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

Henry David Thoreau

The week that followed Disney

Sunday January 13 through Friday January 18, 2013
Site 40, Lithia Springs Park (sort of)
Lithia, Florida

 

 *If you haven’t read the 5 Disney posts, they are a lot more fun than this one.  Start HERE and read forward.

 

I’m going from extreme daily detail last week to a 6 day summary to cover this entire week - quickly.

 

Sunday January 13

I wake up with a scratchy throat.  This is a sign I recognize as prelude to a cold.  No doubt a gift from all the happy people with whom I have shared the last 5 days.


We leave Disney World at 11 am and drive I-4 straight West to Tampa.  Then on to I-75 straight south to Lithia Springs Campground.  We spent a lot of time here during David’s induction therapy so we are very familiar with the park.  We are able to get our favorite spot, Site 40 but they only take cash for their $18 a night w/e site and we only have enough cash to pay for 5 of the 8 nights we hope to be here.

 

Lithia springs site 40 364A

 

 

I love the river view out the dining room windows. I don’t think we’ve ever had another site that was right on the water like this one.  This is the Alafia River right at our doorstep.

Lithia springs site 40 369

 

 

I’m going from tons of fun last week to not so much this week.

 

Monday January 14


David has appointments at Moffitt.  We drive over for his 11:00 blood draw.  At 12:15 he talks to his doctor about how he’s been doing.  Dr. Shain asks him how he feels.  He says he feels nearly as well as he did before they told him he was sick and then gave him the therapy that made him feel terrible.

They order FIVE more immunizations in addition to his Zometa infusion.  He feels like a pin cushion.  They draw the blood from inside his left elbow.  The infusion is inside his right elbow.  Two of the vaccinations are in his right shoulder and three in his left shoulder. 

When he leaves there, he is all bandaged up.   His left shoulder is very sore tonight and tomorrow.  We are not surprised.   His comment is  “Good thing the body is self sealing against punctures unlike tires.”

We won’t know the real results of the blood tests for a week or ten days.

I start coughing. 

We stop at Whole Foods for $150 in groceries and proceed  on to my Father’s house for a number of things I have to do for him tomorrow.  

Winnona waits at Lithia Springs. 

I take advantage of free laundry to do two loads.  Do you remember those days?  Child comes to visit parents to do laundry?  Only neither of my parents are here.

 

 

Tuesday  January 15

I meet with the realtor in the morning and lower the price of my father’s house to try to get it sold. It’s been on the market since early November.  We have to do some cleaning since the folks who show it have been less than thoughtful in some cases.

I meet with one of his bankers to sign yet more papers in order to take over as trustee of his trust.

I meet with the clock specialist who packs my mother’s grandmother clock mechanism for shipping.

David gives Ruby a wash.

I meet with another banker at a different bank about getting better interest rates on my dad’s CDs

I meet with the clock shipping company and they take it away to send it to Colorado which is costing as much as the clock is worth.  But it was one of my mother’s prized possessions and the only thing other than his clothing that my father wanted to take with him when he moved into assisted living near my brother.

Finally the things I need to do here are finished.  We close up his house, turn off the water, the refrigerator, the hot water heater, close all the blinds, put the lights on the timer and fight the 5:00 traffic back to Tampa and then out of Tampa to Lithia Springs.  Forty Five Miles in total that takes nearly 2 hours.

BUT, we do stop on the way at Campbell’s Dairyland in Brandon for their Tuesday special.  A Banana Split for $3.01.  This one had 2 scoops of vanilla, one of chocolate and instead of chocolate, strawberry and pineapple sauces we had hot fudge, peanut butter and caramel.  With whipped cream, nuts and a cherry of course.  I did split this one with David. It’s the best bargain going in Brandon for sure.

 

Who knows 007

Who knows 004

I’m still coughing.  No fever, no chills, just tired and using hand sanitizer and wipes constantly.  David has gone back to doing the cooking in self defense.


 

I’m going from picture over kill last week to a word heavy post this week.


Wednesday  January 16

Slow morning.  I didn’t sleep well.  I don’t have much energy.  I feel better after I eat.  We get to the Tampa RV Show about noon. It’s a beautiful day.  The show is PACKED.  Why aren’t these people working??

We look at all the Winnebagos and then I have to go refuel.  We’ve brought our own lunch and find a picnic table in the shade. It’s 80 degrees. 

We look through the vendor buildings.  We talk to Thousand Trails.  Still can’t decide about that.  If we can become Florida Residents we really don’t need it since those aren’t the sorts of parks we normally stay in and the deal won’t be any better than the resident state park prices.  Florida State Parks are the kinds of places we like.  I say that because there is little to no good Boondocking in Florida.  Boondocking is my favorite way to camp. 

But Thousand Trails might help in New England if we can figure out how to manage his infusions and go there this summer.  New England was our destination after Florida last year only we never got to leave Florida.  So I’m still working on it.  If you have recommendations for great places to stay between Florida and Labrador let me know.

So we take the TT info to look at later. Right now my mind is too foggy to think clearly.   We look at alternative bike racks, we talk to the folks in Hudson about having the two bedroom windows defogged.  We look at new outdoor mats and decide we’ll just use the one we have until next year if it will  last that long. We’ll ignore the holes.  If you stop by, try to ignore them too.  I do find one I really like.  I just can’t throw something away that isn’t really trashed yet.  Hmmmm what does that say about me??

I am still coughing, still feeling fatigue unless I eat all the time.

 

Thursday January 17

We have a 10:20 appointment at Lazy Days to have those spots on the roof looked at to see if they are potential trouble.  David has a couple of other things for them to look at and advise.

We pack up Winnona and leave Lithia Springs AGAIN for the day.  We think.   Are we ever going to get to spend a day here in my favorite site??

David goes the wrong way on I-4 and is late for the appointment.  They have us down as a stay over not a wait.  This later seems prescient on their part.   They change it to wait.  We go over to Bob Evan’s because I’m hungry again and starting to fade.

After they have looked at everything, Lazy Days gives us their opinion.  Good grief!!  We agree to do half of it.  So now we are a stay over and are paying for the second night we haven’t used our site at Lithia Springs.  We have just spent the 4th day away from the lovely site.

I’m still coughing.  Still low on energy.   Luckily David hasn’t gotten it yet.

 

 

I think we’re getting a reality check for having so much easy fun last week.

 

Friday January 18

Winnona at Lazy Days

I have my worst night of not sleeping ever.  All I’m doing is coughing whether I’m lying down or sitting up.  The fact that it is as light as a sunny summer day inside the coach all night long in spite of our shades doesn’t help.  We sleep in the Lazy Days Bay where they keep every light blazing bright all night long.  If you go outside it could just as well be daytime.

 

Quite a difference in the view here and in site 40 at Lithia Springs

For Blog

We leave the rig at 8:00 am.  Unfortunately we aren’t Crown Club members so there is no super lounge or pool or great food.  We have to go back to Lithia Springs and either pick up the kayaks and the bikes and the herbs left there under the assumption that we would be back last night or pay for another night that we won’t actually be there.

Once we get there we see the park is filling up rapidly.  I had no idea Dr. King’s birthday was that much of a holiday but the park staff says it is.  I never had it off when I worked at the University.

So do we pick everything up and then look for a site for Saturday and Sunday nights?  Sounds iffy.   Or do we pay again for another night just to hold the site? The folks at Lazy Days have told us we’ll be out on Saturday but we have a lot of friends who have had service done here and have stayed for days and sometimes weeks.  What to do what to do!  This will make 3 nights we’ve paid for but haven’t used.

We compromise and pay for tonight and Saturday hoping we won’t have to come back on Sunday and collect the stuff.  Joe and his lovely wife are one of two camp host couples.  He says not to worry, he’ll watch our stuff.  So we pay to stay for a site here while we stay at Lazy Days.  But have a guaranteed spot if Lazy Days is true to their word.  Think positively right??

I’m coughing and still feeling tired.  David has errands to run so I ride along and wait in the car.  My alternative is to sit in the Lazy Days lounge.  I can nap better in the car.  It’s quieter.

I snack on the lunch we’ve packed and that helps push up my energy some.  We are back at Lazy Days waiting room by 2:30pm.  David goes in to listen to one of the seminars.  It’s on software for RVers.  He says we are woefully behind for former ITers.

There are several of the programs they offer that I would like to have seen.  They don’t do them on Saturdays unfortunately.  While he’s in the seminar, I work on this blog.

At 5:00, we go back to the coach and Barry LLoyd who’s in charge of our work tells us that they will have it out tomorrow “late afternoon”.  This is beginning to sound suspicious to me.   We are now going into our 3rd day for something they first said would be a one day deal.

Next we go into the coach or try to and the steps aren’t working.  We have never had any trouble with our steps.  Never, ever.

Thankfully Barry hasn’t left for the night.  He looks under the coach, he tries this and that and…….who knows.  I go up to the driver’s seat and find the key in the auxiliary position.  They have completely drained our battery.  Am I the only one who thinks this extremely careless and at the least shortens the life of your battery?  David says “ oh it’s no worse than leaving your lights on in a parking lot”.  Who is right here?   

Barry brings out a heavy duty charger and gets the engine started.  The steps still don’t work.  He tells us to leave it run for 10 minutes in this semi enclosed area. 

Idling for 10 minutes.  Talk about putting the crap in the atmosphere.   I am not a happy camper.  Give me a heads up here on why I should not be upset.   Ultimately the steps start working again.  He’s gone by then.

Later we notice that a few things I leave on surfaces that normally never fall off when either of us is driving are on the floor.  Nothing that could break so there is no damage that we have yet discovered.  But I wonder who was driving Winnona where to cause that?  

Beginning to wonder about Lazy Days.  The last work we had done was at the factory in Forest City where they treated our coach with the same respect we give it.   Buyer Beware I guess.   Wish we were part of the Crown Club but sadly we don’t have the coach or the bucks for that.  So far, there appears to be some difference in the service between “us” and “them”.  Guess you’d expect that.  Like a 5 Star hotel and the Red Roof Inn???  :-))

 

We settle in for another sleep attempt in the All Light All Night Inn. 

 

Hopefully once we get beyond this week of chores it will be smooth sailing for a while at least.

Since we’ve returned, we sure don’t like this “real world” nearly as well as that “Magic Kingdom”.

46 comments:

  1. Been at the All Night All Light Inn and that's no fun! Hope David's tests come out great. He sure looks great! Hope you get better from the coughin crud soon. I always worry about service centers, even Freightliner ones when we have work done. One Freightliner dealer changed our transmission fluid when we had only 5,000 miles on the coach. We got our money back later after protesting, but it always makes me nervous wondering what they are doing when inside your house. Do they drive the rig too fast when moving it around like the parking valet guys do with your car? And do they REALLY do everything they are supposed to? Who knows?

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    1. Thanks for the comment Jeannie. You are so right. Who knows whether they are doing what they say or not. They always seem to find things that need to be done Thank goodness for David who can actually check to see if they really did change the oil filter for instance. Who was it that said "trust but verify"??

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  2. Sorry to hear you've been so sick. I hope David gets some good news.

    We actually rode with our coach back and forth from the service bays most of the time and they always drove it very safely. I've also seen others being driven around and didn't notice any crazy driving. But, you know how that can go.

    Don't forget you can go over to the restaurant at Lazy Days for two free meals a day. They aren't much, but the price is right and they also have free drinks.

    I hope you get back to be able to enjoy your pretty site. it looks like the weather is warming back up thankfully.

    Don't forget to try Sweet Tomatos while you're in town.

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    1. Hi Karen, we are trying to be patient in waiting for David's numbers. Glad you had a good experience here. Sadly the free meals are a thing of the past. They "upgraded" the food we were told so now they charge for it. Not sure what "upgraded" means. We'll definitely get to Sweet Tomatos one day. Thanks for the advice.

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  3. We left Mouse Land last week and took a Boating Class the next day. Then we drove to Sarasota after I awoke with a sore throat. I was a sick puppy for days, but Kathy self entertained and did not catch it. I must have caught it from someone in the happiest place on Earth. It sure knocked what little energy I have, right out of me. I used Mucinex ( Fast-Max ) blue liquid. It works good for me to stop cough and gives me a very runny nose. I only use it in the day time and then I can sleep well at night. I have been completely well for two days and counting.
    We are in Homestead now and Kathy is in a class again. We will do Everglades South tomorrow and then North the next day.
    We have to go back to Sarasota so we will do the State park then.
    Hope you survive the RV repair bozos. I know the feeling.

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    1. Your crud sounds just like mine Tom. I'll look for this Mucinex and give it a try. I feel pretty good during the day but horrible at night. Thanks for the recommendation.

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  4. Oh my, definitely have Disney withdrawal :) Hope that everything turns out alright today and you are out of there soon so you can enjoy your favorite place.

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    1. Disney withdrawl. Love it! That's just it Laurie! Thanks for your good wishes.

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  5. Glad to be caught up.... not so glad that it has been a bumpy week. People think that it is all fun, all the time when RVing. Not so much. There certainly are the good days, bad days like life in general. I was just getting ready to shoot off an email to check on you. Here is hoping the coughing crude is short lived. Hang in there you two!!

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    1. Good to hear from you Karen. You are so sweet to be checking in on us. Makes me feel cared for. You are right full timing does not eliminate all problems. It's not all fun all the time on the road but it is fun most of the time!

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  6. Well rats... I like last week's fun and games much better also... boo hiss on reality stuff ... no sense to it when you get past 60, assuming you're past 60 ... that was David's 65th birthday right? whatever... still hiss on reality.

    Wish 'they' could find a way to shorten the test results waiting time. hate that stuff. David looks great and that banana split ought to heal all wrongs. jeeez

    I wish fluff and fun and laughter and sunshine and games and Johnny Depp lookalikes from now on ~ he really kinda scares me... I'll opt for a Paul Newman lookalike. Seen any of those? HEY~ there's a quest for me... the search for a Paul Newman lookalike...

    hah! a quest! ... the search for the perfect peach failed but it was fun looking.

    ;)

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    1. Oh yes Carolyn we are past 60. 66 this year for David. Although I feel about 30 even if I don't look it. We've waited 5 days now for results so we're half way there. We're used to it by now. Hope you find a Paul Newman look alike. They were a couple Paul and Joanne.

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  7. Oh, yes!!! I think the Magic Kingdom was a much better place. Also think you are feeling crappy, so everything else is crappy..crappy is as crappy does :)
    Wanted to be there with that sundae, oh my goodness, it sounded wonderful!!! Hope you both enjoyed... Soon you will be in your 'happy place' Take Care

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    1. It's true Loree that when I feel crappy then other things tend to look a little darker perhaps than they might if I didn't feel that way. Maybe I need to go get another Sundae! :-)

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  8. We have stayed at that place too:) And our front end was up on jacks so we were unlevel, all light, all night.

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    1. Oh I'm so sorry for you. That's even worse than what we have. I'm feeling better all ready. ;-)) Thanks!

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  9. It's tough to leave Disney World and go back to the real world;o(( Glad you're beginning to feel better and hope David gets some great news:o))

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    1. Disney is definitely a magic place. Thanks for the good wishes Nancy.

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  10. Well, bummer...I just hope Dad gets good news and does not get whatever it is you have. Sounds exhausting and in that place even worse. I hope you can get back to that perfect Alafia view very soon. I also hope they are treating Winnona well - there are tell tale signs of that not being the case. After this, I am hoping for smooth sailing again for a good while!

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    1. It has been an exhausting week sweetheart but it's almost over. I think we've spent our last night in the All Light All Night Motel. Love you and your hopes LOTS!

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  11. I would be mad. But, today, I wished ill upon a neighbor whose motorcycle bothered me. People on Facebook are extra-super-stupid. And my knee hurts. So take my anger with a grain of rice.

    You're fatigued unless you eat all the time? That's weird. Seems like if you're sick, eating wouldn't significantly affect your energy - it would just be low.

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    1. I agree on all points other than the knee. Colds make me tired. I perk up when I eat. It's a good excuse to eat.

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  12. What a let down after all the DISNEY MAGIC !!!!! Auto and RV repairs are such trial and error with the need for sooooo much patience ........ Hope things work out and you are soon out of the WELL LIT sleeping bay !!!!!! Gosh, Lythia Springs is such a super place, hurry back !!!!! Felt like I was having a dream reading your entries today..... Campbell's is a fav...and we have a family member getting treatment at Moffitt and the Lythia Springs.....so much fun to hear those special spots mentioned....... Lastly, there is HOPE .....I just got past the cough and weak feeling after TEN tough days ....... HOPE THE DISNEY MAGIC DUST IS JUST AROUND THE CORNER !!!!!!!!!!

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    1. It is a let down Sally. We obviously did all this in the wrong order. Next time, I'll remember to do the chores first so we can recover at Disney. It's great to hear from someone who knows the area. If you are around here you should stop by. Thanks for the comment. I'm glad you are feeling better. So sorry to hear about your family member. Give them our very best wishes.

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    2. Thanks for the reply, Sherry !!!!! First time anyone has ever replied ........ I enjoy the blogs soooooooo much and I learn soooooooo much from all the imput and experiences ...... I hold out hope that someday soon I will be able to purchase an RV and join the FUN on the road......in the meantime I really enjoy the knowledge I am gaining as well as the sharing folks do along the way ....... I owned a home in Valrico so I know a lot about the area..... I am recently retired and in Sarasota now.... My brother is being treated at Moffitt .... He gives his five year battle a terrific fight every single day ...... He, by the way, has traveled our country from coast to coast many times plus world travels too so he has all those memories to call on and relish now !!!!!! Thanks for the invite to say hi ....if I ever get close I would enjoy saying HI .....
      One last thing, I have a neice and nephew in Montana who are going to visit Mickey in March so I sent over some of your MAGIC photos as a warm-up !!!!! Thanks again,Sherry....and my very best to David, best of luck with his medical reports ...KEEP HAVING FUN ......Sally
      .

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    3. You are very welcome Sally. I appreciate your comments. It's nice to know more about my readers. I am so glad that you enjoy the blogs. Perhaps your neice and nephew will comment as well. That would be fun. Family comments. I wish you well in getting that RV and getting out on the road. It's a great life. And best wishes your brother in his fight. We know all about that. I don't need to wish your Neice and nephew fun at Disney World. There's no chance it won't be.

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  13. Seems this always the story getting a rig fixed, RV or car or truck. And how sad to be missing the great view by the river, and dark nights. Sure hope that cough goes away. Maybe back to Disney World.

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    1. I like your idea Gaelyn. Back to Disney World for a cure. Wish I could afford it.

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  14. On the bright side, I'm glad you got sick AFTER your week at Disney. It would've been a real bummer if you were sick while you were there. Hope the Mucinex recommended to you gets rid of your cough. Then get some rest and drink lots of liquids. Hope David gets good news and Winnona is soon fixed so you can get back to your river view.

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    1. It is true Terri and I should have pointed out how glad I am that I got this AFTER Disney. Although I do think I got it at Disney. Thanks for your prescriptions. We have made it back to our river view. More on that tomorrow.

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  15. Sorry to hear that your post-Disney week wasn't nearly as fun as your Disney week. Hope the test results are all that you hope them to be ... if not better.

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    1. I like that idea of if not better. Thanks Erin.

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  16. I'm so sorry to see your having these problems...we are parked at the fairgrounds at the super RV show...been here since Wed..wish we could have met up :(...hope David gets good news...and that you feel better soon..try the raw honey (1 tsp) and cinnamon 1/4 tsp..worked for me when the antibiotics didn't.

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    1. I too wish we could have met up. I am trying the raw honey/cinnamon treatment. Once a day? More than that. It tastes pretty good in warm water. Thanks for your good wishes Elaine, we can use them on both fronts.

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  17. Sherry,

    I'm impressed that you had any cash left after Disney World! ;c)

    We've been fighting the crud, too. It keeps coming back like a bad penny. Hope you kick it soon.

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    1. I was pretty impressed with us too. We limited ourselves to $20 a day spending and had paid the initial costs back when I made the reservation or poor Winnona would have had to stay at Lazy Days forever. I'll let you know how the honey/cinnamon thing works. Hope the crud is gone forever from you guys.

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  19. I think I will have to check out Campbell's Dairyland. Made me hungry just reading your description.

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    1. I think it's less than 1000 miles from you Roger. We'd love it if you'd stop by. We'll treat you to a sundae.

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  20. Sounds like by now you are on the mend and hopefully back at your favorite site at Lithia Springs. Your blog post reminded me of the let down any of us might feel after a carefree vacation when its time to go back to reality. Disney Withdrawal sounds like a good name for it. I was listening to an interview with Jon Kabat-Zinn on NPR this morning (from 12/27/12) that addresses ways to stay centered regardless of the circumstances (highs and lows) of our life. You might enjoy listening to it. Kabat ZInn wrote one of my favorite books: Wherever You Go, There You Are.
    http://www.onbeing.org/program/opening-our-lives/138
    Wishing you a speedy recovery and excellent test results for David!

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    1. I know Kabat Zinn and have read the book. Thanks so much for this link. I think the let down wouldn't have been so bad since I was totally prepared for it but this crud seems to make everything look a little darker than usual. But it too shall pass.

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    1. Looks like I'm being attacked by the Anonymous today. Usually blogger catches them. Wish I could disable anonymous without disabling all the other ways that non spammers post comments like Name/Url.

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  22. So where will you go next? Do the duckies know? At least you have some warm weather. The ice cream looks yummy. Let us know what the tests show this time.

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  23. Had to chuckle about David's statement about being "self sealing" ... not like punctured tires. Now's there is something to patent... a self sealing tire! Hope these days of waiting for test results pass quickly... and that the news is better than you and David even dared to hope!! Here's to no more poking and sticking for him. Now onto healing for yourself... and for Winnona... and better times ahead. I do love that one site you get at Lithia Springs. Shortly we leave for our month in Arizona.. Yoda is coming with us. He is a great traveler... as long as we don't drive on winding roads. Hugs to both...

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  24. I don't know why I haven't been getting notifications about your blog posts recently. I had to go hunt for you. The week at Disney World was marvelous. What a terrific way to celebrate David's birthday. I was at Disney World 30 years ago and it has changed so much. Your photographs are so educational. I'd like to go again. That Tree of Life was amazing. Thanks for sharing.

    Sorry to hear that you picked up the creeping crud. It is hard to avoid coughing people and I was amused to read that you were "feeding your cold". I remember the old saying about feeding a cold and starving a fever. The second one sounds like no fun at all. I hope you are feeling up to snuff soon. I am anxious to hear about David's test results. His stamina at DW is wonderful to read about.

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