Day +23 – beat the heat agenda

Wednesday August 8, 2012
Quail Run Lot 15
Wesley Chapel, Florida

 

Another slow morning.  I am up before sunrise but the sky is full of clouds.  No color but lots of humidity.  I stay outside anyway reading and writing.  David comes out and has some toast before his morning walk.

 

 

 

 

I wave to Jo Beth and Catherine as they go by on their walk.  They come back later on the “cool down” with Grace who apparently likes to chase the Lizards on the lot next door.

 

I come in and do some yoga to keep my shoulder stretching out after Catherine’s great massage.  I prefer yoga outside but too hot and sticky today. 

 

 

David is working on getting rid of some of the TONS of medical papers and information that have accumulated.  We may need to clean out a basement compartment to put it all in otherwise.

 

 

In the afternoon the park’s mowing crew is out in force.  David isn’t allowed around dirt or mowing of any kind so we have to be inside and turn off the AC until they get well away from the coach. 

About 3:15 the showers show up and somehow between both of these things and the 92 degree temperature and extreme humidity, he does not get out for walk #2 of three today.   He does sneak in two naps.  The sitting straight up in the chair kind.   And he does blow the spirometer all the way to the top the majority of the 10 times.   I get to about 2150 and have decided that my lungs aren’t as big as his.  Isn’t that probable since he’s 5’ 10” and I’m 5’ 0”?   Well that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

Today is not much other than a beat the heat day.  We are keeping  ourselves occupied with little things.  I make a cool salad for dinner and a second chocolate milk shake for David in order to get some weight back on him.  He’s not losing but he’s not gaining.  Between the two milkshakes there should be at least 1000 calories.   But what he really needs is about 3000 a day.  I don’t know how people who consume those many calories do that.  What must they be eating? 

 

 

Pasco County Mosquito Control calls David to notify him that they will be spraying the park tonight sometime between 8:30 and Midnight.  We have asked to be notified before they come so that David can be inside and can have his mask handy.  We have to be ready to jump up and turn off the Air Conditioning and get David his mask at whatever time they come.  Not fun if it happens after 10:00 when he goes to bed.   Thank goodness he was not here the night they arrived at 12:05am and woke me up.  Scared me to death is more like it.  I was awake for a couple of hours after that.  This is the first time he’s been here for this spraying other than once just after we arrived at the park.  I sure wish we didn’t have to be anywhere they were spraying  but everywhere around here, all the counties spray.

 

We go out for an evening walk a tad early because of this and enjoy the lights and “decorations” in the older section of the park.  It seems to have all the stately old trees and most of the yard art.  I’m looking for the gator in the small pond but haven’t seen him yet.  Hope I do before they “remove” him.   I take a few shots of the newer section.  See if you can tell which ones are from there.

 

 

David has abdominal pain when he gets up to go for the walk but he goes anyway thinking he might walk it off.  No such luck. Normally he walks pretty slowly as you can imagine, and tonight he’s even slower than usual but he does 30 minutes.  Over all, he’s making slow and steady progress.  He still has the abdominal pain, the swelling feet, peripheral neuropathy and fatigue, fatigue, fatigue.  But then he’s been through a great deal these last 8 months and he’s just gotten out of the hospital 12 days ago.

Around 8:35 we hear the loud noise of the mosquito patrol from Pasco County driving up and down all the roads in the park.  David is watching the Olympics and I turn off the AC, he gets his mask.  Life has definitely changed for him.