MARSHA'S BACK IN HOUSTON…TIME TO ROLL

Thursday, December 29 – Just a short blog to tell all our family and friends that Marsha arrived at Bush Airport 20 minutes early…WHAT…EARLY? Her plane touched down at 12:10 a.m. this morning. We gathered her luggage, drove home and talked for a short time. She was all wound up, but Paul was ready to hit the sack.  Paul said…we can talk all you want tomorrow. Marsha…that will never happen!

A bit about Marsha's doctor appointment on Tuesday. The doctor was on vacation so she saw the nurse practitioner. Marsha said she was very nice. The NP looked at the stiches but told Marsha they all must dissolve on their own. She did help a couple along by cutting the knots off of them. Marsha expressed that she was very happy with her left eye and how much more open it is. What a difference it has made in her sight, but she was concerned about all the swelling in the right one. The NP assured Marsha that it may take up to THREE MONTHS before all the swelling is gone. The NP's only concern was the amount of swelling still below both eyes. She said the amount Marsha had was more than normal. She would discuss it with the doctor when he called in the morning. She explained that doctor would do one of three things…
1. Do nothing…but that was unlikely to happen.
2. Prescribe a diuretic…Marsha explained that she can never take those because she was only born with one kidney.
3. Prescribe a Medrol Pak…Marsha explained that she can only take a short term dosage…again due to her kidney.

The doctor did prescribe the Medrol Pak. She began them today. She should see results by tomorrow afternoon. She…of course…can not wait.

Her only restrictions for the next four weeks are no strenuous exercise, running or other activity. She can work out at a low-key level…no sit-ups, crunches are any head up and down activities. She is not to use any lotion or creams around her eyes. She said she can live with these.

Thursday evening picture.

We are off tomorrow morning for Mission, TX, our home base for the next two months. We spent last winter here and really enjoyed all the friends we made. We are looking forward to the warm weather, all the super activities, and seeing our friends again.

Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see ya'll back real soon. Have a great day!

ANOTHER WONDERFUL, BLESSED CHRISTMAS

Tuesday, December 27 – The Weavers and Wadsworths celebrated another glorious Christmas together.

The stockings were hung by the coffee table with care…and bulging with gifts. The extra little snowman stocking Santa left for Kelly's boyfriend, Dave.

It looks like a couple of girls were pretty good this year.

Before we opened gifts, we made a Skype call to Paul and Bella. It was a wonderful way to wish him a Merry Christmas. Marsha's dad had never heard of Skype and was just amazed the entire time we talked.

We showed you a picture with Carrie's favorite gift, the Kitchen Aid Mixer…here is Kelly's…

The girls gave us car mats for the front and back. A HUGE gift that we were going to purchase in Mission. They then gave Marsha several other wonderful gifts. THANKS again, girls, for the super gifts. Once Marsha and the girls opened gifts at dad's house, they headed for Rickie's house, Marsha's brother. They didn't have to go to far; his backyard butts up against dad's.

Marsha made baskets for everyone…those pictures will come in a future blog…but she also made one special gift for her sister, Stacie. Stacie was diagnosed with breast cancer just last November. She is only 40. Marsha's gift…a prayer shawl for comfort and hope for the future. Stacie was very happy to receive the gift.

Each year, we kids rack our brains trying to find something to get our dad for Christmas. Last year it was a new TV…this year a new tiller. Boy was he surprised and sooooooo happy to receive it.  That should make putting in his garden this spring a little bit more enjoyable.

Marsha's Godchild and nephew, Keith, was so fired up to receive his gift from her.

Can you guess what is inside….remember he is only 30…

Great Lakes Christmas Ale. This is a beer locally brewed that only comes out for two weeks during the Christmas season. We never knew beer could cost so much!! But, Keith says it is the best gift he ever received…his standards aren't set very high.

We all received way more than what we deserved, but no one volunteered to give it back. Tons of food was consumed, and the traditional holiday photos were taken.

Carrie, Marsha and Kelly

From our family to yours….We wish you a happy and healthy New Year!!!

One last photo…an update on Marsha's progress. Each day the swelling goes down. She is still pretty bruised under her eyes, and even though you can't tell it from the photo, she has lots of stitches that haven't dissolved. She feel great and thanks everyone for their prayers and well wishes. She sees the doctor on Wednesday.

Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see ya'll back real soon. Have a great day!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Sunday, December 25

Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see ya'll back real soon. Have a great day!

ON THE ROAD TO RECOVERY

Tuesday, December 20 – Warning…there are photos in this blog of Marsha's surgery. Hopefully they won't gross any of you out!

Marsha's surgery on Friday went very well. Hopefully, this will correct the problems that were beginning to affect her vision. She had to have both upper and lower lids corrected increasing the expose to the eye. Dr. Shah told her that after all the swelling goes down, her lids will be even. She should have 100% of her field of vision back. To say the least, she is thrilled! The surgery took a little over a hour and a half. Our sister-in-law, Chris, took Marsha to the hospital and brought her home. Chris works in recovery at one of the local hospitals and was able to ask the doctor all the right questions. Nice to have a nurse in the family!

This is what she looked like when she first arrived home. She looks terrible but HAD NO PAIN AT ALL!

She has to put cold compresses/frozen peas on her eyes every 20 min. on and 20 min. off. Her eyes were so swollen, and the stitches were very tight. These caused some discomfort, but no pain. She didn't take any Vicodin the first day. What a miracle.

One of the biggest challenges is sleeping. She must keep her head erect. No lying down or on her side. Her back is hurting from just sitting in the same position. She has to try to sleep in this position for at least a week.

This is one day after surgery.

On Sunday morning, she woke up to more swelling than she thought her face could take. Our daughter, Kelly, and Marsha's dad thought she might need to go to the emergency room. Before they did that, Marsha decided to do at least two rounds of compresses and her frozen peas. After the second 20 min., some of the swelling in the left eye started to go down. It continued to go down the rest of the day. It was the third day after surgery, and usually that is the worst day for her.

It is now Tuesday, and she is feeling much much better. Sleep is not coming easily to her. She does doze off and on all day. She isn't allowed to put any more ice on her eyes. Nature has to take over from here. She doesn't like it, but she isn't permitted to go to the gym or do any strenuous work for a couple of weeks. She has a follow-up appointment next Tuesday before flying back to Houston on Wednesday.

The latest picture. Getting better slowly.

Thanks so much for your prayers, best wishes and love. It surely helped with the surgery!

HAPPY HANUKKAH to all our dear Jewish friends!

Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see ya'll back real soon. Have a great day!

 

MOTOR HOME MAINTENANCE

Thursday, December 15 – Paul had RV Mobile Lube of Houston out to the Elks Lodge RV Park this morning at 8 a.m. to change the motorhome oil, filter, and lubrication.

We've had this company before and you can read all about it HERE. We are very happy with their service and recommend them to anyone looking to have service done while in the Houston area.

While greasing of the chassis, the fellow looks everything over underneath the vehicle.

He found two items he called Paul's attention to that need further investigation. A minor one consisting of a wheel weight that is coming loose on the inside of a front tire. These are placed there when the tires are balanced. We were unable to remove it or hammer it back in place. The tire will have to be deflated for this and that's a job for a tire repair facility.

The other area needing attention is a little more serious. The last couple times we traveled, we noticed a propane smell when braking. We thought we had a propane leak and Paul sprayed soapy water on the lines but was unable to find a leak. He then searched on line and found a fellow that said to look for an oil leak dripping on the brakes. Sure enough, the service technician found it today. The seal on the front left tire bearing is leaking.

We filled the reservoir with bearing lube and will have to get this taken care of in the very near future.

We'll either find a front-end/suspension shop here in the Houston area to repair it or wait till we are in Mission, TX, to have the work completed. Paul knows what to watch and how to add additional oil if need.

Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see ya'll back real soon. Have a great day!

GOINGS ON IN TEXAS AND OHIO

Saturday, December 10 – Marsha is flying home to Ohio this morning for the holidays. With winter in full effect.....there could be SNOW in Ohio......so, Paul chose to hang out in Houston until Marsha returns.

Actually, Marsha has two reasons for returning to Ohio. Not only will she be sharing Christmas with her dad, brothers and sister and two daughters, but she will also be having eye surgery. As mentioned in a previous post, when we were in Ohio this fall for visits and doctor appointments, the doctor decided that her drooping eyelids were now affecting her vision. Unfortunately, insurance approval took time so surgery was scheduled to coincide with her holiday visit. She will be going “under the knife” on December 16, so keep her in your prayers.

This morning, Marsha will be flying out of Bush International Airport and arriving in Akron/Canton Airport later this afternoon. The plane was right on time.

What a GREAT day to fly!

OH NO…the GREAT day didn't last long. This is what it looked like when she was approaching Chicago…YUCK!

Chicago is beautiful from the air.

But good-old Ohio pulled through…clear skies, no snow.

Our daughter, Kelly, will be there to greet her. Carrie will fly to Ohio later in the month to join the family for Christmas. It should be a very enjoyable Christmas for the gals!

On Friday, we exchanged Christmas gifts. Marsha won't post her picture because she is too self-conscience about her eyes. But Paul is a gamer. He finally asked and received a gift from Marsha that the kids and Marsha have been bugging him about…A BIKE HELMET!!!

He had to check out how well it would protect his head.

 

Tuesday, December 13 – We recently received a recall notice for our new Honda CRV. It involves a needed computer adjustment necessary for improved fuel economy. We are currently getting about 25 mpg so any improvement would be a bonus. Called Gillman Honda, located about a mile from the Elks Lodge where we are parked, and they were able to get me in the first thing this morning. Paul will wait around the dealership while adjustments are completed.

The Service Recall only took about 30 minutes and Paul was on his way. He really liked the way this dealership service area was arranged. Drive-up entry where the information is written up.

They have a nice waiting room with coffee and free popcorn and newspapers, and a large window over-looking the service area so you can watch the progress and servicing of your vehicle.

Our car is on the right in the forefront.

They also do a free multipoint inspection and have a free exterior car wash. Nice!

Back in Ohio…Marsha is busy visiting family, friends, baking cookies and shopping. She did all her pretesting on Tuesday. EKG, blood work, blood pressure, etc. all came back good. She won't know what time surgery will be until Thursday. She does know she needs to be there two hours before the surgery. The surgery takes about two and a half hours and recovery about two. Our sister-in-law, Chris, will take her and pick her up. This way if the weather is bad Marsha's dad doesn't have to drive. The nurse made the strangest request. She told Marsha to purchase two bags of frozen peas. She explained that the package of peas would conform to the shape of her eyes much better than an ice pack. She is all set and really looking forward to getting her eyes done.

This will probably be our last post until she is feeling better. So until then, we wish you all a very MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY HANUKKAH.

Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see ya'll back real soon. Have a great day!

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr IT's COLD IN HOUSTON!!!!!

Wednesday, December 7 –  With the temperatures dipping to the low 30's overnight and the daytime temperatures struggling to get over 50 degrees, it's time to break out the Vanguard Blue Flame propane heater. We store this in the basement of the motor home during the warmer times of the year.

We run the overhead electric heat pump (part of our air conditioner) when we can, but once the temperatures drop below 40* it isn't very efficient. We prefer the electric heater because here at the Elks Lodge the electric service is figured into you $325 monthly rent. FREE electric!!!

This is how Paul and Bella stay warm in the morning. (Taken before we hooked up the Blue Flame heater).

RV furnaces are very inefficient and don't really put our enough heat. I've heard of RV'ers going through a whole tank of propane in a matter of days using the RV furnace. Our Blue Flame heater is VERY efficient. I think we only filled our propane tank twice last winter (of course we try to stay where temperatures don't drop too low).

These Blue Flame heaters are ventless, so one must be aware of the danger of fumes. It is recommended you crack open a window when using the ventless heaters. As a rule, we NEVER sleep with the ventless heater running. Paul is an early riser, so he turns it on in the morning before Marsha get out of bed. It's nice and toasty by the time Marsha is ready to greet the world.

If you're an RV'er and haven't check out the Blue Flame heaters, we recommend them and suggest to check them out as an economical alternative to the typical RV furnace.

Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see ya'll back real soon. Have a great day!

SOME EARLY CHRISTMAS GIFTS COME TO CARRIE

Tuesday, December 6 – Well the darn cold air from California has hit us. It is suppose to get down to 38 tonight.

As you can see, it is cold in places where it should be warm and warm in some places that shouldn't be enjoying our warmth.

We spent Marsha's last Saturday here with our daughter, Carrie. The girls spent a couple of hours decorating the house. Carrie has a HUGE Christmas Extravaganza this coming Saturday.

Two of Carrie's Christmas packages were too big for Marsha to take back to Ohio, so we celebrated an abbreviated "gift opening" celebration. Boy was Carrie surprised this year. Her first gift was from Paul.

What is that she is holding? A Virginia Tech Hokie Bird. It is a wind spinner. Here is a close up.

Her second gift was a real surprise to her.

She has asked several times for a Kitchen Aid mixer but knew it was too expensive a gift. BUT…when we were in Foley, AL, they have a great outlet mall. One of the stores is Kitchen Collection. They carry Kitchen Aid refurbished commercial mixers. They were only used once in a kitchen demonstration and then sent back to the factory for refurbishing.  Well, if we were ever going to get one for her, it had to be now. The price was very good; the result PRICELESS!

Saturday evening we watched the Hokies play one of the most miserable games we have ever seen them play. Oh how painful it was to watch Clemson run all over them. VT was differently out coached!

After the loss, VT dropped from 5th to 11th in the BSC standing. Now here is the BIGGEST shocker of them all. Virginia Tech was picked to play in the Sugar Bowl against Michigan on January 3. When they made the announcement on ESPN, needless to say, a couple of the announcers were not very happy. Several higher ranked teams were overlooked. We can only speculate why they got chosen, but we are thrilled they did. They better not blow it this time!

Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see ya'll back real soon. Have a great day!

ROONEYISMS

Friday, December 2 – The weather has been beautiful here in Houston, BUT we are in for a big change. It is suppose to get down into the 30s beginning on Monday….BURRRRR!

If you like Andy Rooney or not, he had a gift of saying so much with so few words. If  you will take the time  to read these. I promise you'll come away  with an enlightened perspective. The subjects covered affect us all on a daily  basis. Hope you enjoy these.

I've  learned.... That the best classroom in the world is at the feet of an elderly person. 

I've learned.... That when you're in love, it shows. 

I've  learned.... That just one person saying to me, 'You've made my day!' makes  my day.

I've  learned.... That having  a child fall asleep in  your arms is one of the most peaceful  feelings in the world.

I've  learned.... That being kind is more important than being  right.

I've  learned.... That you  should never say no to a gift from a child. 

I've learned.... That I can always pray for  someone when I don't have the strength to help him in some other  way. 

I've learned.... That no matter how serious your life requires you to be, everyone needs a friend to act goofy with. 

I've learned.... That sometimes all a person needs is a hand to hold and a heart to understand. 

I've learned.... That simple walks with my father around  the block on summer nights when I was a child did  wonders for me  as an adult.

I've learned.... That life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer it gets to the end, the faster it goes.

I've learned.... That we should be glad God doesn't give us everything we ask for.

I've  learned.... That money doesn't buy class.

I've learned.... That it's those small  daily happenings that make life so spectacular. 

I've  learned....  That under  everyone's hard shell is someone who wants to be appreciated  and  loved.

I've learned.... That to ignore the facts does not  change  the facts.

I 've learned.... That when you plan to  get  even with someone, you are only letting that person continue  to hurt  you.

I've learned.... That love, not time, heals all  wounds.

I've learned.... That the easiest way for  me to grow as a  person is to surround myself with people smarter  than I am.

I've  learned.... That everyone you meet  deserves to be greeted with a  smile..

I've  learned.... That no one  is perfect until you  fall in love with them. 

I've learned... That life is tough, but I'm tougher. 

I've learned.... That opportunities are never  lost;  someone will take the ones you miss.

I've  learned....  That when  you harbor bitterness, happiness will dock elsewhere. 

I've learned.... That I wish I could have told my Mom  that I love her one more time before she passed away. 

I've learned.... That  one should keep his words both soft  and tender, because tomorrow he may  have to eat them. 

I've learned..... That a smile is an inexpensive  way to  improve your looks.

I've learned..... That when your  newly  born grandchild holds your little finger in his little fist, that you're hooked for life.

I've  learned.... That  everyone  wants to live on top of the mountain, but all the  happiness and growth  occurs while you're climbing it. 

I've learned.... That the less  time I have to work with, the more things I get done.

Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see ya'll back real soon. Have a great day!