Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined.

Henry David Thoreau

Day +27 - Highlights

Sunday August 12, 2012
Quail Run RV Resort Lot 15
Wesley Chapel, Florida

 

I have to fess up.

Our days are becoming pretty mundane with this never ending heat and humidity.  Not enough has happened to blog about every day so I’ve grouped a couple of days together.   This is a good thing in that it means David is doing well or at least is doing as expected.  It’s a bad thing in that we are both becoming bored with having to be inside so much of the time.

 

BUT there are some highlights -
Like bandage becomes band-aid

 

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On Thursday the big bandage comes off the central line area and on goes a little band-aid. Big improvement He can now take a shower with no plastic cover up required and no gauze bandage to get wet. Much easier. Just like “normal”.

 

 

 

 

 

And a postcard for the mirror.

The other highlight of Thursday is the arrival of another postcard for the mirror.  If you don’t know what this is all about you must have missed the end of this post. Check it out and join in this effort to amuse the ‘stuck in one place and bored’.  J  

Whoo Hoo two postcards!

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This one comes from Deb Blodgett. Thank you Deb!!  It’s from a very very favorite place of mine especially for the summer, Chautauqua NY.
I spent 9 wonderful weeks working there several summers in a row.  If you have never heard of the Chautauqua Institution,  go to this link because you have really missed out on one of this country’s greatest places.  

 

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Starting in late June this small Victorian town on Chautauqua Lake becomes a summer culture camp for adults and families.  It is just impossible to explain what it’s like.  You really have to be there.  The country’s oldest book club started at Chautauqua and is still running, They choose a book for each week of the “season”, discuss it that week and the author visits to talk about the book.   Chautauqua has  a resident ballet company, a resident theater company, a resident symphony orchestra which performs in a 5000 seat open air amphitheater,  where there are also topics of discussion every day of the week. Each week is a different theme.

There is a music school, an arts school, day camps for children, a sailing school, a great movie theater and on and on and on.   CHECK IT OUT.

Thanks again Deb!!

 

If life is restricted, food becomes even more of a highlight.

 

On Friday it’s time to refill the pantry.  I spend $80 in short order at the grocery since David isn’t with me.  My favorite way to shop – stick to the list, in and out.  With all the fresh veggies we make a pizza for dinner.


I’m a no more than 3 toppings per pizza gal.  I like to be able to taste them individually if possible.  So you can see whose pizza this is.  It’s a wonder the thin and crispy crust could hold it all up.   This is a vegan pizza with no cheese and no oil.  Crust made from spelt flour with only water and yeast.

 

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And   ANOTHER  Postcard for the mirror!

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Judy Graves really wanted us to feel cool so she sent a postcard from Alaska.  She’s not actually in Alaska, she’s in Mt. Holly, N.C.  But she hoped to take a 6 month trip to Alaska in 2013.  I hope she didn’t send me her only inspirational postcard.  Thanks so much Judy.  This one is really COOL to look at!   I think I’ll just sit and stare at it and think glacier!

 

Day  26A 005

 

Today’s routine is the same as all the other days.

It’s Saturday but it could be any day.
I’m up at sunrise.  It’s 75 degrees outside already.  I go running.
About the time I get back from running, David goes out walking.
He gets back about when I’m finishing my weight lifting.
We have breakfast.
David sort of tries not to nap, sometimes he does not succeed.
We noodle around – read that as watch the Olympics, read blog posts, read blogs, read books, sort through papers and bills.
Time for lunch.

After lunch David walks again.
Tries harder not to nap.  Does not succeed

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It’s the same as other days, except as you see from David’s nap, today we get at least a short reprieve.

 

In the afternoon the clouds get dark. 

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The winds pick up.

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The temperature drops over 10 degrees.   Look at the time.

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YEA!!!   I can’t believe this.  I can sit outside in the middle of the afternoon.

It doesn’t rain actually until after dinner.  And the temperature doesn’t get this cool even then.

The mail has become a highlight the past two days so we’re optimistic for today too.   After his walk, David stops by the mailbox.

 

Abby’s Card FINALLY arrives!

Abby, David’s niece,  has had a very difficult time sending him a special card.  She sent it to the hospital but it was delivered the day after he was discharged.  And even though we were told that all mail would be sent down to the clinic since ALL patients go there every day or every other day for several weeks after discharge. 

But Noooooo  they didn’t send David’s mail to the clinic they sent it back to the sender.  We have no idea who else may have gotten things returned.  But Abby was very anxious for us to get this card SO she resent it to us here at the park and it FINALLY arrives.

It’s the second big event of the day (cool temps in the afternoon are definitely a big event).  Abby has sent not only a great card, with multiple address labels on the envelope, poor thing.  We’re SO sorry Abby.  BUT inside are 3 lottery tickets.  Two scratchers and a POWERBALL.   Oh boy…..I email Abby to tell her the card arrived and promise to share when we win big.

 

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Drum roll…….scratchers first.

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No matching numbers.  Oh well……….on to the next one.

 

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scratching so fast the camera can’t keep up.

Day  26A (17) Well not SO (spicy) hot actually….oh well!

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The Powerball really is the big deal.  This ticket was for July 25.   You can see how long it took poor Abby to get this to us.   I look up the winners on line.  He does have one number out of 6 but unless that’s the Powerball number you are out of luck.  

 

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This is actually why we don’t play the lottery.   Those of you who follow the blog heard me say the first thing I’ve ever won was in a give away on The Good Luck Duck blog.  I won TWO boxes of space bags.  I thought maybe my luck had changed with that win.  But apparently not.  Or maybe this is David’s luck.  The card was addressed to him.

In any case, thank you Abby for going to so much trouble to provide us with such a FUN piece of mail.  It really was a big highlight of the day.  Even if David doesn’t look  like it.

19 comments:

  1. yeahhhh a bandaid instead of a big bulky dressing....and a shower without plastic....the little things we take for granted eh?...glad your getting a reprieve from the heat even tho it is still pretty warm there..glad David is doing well..watch for mail from us :)....take care...

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  2. I'm glad to hear the temperature is becoming a little more tolerable there. I'm still waiting for winter!

    Who would even think about a band-aid making such a difference, but I can see how it does. Hope things keep getting better and better.

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  3. Glad to hear David continues to do well. How nice that the cooler temps allowed him to nap outside for a change. Being stuck inside definitely gets old after awhile.

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  4. Happy to see the hubby is getting better. I had wanted to be the first post card from Alaska, but I am a slacker. I did walk way too far today, so perhaps I will mail a card tomorrow. Boring is good in my lazy book.

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  5. Just glad to hear things are getting closer to "normal" and David is progressing as expected. But personally, I think David looks "MARVELOUS" :o))) Hang in there and you two will be back doing what you love!!

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  6. Boring now will lead to better times later ... patience is a virtue in this instance.

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  7. The little things in life...a band-aid, postcards, wayward cards. All giving smiles to very tired people. Glad things are getting back to some kind of normal (is there such a thing?) My prayers are still going for David's healing and peace for both of you. Glad the weather is trending a bit cooler.

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  8. It's the little things in life that add up to bigger ones. You should have asked everybody to send you a lottery ticket from their state! Just kidding....Normal is good, we'll take that. :-)

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  9. I've got a postcard for you....just need to get stamps! I promise it will be on it's way soon.

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  10. Yeah, I agree, this heat is getting old. I hope you two will be able to head north sometime very soon.

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  11. All the way down to that little band-aid! That is great :) So glad you are getting postcards and I think it was GREAT of Abby to send such a creative card - if you had won big, I can imagine the title of the blog post would have been quite different. Oh well...as you know, very few actually win at the lottery. It's all a matter of time now until normal is really 'nearly' normal again! Keep imagining better days - you're definitely over the hump at least! :) I hope Dad is sleeping better at night now that the naps aren't happening as easily - I'm going to take it as a positive sign...perhaps?!

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  12. I'm on my way to the post office in about five minutes. :) It's good to know that not posting everyday means things are moving along positively. I was beginning to wonder.

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  13. WAY TO GO - graduated to bandaids!!! Today my hubbie gets his stitches out...he'd really love to be getting rid of the sling as well (not happening)!
    My postcard headed your way...a little unconventional one but hope it adds some spice to your day! ~cozygirl

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  14. Sounds like it's time to celebrate the mundane days after all the challenging ones you two have endured. It's probably hard to see how far you have traveled on the road of recovery but your blog is a lasting testimony to the progress you have made. From bandages to a band-aid says it all!

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  15. HA! Uncle Dave's expression kind of looks like McKayla's unimpressed expression when she won the silver medal in gymnastics! So glad the card finally got there...And sorry for all the hassle that silly thing caused! :)

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  16. I think being bored is a very good thing! That means your life is getting closer to normal. We're all bored once in awhile! Can't always be a barrel of fun :)

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  17. Yes.... Roger says now that he is retired "every day is Saturday". Somehow though he manages to keep very busy every day. In fact, today he is out "tweaking" the fence so Yoda can't slip through. It's a pretty big job. DRAT! I wish you had won the lottery.... I know it doesn't happen... but "what if".... For now, we focus on one day at a time... baby steps... less fatigue... better sleeping patterns... no nausea... and some weight gain. Sending out something today that we sent to the hospital and was returned. Will get it in the mail today. I am sure the "dog days of summer" are magnified in Florida... but soon the temps will be much nicer there. Roger and I are very excited because for the very first time we are going to spend almost a month in Arizona... in February. Anxious to see why the snowbirds seem to flock there. Would like to see Taos, NM... but I think it is too cold there in Feb. Loving that band-aid on David... he wears it well. Far more fashionable than a big thing that had to be kept dry and made showering a challenge. Hope you receive interesting mail today... that is always fun!

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  18. Looks like the post office there will be busy with lots of post cards. We couldn't find one here in Roanoke Rapids but know that we are thinking that f you. I think boring is good when the recovery is going smoothly.
    Syl

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  19. I'm thinking you're gonna' need a bigger mirror...

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