursday. I've been repairing and replacing parts on her power chair which has been really expensive but she really depends on it to get around and socialize with her friends around the facility. Sam's coming up and going to help me paint the house which is overwhelming just to think about. We'll have Mom over and Larry will join us for a little party for her. She gets down every birthday as all her friends and family are gone and she wonders why she's still here. We try to get her out more often and keep her mind on other things.

I'll take some before and after pictures of the house for my next post. Love you all!