Monday morning I met a realtor friend and we visited several of our rentals so he could provide a monetary evaluation of them. Something Sandy wanted done. We finished the last ones Tuesday morning. While not there to identify any maintenance problems, a couple of tenants did point out items that needed attention and I was able to attend to most of those Wednesday afternoon. I like small problems that are quick and easy to resolve.
Sandy started her immunotherapy Tuesday morning. She had discontinued them in January when it was discovered it wasn't the fountain of youth she had expected. It did seem to slow the cancer growth, so she started back up again. And for the next couple of days she had greater energy and drive; she attributes it to the steroids they give her prior to the injections.
Wednesday was a bit of a sad day. She had her appointment with the wound healing center and I made some individual cherry cheese cakes to share with the nurses there. They were most appreciative! But the doctor said that she was returning to the ER and would no longer be seeing patients at the center. And then she also told us that there is no reason for Sandy to continue to come to the center; they are really not doing anything for her except to check out the wound and reduce the proud flesh with silver nitrate. We have come to really enjoy our visits there; the staff is so personal and caring. The doctor did recommend we follow up with the doctor that her originally referred her to the center; so it is not like we are being thrown to the wolves.
Thursday Sandy had her weekly visit with Clifford, who indicated that she is improving. Friday the home health nurse made her weekly visit. Sandy had enjoyed these visits and formed some good friendships with some of the nurses. And they told her this week that their visits will stop in the next six weeks since she is doing okay. I guess that means my ostomy bag changing skills are sufficient.
Friday I drove to Yellville to help a member move about 4 miles, just across the ward boundary line. There were at least 12 of us there; about 8 pickups and 6 trailers. We got what we could move done within three hours and before the rains came. I then went to visit a brother near there that is meticulously restoring a 1931 2 door Model A. It really looks nice.
Saturday we attended the funeral of the oldest ward member. Lena Maple was about six weeks short of her 97th birthday and had lived a very productive life. As a youth she picked cotton; as a young married she learned how to rivet and worked on submarines. She was truly the matriarch of a large family and well loved by all. It was a positive and spiritual funeral service.
Spring is here; the grass needs to be mowed. And the garden needs to be planted. Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy!!
Sunday, March 31, 2019
Sunday, March 24, 2019
Why I love my amazingly fantastic family!
Let me count the ways: they come visit, they bring their children who add laughter to the home, they provide yummy delicious meals for us to eat, they sit and visit with us, they gather together to read and study the scriptures as families, their children are excited to visit and share their enthusiasm with us, there are lots of hugs and kisses and they are willing to work; this week they accomplished a long list of 'to does'.
Last Sunday we drove back from Mt Vernon after Zachary's baptism with a trailer load (1200-1500 pounds) of manure. Miranda's family arrived later that night. The next morning, Dan and Ethan were out helping shovel the manure on the garden. The trailer was empty in time for Dan to shower and head off to work by 11 AM. Then Ethan and Camden helped pressure wash the tarps and trailer clean of the manure. Kera arrived around noon with four of her children and there was much joyous cousin interaction as they ran around, rode the zip line and enjoyed the beautiful weather.
Dan returned in the afternoon and worked out his frustrations on a large stack of firewood that needed splitting. Then Aaron took over that job after Dan left on Tuesday and by Wednesday afternoon had the entire pile split. Matthew, Ethan and Camden then pitched the wood over the fence so Charlotte, Emma, Alex, Ethan, Matthew and Camden could stack it. It was fun and interesting to watch them work together in accomplishing a common goal. Aaron also helped me reconstruct the chicken pen. The previous 25 x 50 foot netted enclosure was supported with PVC pipe which finally succumbed to the wind and ice several weeks ago. So this time I set 4 x 4 posts and used 2 x 4s to support the net. We got all the posts set, the cross pieces attached and the net rehung over the framework. There are a few holes for me to patch, but the chickens seem happy to have the extra area to debug.
The major task the grands performed, for which I was especially grateful, was the collecting of the twigs and small branches that have fallen off the trees in the yard lately. With all the strong winds we have recently experienced, there were a lot to them to clean up and they were everywhere. Again, this amazing work crew pitched in and cleaned them up; they even raked up leaves along some of the fence line. The visiting nurse commented on how industrious and cheerful they were while working. When they were done by Wednesday, the yard looked wonderful.
Deborah and her children arrived Wednesday afternoon and things were a little chaotic with 14 grand children running amok. Kera and her four departed after dinner and things calmed down some.
Tuesday night the ward had it's Relief Society Birthday celebration dinner, and spouses were invited. Miranda and Kera joined Sandy and me and we enjoyed a catered dinner of chicken and baked potatoes. There was a short but inspiration program followed by yummy cake.
Thursday, Miranda, Deborah and Tom watched 'Captain Marvel'; since I had no expectations, I thought it was good. With 21 movies in this series, I have difficulty putting all the pieces together. Probably doesn't help that I have not watched all of them nor that they did not get viewed chronologically.
Friday night we celebrated Christopher and Ethan's 7th birthdays. Christopher requested lumpia for dinner; Deborah and Miranda labored rolling the lumpia containing good things to eat and when dinner was over, about 65 lumpia had been devoured.
It was not all work though. We had a lot of fun visiting with each other.
Sandy continues to move forward. No major strides forward, just tiny ones. She is able to drive to appointments, managed to survive the week with 8-10 grandchildren in the house, and actually took a short walk outside following church today.
Last Sunday we drove back from Mt Vernon after Zachary's baptism with a trailer load (1200-1500 pounds) of manure. Miranda's family arrived later that night. The next morning, Dan and Ethan were out helping shovel the manure on the garden. The trailer was empty in time for Dan to shower and head off to work by 11 AM. Then Ethan and Camden helped pressure wash the tarps and trailer clean of the manure. Kera arrived around noon with four of her children and there was much joyous cousin interaction as they ran around, rode the zip line and enjoyed the beautiful weather.
Dan returned in the afternoon and worked out his frustrations on a large stack of firewood that needed splitting. Then Aaron took over that job after Dan left on Tuesday and by Wednesday afternoon had the entire pile split. Matthew, Ethan and Camden then pitched the wood over the fence so Charlotte, Emma, Alex, Ethan, Matthew and Camden could stack it. It was fun and interesting to watch them work together in accomplishing a common goal. Aaron also helped me reconstruct the chicken pen. The previous 25 x 50 foot netted enclosure was supported with PVC pipe which finally succumbed to the wind and ice several weeks ago. So this time I set 4 x 4 posts and used 2 x 4s to support the net. We got all the posts set, the cross pieces attached and the net rehung over the framework. There are a few holes for me to patch, but the chickens seem happy to have the extra area to debug.
The major task the grands performed, for which I was especially grateful, was the collecting of the twigs and small branches that have fallen off the trees in the yard lately. With all the strong winds we have recently experienced, there were a lot to them to clean up and they were everywhere. Again, this amazing work crew pitched in and cleaned them up; they even raked up leaves along some of the fence line. The visiting nurse commented on how industrious and cheerful they were while working. When they were done by Wednesday, the yard looked wonderful.
Deborah and her children arrived Wednesday afternoon and things were a little chaotic with 14 grand children running amok. Kera and her four departed after dinner and things calmed down some.
Tuesday night the ward had it's Relief Society Birthday celebration dinner, and spouses were invited. Miranda and Kera joined Sandy and me and we enjoyed a catered dinner of chicken and baked potatoes. There was a short but inspiration program followed by yummy cake.
Thursday, Miranda, Deborah and Tom watched 'Captain Marvel'; since I had no expectations, I thought it was good. With 21 movies in this series, I have difficulty putting all the pieces together. Probably doesn't help that I have not watched all of them nor that they did not get viewed chronologically.
Friday night we celebrated Christopher and Ethan's 7th birthdays. Christopher requested lumpia for dinner; Deborah and Miranda labored rolling the lumpia containing good things to eat and when dinner was over, about 65 lumpia had been devoured.
It was not all work though. We had a lot of fun visiting with each other.
Sandy continues to move forward. No major strides forward, just tiny ones. She is able to drive to appointments, managed to survive the week with 8-10 grandchildren in the house, and actually took a short walk outside following church today.
Sunday, March 17, 2019
Sorry, no pictures this week!
One of my recent new duties is that of dinner chef. I have been trying out favorite recipes that Sandy used to make which I always enjoyed. The results indicate that there is room for improvement. We recently attended the monthly Empty Nesters and I took GG's Mexican Chicken Casserole found in the family cook book. Of all the dishes brought that night, ours was the only main dish and it disappeared quickly. And there were requests for the recipe.
I spent most of Monday finishing the floor at the rent house. Tuesday was wrap up all the odds and ends. Then Wednesday morning I trimmed the exterior bushes. I am done with this house!! Now comes the challenge of what to do with all my time. I have slowly been going through our picture scrap books and scanning them; a time consuming process. There are things that Sandy would like for me to get done also.
Saturday we drove up to Mt Vernon for a short visit with Jonathan's family. Zachary was to be baptized on Sunday. I took the truck and trailer so we could collect a load of manure for the garden. I think I brought back 1500-2000 pounds. Now comes the fun of getting it from the trailer to the garden. Once I turn the chickens loose in the garden, they will do the spreading!
Miranda and her family were also there and spent the night as well at Jonathan's. The cousins had a great time playing and running rampant. This morning, Miriam and Emily were up making blueberry muffins for breakfast prior to heading off to church. This ward had their linger longer after the two hour block, which we partook of. Zachary's baptism was scheduled for 1 pm to give Deborah's family time to attend their meetings and drive up. It was great to see three of our children there with their families for this special day for Zachary. Sandy and I then drove home, arriving with plenty of daylight.
This week should be more eventful with three of the children and their families will be joining us throughout the week.
I spent most of Monday finishing the floor at the rent house. Tuesday was wrap up all the odds and ends. Then Wednesday morning I trimmed the exterior bushes. I am done with this house!! Now comes the challenge of what to do with all my time. I have slowly been going through our picture scrap books and scanning them; a time consuming process. There are things that Sandy would like for me to get done also.
Saturday we drove up to Mt Vernon for a short visit with Jonathan's family. Zachary was to be baptized on Sunday. I took the truck and trailer so we could collect a load of manure for the garden. I think I brought back 1500-2000 pounds. Now comes the fun of getting it from the trailer to the garden. Once I turn the chickens loose in the garden, they will do the spreading!
Miranda and her family were also there and spent the night as well at Jonathan's. The cousins had a great time playing and running rampant. This morning, Miriam and Emily were up making blueberry muffins for breakfast prior to heading off to church. This ward had their linger longer after the two hour block, which we partook of. Zachary's baptism was scheduled for 1 pm to give Deborah's family time to attend their meetings and drive up. It was great to see three of our children there with their families for this special day for Zachary. Sandy and I then drove home, arriving with plenty of daylight.
This week should be more eventful with three of the children and their families will be joining us throughout the week.
Sunday, March 10, 2019
Short and sweet week
This week was not particularly exciting. I had my permanent crown installed; so nice to have functioning teeth that bite correctly again. And I was able to get my eyes examined so new glasses can be ordered. Sandy had no medical appointments except with Clifford.
I did spend about 32 hours at Rebecca's rent house. The property manager texted: did I tell you we have someone who wants to move in on the 15th? Yikes!! Some times simply job expands into a major issue. I had two of those this week. Both to do with the enclosed porch that is 7 feet by 31 feet. There was a two inch gap under the exterior door; examination determined that the 4 X 6 under the threshold was rotted and needs to be replaced. Then, when installing peel and stick vinyl planking, the planking would not stick to the floor in the porch. Fortunately, Katie drove up Friday evening and we spent several hours on Saturday installing 1/4 inch plywood on the floor and putting the vinyl planking on that.
I hope to be done with this house by Tuesday and then I can get my life back until the next project.
We did enjoy having Katie spend the weekend with us. She helped dig 6 post holes for new posts to support the netting over the 25 foot X 50 foot chicken enclosure; the previous one was damaged beyond recovery by ice, snow, wind.
Saturday night was the reception for MaKenzie's wedding of last week. Was fun to visit with people.
Today Sandy and I had the opportunity to speak in sacrament meeting on the subject of temples. I brought in our computer chair for her to sit on while she spoke and it worked fine. In Priesthood we had a great discussion on the subject of adversity; we are all subject to challenges of all types, that is part of our mortality. And it is because of the Savior that we can endure to the end.
We invited the missionaries for lunch, but actually served breakfast. Then we had a fudge making class for them. And the best time to eat fudge is when it is still hot. Two young men who are brothers from church heard about the fudge making and asked if they could join us. Not sure what the real draw was, Katie or the fudge, but they came and stuck around for a while. Katie has been desirous of learning how to drive the Model A, and there was time for a short driving lesson and Mike and Joshua joined us. She does well with shifting and turning; stopping is the challenge. The A does not stop on a dime; more like a quarter.
Photos for the week:
New Pedestial sink at the rental house
Celebrating Katie's arrival with strawberry shortcake.
Katie's handiwork for the morning.
My handiwork for the day installing vinyl planking.
Modeling her new T Shirt (thank you to Savannah for the idea)
I did spend about 32 hours at Rebecca's rent house. The property manager texted: did I tell you we have someone who wants to move in on the 15th? Yikes!! Some times simply job expands into a major issue. I had two of those this week. Both to do with the enclosed porch that is 7 feet by 31 feet. There was a two inch gap under the exterior door; examination determined that the 4 X 6 under the threshold was rotted and needs to be replaced. Then, when installing peel and stick vinyl planking, the planking would not stick to the floor in the porch. Fortunately, Katie drove up Friday evening and we spent several hours on Saturday installing 1/4 inch plywood on the floor and putting the vinyl planking on that.
I hope to be done with this house by Tuesday and then I can get my life back until the next project.
We did enjoy having Katie spend the weekend with us. She helped dig 6 post holes for new posts to support the netting over the 25 foot X 50 foot chicken enclosure; the previous one was damaged beyond recovery by ice, snow, wind.
Saturday night was the reception for MaKenzie's wedding of last week. Was fun to visit with people.
Today Sandy and I had the opportunity to speak in sacrament meeting on the subject of temples. I brought in our computer chair for her to sit on while she spoke and it worked fine. In Priesthood we had a great discussion on the subject of adversity; we are all subject to challenges of all types, that is part of our mortality. And it is because of the Savior that we can endure to the end.
We invited the missionaries for lunch, but actually served breakfast. Then we had a fudge making class for them. And the best time to eat fudge is when it is still hot. Two young men who are brothers from church heard about the fudge making and asked if they could join us. Not sure what the real draw was, Katie or the fudge, but they came and stuck around for a while. Katie has been desirous of learning how to drive the Model A, and there was time for a short driving lesson and Mike and Joshua joined us. She does well with shifting and turning; stopping is the challenge. The A does not stop on a dime; more like a quarter.
Photos for the week:
New Pedestial sink at the rental house
Celebrating Katie's arrival with strawberry shortcake.
Katie's handiwork for the morning.
My handiwork for the day installing vinyl planking.
Modeling her new T Shirt (thank you to Savannah for the idea)
Sunday, March 3, 2019
Tragedy averted, almost...
Last Sunday afternoon I let the chickens out to debug the yard as is my habit in the afternoons. About 5 pm I went out to round them up since we had a dinner invite at a ward member's home, when my attention was diverted to a movement just outside the garden; it was a hawk taking flight about 40 feet from the back door. It was a rather impressive sight, until I saw the eight foot diameter of chicken feathers around what proved to be a now headless chicken. I disposed of the chicken, checked the coop. I only had a few minutes to search for any survivors, and although I called them, I found only two living birds hiding in the coop. We had an enjoyable evening with the Drakes and returned home to find six more chickens in the coop. By morning, the remaining three showed up. Who knows where they were hanging out. We are just happy the score ended up: Hawk: 1, chickens: 11.
Monday morning we conducted an inspection of the sister missionary's apartment, something we do each transfer (every 6 weeks). As always, they have a clean and respectable looking apartment. One of our sisters is returning home this week after serving 18 months. Then I went off to the rent house to do more painting. That night we held FHE and reviewed the Come Follow Me curriculum for the week which focused on Mathew 6 and 7.
Tuesday I was back at painting. Of course there are always other little items to tackle as well that seem to take time, but are important to get done when there is no tenant in the house. Sandy had her port flushed and the house passed it termite inspection that afternoon. We attended the Family History Center's monthly dinner and program they present. The topic this night was the states that joined the Union in the month of February (MA, A, OR), and included food from those three states . The food was delayed and so we ate later than expected. But it was a fun and interesting evening.
Wednesday Sandy went off to her wound healing center appointment while I went back to, yes, more painting. But fear not, progress is being made! This time Sandy had a nurse that has not attached her bag before and needed more direction from Sandy than normal. There is an art to this process and I suspect each patient has their own idiosyncrasies to deal with.
Thursday morning Sandy went off for her weekly visit with Clifford. That gave me time to get things organized for our trip and get the house ready for the forecasted inclement weather. Once she returned, we packed up the van and hit the road about 1 pm on the first leg of our trip that found us at Jonathan and Kristy's house that evening. We had a couple of planned stops on the way, to include one at Menard's to buy lights and a pedestal sink for the rent house I am painting; they had just what we needed and the price was reasonable. Then onto Lumber Liquidator in Springfield to purchase some flooring. Unfortunately, they did not have sufficient flooring in stock of the pattern, and price, we liked. Argh!! This was one reason we made this trip; we can't go home empty handed. So we assuaged our disappointment by stopping at Andy's Frozen Custard for treats. It's 30 degrees outside and we are eating frozen custard?! It was most tasty!!
Then onto Jonathan's in time for a tasty home cooked meal. We enjoy our time with their family although much too short.
Friday we enjoyed the warmth of the Fox home before heading out into the cold prior to noon to the Kansas City Temple. A young woman we have known for almost 10 years was to be sealed on Saturday and we wanted to be in attendance. Enroute, we stopped at a Home Depot (the joy of smart phones in finding places while on the road) and found some flooring we liked. But alas, they didn't have enough. They checked the Mountain Home store and discovered they had that pattern in an adequate quantity. So we ordered it and paid for it and will pick it up at our local store on Monday.
We had time to get to the Temple to do a session. Always a great spirit in the Temple.
Then off to Five Guys for a burger and fries before checking in at our motel for a quiet night.
Saturday we did not set an alarm but were up early anyway. Enjoyed our breakfast and then headed to the Temple for a session followed by the sealing. I commented to the groom's father that his hair was shorter than the son's who is in the Army. His dad responded that he too was in the Army and chose to keep his hair shorter. Turns out that following 9/11, with a wife and six children he left his job as an engineer and enlisted in the Army; two years later he became an officer. Only one of those six is still at home. The bride is MaKenzie Pennington and she had not previously been to the temple for her own endowment. This was a special day for her parents because another of their daughters who had danced to the beat of her own drum decided it was time for her to go to the temple, and so at the last minute she was able to fly in and join her sister at the temple. Mom was all smiles. Following the sealing, Sandy and I did not stay for pictures; the temperatures were in the mid 20's with strong winds. We headed home for the five hour drive, with stops for dinner and at Aldi's.
The weatherman had been calling for snow and freezing temperatures starting early Sunday morning. We did receive some snow just before leaving for church, but it was ALL gone when we left the building. Sigh.
The flowers and trees seem confused by the non committal weather.
Monday morning we conducted an inspection of the sister missionary's apartment, something we do each transfer (every 6 weeks). As always, they have a clean and respectable looking apartment. One of our sisters is returning home this week after serving 18 months. Then I went off to the rent house to do more painting. That night we held FHE and reviewed the Come Follow Me curriculum for the week which focused on Mathew 6 and 7.
Tuesday I was back at painting. Of course there are always other little items to tackle as well that seem to take time, but are important to get done when there is no tenant in the house. Sandy had her port flushed and the house passed it termite inspection that afternoon. We attended the Family History Center's monthly dinner and program they present. The topic this night was the states that joined the Union in the month of February (MA, A, OR), and included food from those three states . The food was delayed and so we ate later than expected. But it was a fun and interesting evening.
Wednesday Sandy went off to her wound healing center appointment while I went back to, yes, more painting. But fear not, progress is being made! This time Sandy had a nurse that has not attached her bag before and needed more direction from Sandy than normal. There is an art to this process and I suspect each patient has their own idiosyncrasies to deal with.
Thursday morning Sandy went off for her weekly visit with Clifford. That gave me time to get things organized for our trip and get the house ready for the forecasted inclement weather. Once she returned, we packed up the van and hit the road about 1 pm on the first leg of our trip that found us at Jonathan and Kristy's house that evening. We had a couple of planned stops on the way, to include one at Menard's to buy lights and a pedestal sink for the rent house I am painting; they had just what we needed and the price was reasonable. Then onto Lumber Liquidator in Springfield to purchase some flooring. Unfortunately, they did not have sufficient flooring in stock of the pattern, and price, we liked. Argh!! This was one reason we made this trip; we can't go home empty handed. So we assuaged our disappointment by stopping at Andy's Frozen Custard for treats. It's 30 degrees outside and we are eating frozen custard?! It was most tasty!!
Then onto Jonathan's in time for a tasty home cooked meal. We enjoy our time with their family although much too short.
Friday we enjoyed the warmth of the Fox home before heading out into the cold prior to noon to the Kansas City Temple. A young woman we have known for almost 10 years was to be sealed on Saturday and we wanted to be in attendance. Enroute, we stopped at a Home Depot (the joy of smart phones in finding places while on the road) and found some flooring we liked. But alas, they didn't have enough. They checked the Mountain Home store and discovered they had that pattern in an adequate quantity. So we ordered it and paid for it and will pick it up at our local store on Monday.
We had time to get to the Temple to do a session. Always a great spirit in the Temple.
Then off to Five Guys for a burger and fries before checking in at our motel for a quiet night.
Saturday we did not set an alarm but were up early anyway. Enjoyed our breakfast and then headed to the Temple for a session followed by the sealing. I commented to the groom's father that his hair was shorter than the son's who is in the Army. His dad responded that he too was in the Army and chose to keep his hair shorter. Turns out that following 9/11, with a wife and six children he left his job as an engineer and enlisted in the Army; two years later he became an officer. Only one of those six is still at home. The bride is MaKenzie Pennington and she had not previously been to the temple for her own endowment. This was a special day for her parents because another of their daughters who had danced to the beat of her own drum decided it was time for her to go to the temple, and so at the last minute she was able to fly in and join her sister at the temple. Mom was all smiles. Following the sealing, Sandy and I did not stay for pictures; the temperatures were in the mid 20's with strong winds. We headed home for the five hour drive, with stops for dinner and at Aldi's.
The weatherman had been calling for snow and freezing temperatures starting early Sunday morning. We did receive some snow just before leaving for church, but it was ALL gone when we left the building. Sigh.
The flowers and trees seem confused by the non committal weather.
Sunday, February 24, 2019
What we did this week in Arkansas
Monday I enlisted Dan's help to unload my trailer with the left overs of the neighbor's former bathroom and construction waste at the local transfer station. There was 2200 pounds of stuff from this upgrade project that she is having done on her bathroom. Having help was a big blessing to me. We even took Alex and Ethan. At home, Miranda was thoughtfully cleaning the house on her way home with her four children, as Dan then left to go to work. And I was able to get a new temporary crown installed; this one fits much better. Sandy and I have been using Monday nights to review the Come Follow Me lesson for the week and have benefited from this weekly study. Besides individual scripture reading, we have been reading the New Testament together each evening.
This was breakfast; Rebecca got us a cute waffle iron and we just had to try it out!
Tuesday I started on Rebecca's house by prepping the walls for painting and removing the floor on the porch. Then off to Home Depot to buy materials to complete the work. In the afternoon, Sandy and I attended the viewing of a 70 year old sister that had recently passed away unexpectedly. She was one of several children of Hawaiian parents who married a Navy man who treated her with great respect. She always sat in the back row of church with the traditional flower in her hair.
Wednesday I was back at the rent house. Used three tubes of caulking to seal cracks between walls and molding and other areas. Just gives it a more finished look. Also removed three of the cheap looking ceiling fans; they are destined for the Salvation Army. Lesson learned: with a very popcorn ceilings and poor housekeeping, ceiling fans tend to pull dirt to the ceiling. These fans will be replaced with lights only.
Thursday I was able to get the three bedroom, dining room and kitchen ceilings painted. Big improvement. Also repaired the floor under the washing machine area.
We had planned to drive to Andy's Friday noon to spend the weekend. Aaron and Katie both had state finals for their school swim team on Saturday. Andy had mentioned they were short of back up timers, so he signed me up. He is also in charge of the computerized scoring system for these meet. Friday morning we received a text, followed by a phone call. One of the girls was sick and it was probably not a good idea for Sandy to be in the same house for the weekend. So that modified our plans some. I went back to working on the house for most of the day. On one half of this house, which includes the dining room, kitchen and laundry room (about 31 feet long by 8 feet wide), the ceiling is fiber board (not drywall). It was starting to pull away at the seams and reattaching it was not effective. So I bought some 1x6, ripped them to 3 inches and routed the edges so they could be attached to the ceiling to overlap the seams. I got this project completed in addition to painting the living room and laundry room ceilings painted. Ceilings are all done! They are literally a pain in my neck. Sandy had her weekly visit from home health. Her favorite nurse came and spent a long time just visiting.
I was up early Saturday to drive to Russellville arriving by 8am. Lots of fog. Andy and I drove to the pool; he got his equipment set up and I was retrained on the timers responsibilities. The pool has 8 lanes, each requires two timers with stop watches. Times are recorded and used only if the computer scoring malfunctions. I was paired up with a young lady who just happens to be a member of the church and knows the local Fox family. Interesting that Mountain Home is in this swim team district and yet I was there to support Russellville. Both Katie and Aaron improved times and were pleased with their respective races. The youth stayed to clean up and Andy had to store his equipment. I went to the car and took a nap. We came home and the two youth showered and changed to drive to Little Rock for a multi stake Super Saturday dance. Andy took me across the street to a neighbor that needs a wheel chair ramp build and installed. We looked at how he can accomplish this and then entered the house to retrieve a recently purchased wheel chair so we could assemble it. Unfortunately, the owner forgot to silence the alarm. It was very loud. Andy did not have their phone number to alert them, so we took the chair, closed the doors and left - with the alarm still blaring. A few minutes later, back at his house, we heard a siren. Then it went quiet and a minute later a Marshall pulled up into the driveway. I don't know the outcome of that episode, because I needed to head home. 2.5 hours later I was at our house. Sandy had survived the day without incident.
Today was church. Good talks in sacrament on the importance of the temple. One of the speakers, McKenzie, will be sealed in the Kansas City Temple this next Saturday and she shared her preparation for being worthy to do so. And said that although she dated non members, all of them knew her standards because they were interviewed by her dad who went over the For the Strength of Youth guidelines.
Sandy update: She continues to amaze me! Her strength and fortitude in an otherwise overwhelming situation is nothing short of a miracle. New developments: after being on the Protocel for over four weeks without any measureable improvement, she started losing weight. She has gone back to her previous routine. It was encouraging that when she saw Clifford on Thursday that he had good things to say about her progress inspite of her losing a couple of pounds this week. Tuesday will be the one year anniversary of her cancer diagnosis.
We had a lot of rain this month, over 8 inches; the ground is so saturated additional rain only pools on top of the ground or runs off. Notice our new swamp land.
Things of significance (at least to me) accomplished this week: I got the new gas gauge installed in the Model A; after 89 years, the cork in the old one was having issues. Problem now is that the new ring is shiny and the surrounding area is tarnished with age. Like getting your hair done and not putting on makeup.
This was breakfast; Rebecca got us a cute waffle iron and we just had to try it out!
Wednesday I was back at the rent house. Used three tubes of caulking to seal cracks between walls and molding and other areas. Just gives it a more finished look. Also removed three of the cheap looking ceiling fans; they are destined for the Salvation Army. Lesson learned: with a very popcorn ceilings and poor housekeeping, ceiling fans tend to pull dirt to the ceiling. These fans will be replaced with lights only.
Thursday I was able to get the three bedroom, dining room and kitchen ceilings painted. Big improvement. Also repaired the floor under the washing machine area.
We had planned to drive to Andy's Friday noon to spend the weekend. Aaron and Katie both had state finals for their school swim team on Saturday. Andy had mentioned they were short of back up timers, so he signed me up. He is also in charge of the computerized scoring system for these meet. Friday morning we received a text, followed by a phone call. One of the girls was sick and it was probably not a good idea for Sandy to be in the same house for the weekend. So that modified our plans some. I went back to working on the house for most of the day. On one half of this house, which includes the dining room, kitchen and laundry room (about 31 feet long by 8 feet wide), the ceiling is fiber board (not drywall). It was starting to pull away at the seams and reattaching it was not effective. So I bought some 1x6, ripped them to 3 inches and routed the edges so they could be attached to the ceiling to overlap the seams. I got this project completed in addition to painting the living room and laundry room ceilings painted. Ceilings are all done! They are literally a pain in my neck. Sandy had her weekly visit from home health. Her favorite nurse came and spent a long time just visiting.
I was up early Saturday to drive to Russellville arriving by 8am. Lots of fog. Andy and I drove to the pool; he got his equipment set up and I was retrained on the timers responsibilities. The pool has 8 lanes, each requires two timers with stop watches. Times are recorded and used only if the computer scoring malfunctions. I was paired up with a young lady who just happens to be a member of the church and knows the local Fox family. Interesting that Mountain Home is in this swim team district and yet I was there to support Russellville. Both Katie and Aaron improved times and were pleased with their respective races. The youth stayed to clean up and Andy had to store his equipment. I went to the car and took a nap. We came home and the two youth showered and changed to drive to Little Rock for a multi stake Super Saturday dance. Andy took me across the street to a neighbor that needs a wheel chair ramp build and installed. We looked at how he can accomplish this and then entered the house to retrieve a recently purchased wheel chair so we could assemble it. Unfortunately, the owner forgot to silence the alarm. It was very loud. Andy did not have their phone number to alert them, so we took the chair, closed the doors and left - with the alarm still blaring. A few minutes later, back at his house, we heard a siren. Then it went quiet and a minute later a Marshall pulled up into the driveway. I don't know the outcome of that episode, because I needed to head home. 2.5 hours later I was at our house. Sandy had survived the day without incident.
Today was church. Good talks in sacrament on the importance of the temple. One of the speakers, McKenzie, will be sealed in the Kansas City Temple this next Saturday and she shared her preparation for being worthy to do so. And said that although she dated non members, all of them knew her standards because they were interviewed by her dad who went over the For the Strength of Youth guidelines.
Sandy update: She continues to amaze me! Her strength and fortitude in an otherwise overwhelming situation is nothing short of a miracle. New developments: after being on the Protocel for over four weeks without any measureable improvement, she started losing weight. She has gone back to her previous routine. It was encouraging that when she saw Clifford on Thursday that he had good things to say about her progress inspite of her losing a couple of pounds this week. Tuesday will be the one year anniversary of her cancer diagnosis.
Things of significance (at least to me) accomplished this week: I got the new gas gauge installed in the Model A; after 89 years, the cork in the old one was having issues. Problem now is that the new ring is shiny and the surrounding area is tarnished with age. Like getting your hair done and not putting on makeup.
Sunday, February 17, 2019
Life in the Arkansas lane.
Monday Sandy had her visit with the oncologist. He confirmed the results of her last CT scan in January. No new growth, but there is slight growth in the previously effected areas. So life continues.
Tuesday we attended the viewing of a sweet sister from Hawaii that suddenly passed away with heart complications. Sandy had been her visiting teacher for many years.
Wednesday I had a morning appointment with the dentist. Two of my molars seem to be parting ways, resulting in a space between the two that collects food that causes problems. The purpose of the visit was to prepare the tooth for a crown and install a temporary one while they make a permanent one. They numbed my jaw and it was dead for at least five hours. And while I was hungry, it was almost impossible to eat (awkward just chewing on one side and not being able to taste due to a dead tongue), and for fear of biting my lip - which I still managed to do. And I baked cookies to take to the nurses at the wound healing center for Sandy's afternoon appointment. And I couldn't even sample them! At the wound healing center, the doctor thought the wounds were healing nicely and thought that the smaller incision was healed over. So the nurse installed the bag so it didn't cover that spot.
Thursday morning Sandy had her regular visit with Clifford. That afternoon a friend came over and we spent 2.5 hours working on the door mechanism of the truck. About the time he went home, we were able to get the door handle and lock to function properly. I still needed two linkage clips and the job would be done. We celebrate Valentine's Day quietly. Sandy had flowers, but no candy or chocolate for her.
Friday I was up early to travel to the St Louis Temple. The truck battery was dead, again. So I did not drive it to church. With the door panel off, the shut off button for the dome light can't be depressed, so the light stays on and drains the battery. A lesson learned too late for Friday morning usage of the truck. So I took the van. We had 10 of us for this trip. The weather for Missouri included 1-3 inches of snow in the afternoon. We decided it best to leave the temple at 2pm; good thing since there was already an inch of snow on the ground. Traffic was slower due to the blowing snow. We saw at least six vehicles in the median, some of which had rolled. Water would freeze on the wiper blades and we had to stop a couple of times to clear the ice so the wipers would keep the windshield clear. Two hours from home, the snow changed to light sleet and then a drizzle.
While I was at the temple, Sandy discovered her bag was leaking. Fortunately the home health nurse was coming that day and so she changed the bag. However, withing an hour it was showing signs of leakage. So Sandy called Wanda back. And that is when they discovered that the smaller of the two incisions, that we thought was healed over completed, really isn't. So the bag needs to be cut to allow for drainage from both incisions.
Saturday I got the truck door reassembled and now the truck is ready to use. Andy and his family (minus Katie and Aaron) arrived about 1030am. Then Miranda's family arrived about 2pm. Andy helped get the gas drained from the Model A so we could replace the gas gauge which was reading improperly. It is a floating gauge with a cork. For being 89 years old, it served well. Kera made fajitas for dinner and then we had to play the obligatory game of 5 Crowns. Winners of this game will not be announced here! And desert was the decadent chocolate cake I had bid on the previous week.
While enjoying my slice, I crunched on a piece of my temporary crown and now have a hole in my tooth; I am not a happy camper. Obviously the soft cake didn't dislodge the crown. Now I need to return on Monday to get it fixed.
Today was church. The choir was singing and I invited Dan, Miranda and Kera to join us. Their voices were appreciated! Because family was coming this weekend, I thawed the turkey that had been residing in the freezer, Kera did the dressing, the sister missionaries made the green been casserole, Miranda made rolls, and I did the potatoes; so we had a scrumptious meal. Andy and family left about 4pm and Miranda's family will leave tomorrow. Not all schools recognize the same holidays.
We hope all of you are a great week!
Tuesday we attended the viewing of a sweet sister from Hawaii that suddenly passed away with heart complications. Sandy had been her visiting teacher for many years.
Wednesday I had a morning appointment with the dentist. Two of my molars seem to be parting ways, resulting in a space between the two that collects food that causes problems. The purpose of the visit was to prepare the tooth for a crown and install a temporary one while they make a permanent one. They numbed my jaw and it was dead for at least five hours. And while I was hungry, it was almost impossible to eat (awkward just chewing on one side and not being able to taste due to a dead tongue), and for fear of biting my lip - which I still managed to do. And I baked cookies to take to the nurses at the wound healing center for Sandy's afternoon appointment. And I couldn't even sample them! At the wound healing center, the doctor thought the wounds were healing nicely and thought that the smaller incision was healed over. So the nurse installed the bag so it didn't cover that spot.
Thursday morning Sandy had her regular visit with Clifford. That afternoon a friend came over and we spent 2.5 hours working on the door mechanism of the truck. About the time he went home, we were able to get the door handle and lock to function properly. I still needed two linkage clips and the job would be done. We celebrate Valentine's Day quietly. Sandy had flowers, but no candy or chocolate for her.
Friday I was up early to travel to the St Louis Temple. The truck battery was dead, again. So I did not drive it to church. With the door panel off, the shut off button for the dome light can't be depressed, so the light stays on and drains the battery. A lesson learned too late for Friday morning usage of the truck. So I took the van. We had 10 of us for this trip. The weather for Missouri included 1-3 inches of snow in the afternoon. We decided it best to leave the temple at 2pm; good thing since there was already an inch of snow on the ground. Traffic was slower due to the blowing snow. We saw at least six vehicles in the median, some of which had rolled. Water would freeze on the wiper blades and we had to stop a couple of times to clear the ice so the wipers would keep the windshield clear. Two hours from home, the snow changed to light sleet and then a drizzle.
While I was at the temple, Sandy discovered her bag was leaking. Fortunately the home health nurse was coming that day and so she changed the bag. However, withing an hour it was showing signs of leakage. So Sandy called Wanda back. And that is when they discovered that the smaller of the two incisions, that we thought was healed over completed, really isn't. So the bag needs to be cut to allow for drainage from both incisions.
Saturday I got the truck door reassembled and now the truck is ready to use. Andy and his family (minus Katie and Aaron) arrived about 1030am. Then Miranda's family arrived about 2pm. Andy helped get the gas drained from the Model A so we could replace the gas gauge which was reading improperly. It is a floating gauge with a cork. For being 89 years old, it served well. Kera made fajitas for dinner and then we had to play the obligatory game of 5 Crowns. Winners of this game will not be announced here! And desert was the decadent chocolate cake I had bid on the previous week.
While enjoying my slice, I crunched on a piece of my temporary crown and now have a hole in my tooth; I am not a happy camper. Obviously the soft cake didn't dislodge the crown. Now I need to return on Monday to get it fixed.
Today was church. The choir was singing and I invited Dan, Miranda and Kera to join us. Their voices were appreciated! Because family was coming this weekend, I thawed the turkey that had been residing in the freezer, Kera did the dressing, the sister missionaries made the green been casserole, Miranda made rolls, and I did the potatoes; so we had a scrumptious meal. Andy and family left about 4pm and Miranda's family will leave tomorrow. Not all schools recognize the same holidays.
We hope all of you are a great week!
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