January
We had some really cold weather for the first few days of 2015, but this week has given us wonderful weather. The highs this whole week are supposed to be in the mid to high 50s.
Bryanna and Bailey had planned for the four of us to get pedicures and have lunch for Kathy's 41st birthday. I made reservations at Spa Toscana for the Saturday after her birthday but Kathy was sick so we postponed it. I suggested they tell Kathy about the plan and she didn't want to go there because the girls are under 18 and they couldn't have used the pool and spa after having their pedicures. So, last night we all went to dinner at Great Basin Brewery and to see the movie "Unbroken." We had a wonderful time and I was glad that we changed the plan because Bill and Rommie were able to join us in the birthday celebration. The movie was excellent - very intense. I think it is good for the girls to see that kind of movie, because too many people don't believe that such atrocities occurred during WWII.
Again, I forgot to take any pictures! Why do I do that?
Here is two shots of Mackie in the snow on New Years Eve. She was beyond happy.
We bought two blue light bulbs for our porch lights to show support for law enforcement officers.
When we were at Monique and Brian's house in December, Marcel gave me several crochet Christmas ornaments to put on our tree. Since we didn't have a tree this year, I used them under some of the Santa figurines. When I put away the Christmas decorations, I didn't want to put the crochet ornaments away, because they don't look Christmasy, so I used them under some of our palm trees. I think they look really nice.
January 20
We had a wonderful surprise on Monday, January 12. We were home when the doorbell rang at 3 in the afternoon. I held the dogs while Bill opened the screen. I knew there was something strange when Bill started hugging the man on the porch. It was Tony. He had landed in Sacramento at noon, picked up the rental car, and driven over here to take us to dinner. We went to Los Compadres and the Browns were able to join us. It was quite a treat to be able to get together. We sat at the restaurant long after we were finished with our meal. We persuaded Tony to spend the night on our new couch so we got a little more time with him. He left at 6 in the morning, and got to Sac. on time for work. He stayed there until Friday, and was home on Saturday for Anais' birthday.
The end of January is quickly approaching. We sent books to Carson for his 11th birthday and we got a call from him thanking us. It was the best conversation we've ever had with him. He was eloquent and sounded so grown up. He called from his new phone, and it sounds as if he had a very nice birthday. We told him that we're planning to visit them in the spring and he said, :awesome.
Mickie and Maxine, next door neighbors, who are luckily, very good friends, had us over on Tuesday, Jan 20 for homemade lasagna. It was delicious.
Last night was game night. Again, we forgot to take any pictures. It was a lot of fun. Everyone enjoyed our pasta fagioli and we had plenty of side dishes to fill them up. We played Dirty Minds and What's Yours Like? Both games were a hit. Everyone in the group was able to come except for Kristin Spinola, who was in the Bay area for a funeral.
Mickie and Maxine are having their floors and carpets replaced so their house is a complete mess, so they are coming over tomorrow night for pasta fagioli. I'm glad we had enough leftovers so I didn't have to make more for them. We are fortunate to have so many good friends.
We went downtown to walk this morning. We love looking at the old /craftsman houses. Looking at houses makes the walk go faster. We saw an interesting tree that had grown around a chain link fence.
There was also a house that is being re-sided and it looks like the walls were originally constructed with old barn wood. I took pictures but deleted them before I could transfer them to the blog.
January 26
We got some rain, and when we took a walk this morning, we saw that the mountains have a new layer of snow. We need to get a lot more stormy weather to help with the water situation. I spent three hours deep watering all the plants on a warm day last week. We can't turn on the sprinkler system for that, because we would worry that we didn't turn it off right and we would have frozen pipes the next time it gets really cold.
We had Mickie and Maxine over for pasta fagioli last night. They said it was delicious.
January 31
Tomorrow is Super Bowl XLIX. We weren't invited to any parties so we will be watching in the comfort of our own living room. We will have some snacks, fruit, salad and pizza, for an easy, tasty dinner.
February 10
The weather has been wonderful. Highs in the 60s and even 70 one day, so we've been able to get out and walk almost every day. We got two days of good hard rain and the mountains had lots of snow, so the water prospects for next summer are looking better.
I joined a Facebook group, The Girls of Granada. There are only a few girls that I even knew, but it is interesting to follow up on what they're doing. They are having a reunion in October, but I don't think I'll be able to go.
We made our trip plans to see Scott and Jenn and the boys in May. We will stay with them for a few days, and then go over to Uncle Norm and Aunt Vera's for a few days. Uncle Norm will be turning 89 and we will be there for that. We will be able to see some of Bill's cousins and their kids. Of course, we will see a lot of Bonnie and Eugene because they live right across the street from Norm and Vera. We bought the plane tickets with our miles and then we paid extra for premium seats for three of the flights, so the whole thing is costing us under $400.00. We are going to try to get by without renting a car, but we might end up getting one for the trip from Rosenberg to the airport when we leave.
February 16
On Tuesday, we walked over to Christie and Cliff's house and back, a distance of just over 2 1/2 miles. Finally, my leg is feeling good enough to walk for a distance, again.
For Valentine's Day, we took a drive. I have been following a man on Facebook who posts incredible photos of wildlife, mostly eagles and owls, We drove to Carson City on Wednesday and did some hiking in the hills just north of the city, and on Saturday, we drove farther south to Gardnerville.
We were looking for places that we could get out of the car and just walk, near water if possible. We saw some reservoirs just east of Gardnerville so we headed over there, but we found that they were fenced off and surrounded by houses, so we could't get close enough to see anything. (I have since found out that we were in the right area so the next time we go, I will have a better idea of where to go.)
We enjoyed looking at the pretty houses and then we headed over to the Genoa area, where we found one geocache.
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| Signing the log. Old Kingsbury Grade is in the background. |
We stopped for a walk at Walley's Hot Springs and had lunch at the cafe there.
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| 1860s wagon with the mountains to the south |
Then we went to the town of Genoa and walked through some of the back streets. The weather was perfect for being out - high 60s and it even hit 71 at one point,
On the way home, we drove around Washoe lake and found some wild mustangs at a trailhead. We took a few photos of the lake to show how empty it is.
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| The water should be almost up to the trees and the mountains should be covered with snow |
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| The mustangs walked by as if we weren't standing 15 feet away |
We didn't get home until almost 6. For dinner, we ate the leftovers from lunch, and then we watched a Netflix movie.
On Sunday morning, we parked at BJ's BBQ and walked to the Nugget for our food vouchers. The walk was just under 2 and 1/2 miles, and we could have gone farther. I plan to start my daily walking with Mackie as soon as the early mornings are warm enough,
February 17
This morning we went downtown and walked 1.6 miles along the river and through some of the mansions on Court Street.
Blossoms are starting to pop all over town. This plant was blooming and beautiful, but if winter comes back, which we are hoping will happen, the flowers will freeze.
February 21
I started a project in the front yard. I'm removing the rocks from under the big pine tree because the pine needles are so hard to remove and it looks messy. I was able to work for an hour before my back was ready to stop. I'll try to do a little bit every day.
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| Feb 15 |
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| Feb 18 |
Feb 21
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| Feb 23 |
The Browns are coming over for dinner tomorrow night - at least, three of them are coming. We figure one of the girls has a previous engagement. We are going to have roast, rice, salad and green beans. And, I saw an appetizer that i want to make, so we'll also have stuffed cucumbers,
February 25
Yesterday we drove to Hawthorne by way of Yerington. We did a McDonalds mystery shop in Yerington for lunch, one in Hawthorne for dinner and a motel in Hawthorne. Besides the fees for the shops and reimbursement for the food, which we ended up throwing away because there were no homeless people to be found in either town, they paid us $160.00 for our travel expense. We love doing those out of town shops and hope there will be more in some of the remote areas of Nevada. We walked just about one mile in Yerington before doing the shop and then we drove on to Hawthorne.
After checking in at the motel, and completing part of the shop requirements and filling in the on-line form, we went to a nice museum. Then we did the dinner McDonalds, which turned out to be the worst McDonalds shop we've ever done. The wait in the drive through was 19 minutes and the wait inside was 16 minutes. There was a team of kids with lots of parents in the restaurant, but there were no buses in the parking lot, so we didn't know they were in there until it was too late. I don't think it would have mattered, though, because, we had to do the shop between the hours of 5:15 and 6:45. When we left at 6:20, there were still kids everywhere. We were going to go to dinner, but I wanted to get the McDonald's report finished first so we went back to the motel. We left at 6:50 to find dinner but the only restaurant that wasn't a bar or inside the casino was closed, so we went to Port O Subs and brought a sub sandwich back to the room. Despite the lack of ambiance, it tasted delicious.
Hawthorne is a very unattractive town. The only thing good about it is the museum and the military museum. We took a different route home, never having gone through Smith Valley and Wellington, The drive was lovely, but we had to go all the way to Gardnerville to find a restaurant so we didn't have breakfast until 10:30. We had fun, and it was great to be home.
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| Walker Lake |
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| Walker Lake |
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| Near Wellington |
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| Near Wellington |
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| Near Wellington |
The next three shots are near Clear Creek, which is where the kids went on their week long camping trips in fifth grade. The road is closed to all but people who live there, with big "No Trespassing" signs so we couldn't go all the way up to the campground.
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We stopped in Carson City to walk through the neighborhood near the Governor's Mansion. It is neat that you can walk right up to the front door if you want to. The houses there are so beautiful.
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| Peek a boo |
We have been pretty busy walking every day, Bill listing things on eBay and me working on the front yard. I have it all ready to pour some dirt and set up the drip, then I'll be able to plant something.
Bailey's first softball game was on Thursday afternoon/evening. Bailey's team had 33 points by the end of the second inning and Hug High didn't score at all. The game went on for two more innings, but I think they stopped it because it was getting dark and there are no lights on the field. Our girls were all batting left handed. We thought that was so they wouldn't get too many more points, but Bailey said the coach told them it was good practice for them, and there was no danger of them losing the game.
We went to Meadowood Mall and looked at the display of cans, which will all be given to the food bank after the displays are taken down. Some of them are really good.
Yesterday, we walked at Hidden Valley, but didn't have any luck finding birds in the wetlands. The weather has been wonderful for getting out to walk.
Today, we went with Dave and Lisa Partee and Shellie Shanno to the Nature Conservancy trail in Genoa and saw eagles nesting. We couldn't get very close to them, but we had a great time walking the trail and visiting. They got some wonderful photos and we got a few that are passable.
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| This tree was actually used in the old days |
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| Walking along the stream, New snow on the mountains looking south. |
We also went to another spot to see owls and a baby in the nest. Apparently, few people know about them and those who do want to keep it that way.
Tonight is Game Night at Sherri's house. I made brownies and Irish Cream Coffee Bars for a St. Patrick's Day dessert.
March 8
Game Night was one of the best ever because everyone was there. As always, Sherri's dinner was perfect. We have had pasta at her house often, because it is so easy for a crowd, but last night's sauce was super thick and absolutely the best we've ever had (outside of mine and my sisters.) We didn't start playing until late, when we had eaten and talked for a long time. We only played Trivial Pursuit, 60s Edition. Pam and Ed and Kristy were a little bit against that because they weren't even alive in the 60s, but the crowd won out and everyone had lots of fun. There was a lot of laughter throughout the night. We drank more than usual because Veronica was our chauffeur, but, aside from being a little bit tired, we feel great this morning. Last night the clocks got pushed ahead so, when we got home, well after midnight, we gave the dogs a second dinner so they would let us sleep in, but we were both up by 6:30. We are taking the day off to just relax.
March 10
Last night we indulged in an Applebee's Asian Chicken Salad and Won Ton Tacoes. Delicious!
We went for a walk on part of the golf course this morning, just 1.7 miles, but it was getting hot by the time we finished. We will need to go out earlier as the days get warmer.
I have almost finished preparing the pine tree garden when we got home. Bill attached the drip line for me, because my hands can't handle the grasping needed to push it onto the pins. I spread two bags of Miracle Gro Soil and will need to add two more, but it is now ready to be planted. I just have to decide what to plant.
The Girls of Granada group on Facebook is going to have a reunion in October in Solano Beach, California, which is just a few miles north of San Diego. I wasn't planning on going, mostly because the group seems to consist of women who are have a lot of money and time on their hands. But, yesterday, I received an email from my 7th grade friend, Nina, asking me to join her and another friend, Annie, in sharing a room at the reunion. I wrote and said I would like to be there after all, but that I wouldn't drive down alone, so Bill would be with me. Here is our exchange after that.
Hi I just reserved a room with 2 queen beds. Annie will bring her lounger to sleep on, so we can share the whole room with me, Annie, Billie and Bill , if no one is too shy. I'm game- I sleep in pajamas. Husband says I snore. room is $134.00 a night, it's a Marriot, they are great. Nina
Hi Nina,
I have to admit that I don't remember most of the girls in Girls of Granada. I think a good portion of them were in the June class. Although I had no intention of going, now I'm getting excited about getting together for some fun with you two and a couple of others whom I do remember. I think we'll stay with my sister in Canyon Country before and after the weekend. We think it is wonderful of you and Annie to offer to share a room with Bill included. We are nudists, but since you're a nurse, we're sure you won't mind.
.......Now that you've stopped choking on your coffee, we're not really nudists. But, he said that, while he is very happy about meeting you and spending time with you, he would feel a bit weird about bunking together, so we would get a room, as near to the GOG block of rooms as possible. Is that okay? I hope it isn't a problem for you and Annie to share the cost of the room without our contribution, but if it is, I apologize. I am going to write to Julie Clanton to see if she is going to go.
Let me know what you think.
Love,
Billie
Geez I miss you Billie, I REALLY need to reconnect with old friends. This is going to be a hoot. Love your sense of humor. Don't worry, I'm fine on the room. Looking forward to it. Nina
So, I'll reserve a room for Bill and me and maybe I'll hang out with Annie and Nina one night for a slumber party.
March 13
I reserved our room for the reunion. If we decide not to go, it can be cancelled.
Yesterday, we walked to the post office in the morning, and in the afternoon, we walked another two miles, and today, we walked another four miles. We saw some really neat mushrooms growing in an area behind the house.
Neither of us had any problems with pain. I hope we can keep this up.
I got some pansies planted in the new garden area out front, and I moved some of the rhubarb roots to new places, hoping they will produce better this year. I think we'll be able to get our tomatoes in earlier than ever before, but I will wait a little longer to see if this warm trend keeps up.
March 13
I reserved our room for the reunion. If we decide not to go, it can be cancelled.
Yesterday, we walked to the post office in the morning, and in the afternoon, we walked another two miles, and today, we walked another four miles. We saw some really neat mushrooms growing in an area behind the house.
Neither of us had any problems with pain. I hope we can keep this up.
I got some pansies planted in the new garden area out front, and I moved some of the rhubarb roots to new places, hoping they will produce better this year. I think we'll be able to get our tomatoes in earlier than ever before, but I will wait a little longer to see if this warm trend keeps up.
March 19
I lost a few days of writing while my computer was at the Geek Squad and I'm so glad I took it in. It works so much better than it has for close to a year. It took some time for me to sign in to all my accounts that I use often so I can just click and go, but now it is done.
I lost a few days of writing while my computer was at the Geek Squad and I'm so glad I took it in. It works so much better than it has for close to a year. It took some time for me to sign in to all my accounts that I use often so I can just click and go, but now it is done.
The morning of March 15 we went to Verdi to get out lottery ticket and we walked on a nature trail as well as through a neighborhood, We thought the sky looked especially pretty. It looks like it was cold, but it was perfect weather for walking.
Later, we drove to Lovelock to do a dinner shop at McDonald's. On the way home, the sun was just beautiful through the clouds, and I got a couple of good pics.
March 27
Nothing new here, but I see that I haven't written for a while so I decided to put down anything I can think of.
We walked 13 miles last week, and we've done 12.2 so far this week. Tomorrow, we'll probably go 2, for a total of 14. We've been taking the dogs to Pah Rah Park to walk, and I've taken Makie out here in the early morning twice this week. We got her groomed on Tuesday so she was embarrassed until I took the feathers out of her ear hair.
Monique and Brian will be away when we go to San Francisco next week, so we've booked a room at the Sofitel in Redwood City and we'll see the friends we met on our Alaska Cruise, Pam, Paige and Alan. Alan helped me to find a nice hotel. The room I got normally goes for $400.00 per night and I got it for $113.00. It looks like it is really luxurious.
We've gone to all of Bailey's home games and they are undefeated. The games have been very enjoyable. Now that it is getting hot, we don't need blankets, and the games have been later in the day, but tomorrow they will be playing a double header starting at about 11, so we anticipate a long hot time. We take Bill's solar umbrella, and I think he will be using it tomorrow.
Monday March 29
Bailey's team won both games on Saturday, and the weather was good, so we had a nice time. The games were both over early because the other team didn't score, so we were home by 2. We spent the rest of the day doing nothing.
On Sunday, Bill made chicken pot pies, which he decided to do just because we had a container of chicken broth in the pantry that only had a couple of months left on it. I helped a little bit with the filling, but he did most of the work. I also made the crust, which is such an easy thing, so between the two of us we got three little pies made in just a little over an hour. We should have put them in the refrigerator and baked them later, but we didn't think of that, so last night, we heated one of them up while I made salads. Dinner was wonderful!
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| Enjoying the fruits of his labor |
We have hyacinths, tulips and daffodils blooming in the yard, and the rhubarb and strawberries are already growing well. It looks like it might be a good growing year. The sprinkler system will be turned on this week, so I'll be able to stop hand watering.
April 1
Yesterday, we went to the Verizon store to see if we could activate one of my old phones for Bill because his old Razor from the late 90s wouldn't even hold a charge through one phone call. Not only did we walk out with a freshly activated phone, but he now has a fully working smart phone with unlimited data, great camera and all the other smart phone features that he hasn't had before, but we also got a free tablet with full capabilities and our Verizon bill has gone down $5.00 per month. Thank you Verizon.
April 16
Two weeks have gone by. We've been walking a lot. We spent two fun days in Redwood City, at the Sofitel. The hotel was very nice, but not near anything, so we had to drive to get to meals. We could have eaten some of the meals in the hotel restaurant, but we balk at paying $18.00 for a club sandwich or a hamburger.
We walked at a slough and did just one cache, but now we have a Pacific Shores cache to our name. We met Pam, Paige and Alan at the hotel on Sunday afternoon and drove to Stanford to walk. What a beautiful campus! We enjoyed our visit so much. We had dinner at Harry's Hofbrau, which turned out to be delicious.
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| Crossing the new Bay Bridge |
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| Flowers at the slough |
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| Iris in Redwood City |
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| Alan, Bill, Paige and Pam |
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| Solar phone charger at Stanford |
The visit to Dr. Kim was very good. Bill's scans have been clear for several visits, so he now can stop going to CPMC and can start seeing his Reno oncologists, again. What a wonderful thing to not have to make that long drive. We will miss seeing Monique and Brian as often as we have been seeing them, so we will make plans to visit every few months. We won't mind the drive if we are going there just for fun.
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| Our lilacs and tulips |
Our garden is growing, slowly. The weather, which was so nice all last month, took a down turn, so some of the nights have been in the high 20s, but, so far, the peaches and cherries as well as all the flowers seem to have survived. We even has a little bit of a snow storm two days ago, which lasted for an hour but went away rather quickly. We are going to try to plant two or three tomato plants before we leave for Texas on May 6.
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| The lilacs didn't seem too bothered. |
Greg is planning a surprise party for Sherri's birthday on May 3 at a restaurant, probably BJ's at the Summit. When we get back from Texas, we will be planning for our overnight game night at Veronica and Alan's cabin at Greaeagle. We are looking forward to that, and I have some ideas for food Bill and I can take.
Bailey's softball team is still undefeated, and we enjoyed an exciting double header last Saturday at Galena High. Tonight the game is at Douglas High, so we won't be making that drive, but we will go to the next double header on Saturday at Spanish Springs. Bailey has been having some chest pain, and the doctor gave her an inhaler for possible activity induced asthma. There are going to be more tests to see if they can narrow down the cause.
A couple of days ago, we took the dogs to hike at Hidden Valley Regional Park.
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| Finding a cache right above our house |
Yesterday, we went to the Hunter Creek trail head, hoping to hike in quite a bit, but we turned back after only a half mile. The wind was sharp, but also, the steepness was daunting. We hope to try again, and maybe take a different trail. Bill slipped on a rock while crossing the stream on the way back, and submerged his foot, but he didn't get hurt.
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| We crossed the stream on these rocks, which are more treacherous than they look |
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| We could have crossed here, but it was a bit scary |
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| This is where the trail goes |
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| Lots of water during this drought |
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| Pretty scenery |
April 20
Bailey's softball games on Saturday were great. In the first game, the score was 0 to 4 at the end of the second inning. Suddenly, the Cougars woke up and started playing the way we're used to seeing them play. At the end of the game, the score was 14 to 4. The second game was a shutout, with the final score 14 to 0. Bailey got up to bat at the bottom of the fourth inning, and she hit it high into left field, but they got the ball quickly, so she only got to first. The next batter hit it and she got to third, and the last batter hit her home. She made the last point because the next batter got the third out. It was very exciting. Kathy had to leave to help a friend prepare for a wedding reception, so we kept her updated and Rommie was in Michigan for work.
The videos are a little squirrely, but here they are.
We also found a beautiful white wisteria.
Today, we walked at the Spanish Springs Regional Park - a nice, quiet place. We only went 1.6 miles, because it got pretty hot. We were so busy watching for rattlers, that we didn't see this little guy right on the path under our feet. I almost stepped on him, and he skittered over and tried to trip Bill. Then he stopped long enough for us to get his picture. I've never seen a horny toad before, except in photos.
There is a family of owls living at Safeway.
I don't know why, but this tulip that was on its last legs fascinated me, so I took a picture.
April 30
Letter to the editor: A few thank yous are in order today. To Judith Lockwood, who found that the dog
park at Virginia Lake was sadly lacking.
Rather than complain, she did something to make a change by passing out fliers,
raising money and talking to local dog owners about rebuilding the park. Thus was born the Virginia Lake Dog Park
Association. The dog park is now being renovated. To the Reno-Sparks taxi
companies, who are exhibiting the winning artwork from a contest between local
schoolchildren, instead of business advertising. To EDAWN and RBC Wealth Management for
donating money to the winning schools for classroom supplies. To the
Weinershnitzel hot dog tour for helping feed people in need in Reno. To the volunteers who have been working to
transform Peavine Mountain, a popular biking and hiking spot. And, thank you Reno Gazette Journal for
publishing positive, uplifting stories in addition to the necessary news
articles.
May 1
On April 21 and 22, we had some wonder, much-needed rain, that fell for hours during the night. The yard is beginning to look pretty good.
We got Mackie shaved about one month ago, and she was starting to look shaggy, so I decided she needed a trim. I hate getting hair in my clothes because it never comes out and then the clothes make me itchy, so I cut holes in a large plastic bag, and made a hair trimming outfit. Poor Mackie looked so sad!
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On Sunday, we went to the Earth Day event at Idlewild Park. We parked several blocks away and walked to the park. Our walk total was just over 2 and 1/2 miles.
My 66th birthday was last week. The day before my birthday, Christie came over with a huge bouquet of roses, which are still beautiful today, more than 10 days later.
On Wednesday, I finally used part of the gift card that Kathy and Rommie gave us two years ago for the Spa at Toscana. I took Susie and went to the spa for pedicures. We had a fun and relaxing day.
After the spa, we met Susie and Kurt at Fortune Palace for dinner.
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| Presents from Susie |
Bailey's team is still undefeated and the last games are tomorrow, so we will be spending the day at the school ball field. Sunday will be Sherri's surprise 60th birthday party, with all the game night people at BJs Brewery.
May 5
We picked Veronica and Alan up for the ride to the restaurant for Sherri's party. She was surprised, but she knew there was something cooking because Greg didn't ask her to go to dinner until the morning of the party. That seemed rather strange since he has been so attentive since he has been trying to get her to take him back. We were very surprised by the size of the party. There were 32 people and we were given an area of a room set a little bit apart from the rest of the restaurant. We had three long tables and our party took up about half of the room. Greg had reserved the area until 7:30 so we were only there for two hours. The food was very good. There was salad, several kinds of pizza and fetticini Alfredo. We drank only water so the night was free for us. Most everyone had wine, beer, soft drinks or iced tea.
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| Sherri with Alan, Veronica and my head |
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| Our table with the Spinolas and Johnsons |
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| Sally and Kristin |
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| Dave and Lisa |
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| Shelly, Gordon and Charlotte |
We talked about our upcoming game weekend at Greaeagle. We are all going except for Greg and Sherri, because she is moving into her new house that weekend. Bill and I will go up a little bit early on Saturday to help clean the house. Devious side note...that might give us our choice of bedrooms.
Texas in May
We left for Texas on the morning of May 6. Our flights were very good, and we were glad that we paid for the Economy Plus seats. The difference in leg room was easily five extra inches, so we were able to spread our legs forward and we had room to move around.
We got to Houston in a rainstorm, which was pretty much the weather the whole time we were there. Scott and Brendan picked us up at the airport. Jenn and Carson got home soon after we got to the house. It was so good to spend time with them. Their yard is really nice but Scott said he has several things he still wants to do to it.
We weren't able to swim because the pool was too cold, which was a disappointment. We went to two of Carson's baseball practices and one of his games and we went to one of Brendan's soccer games. Carson got a hit and made it to home.
Brendan wanted so badly to make a goal, but he didn't get a chance to do so, but when he was goalie, he stopped several goal attempts.
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| Brendan saves the day |
The first day, Brendan said he had a stomach ache, so he stayed home from school. Scott had planned on taking us to the Science Museum, so we went to the museum district but didn't go into the museum because there were several school buses and hundreds of kids milling around. But, there was a nice large park with a train so we walked around the park, enjoying several of the sights, including a structure made out of sticks. We rode the train which went for about a mile. We ended up walking about 3 and 1/2 miles. It was a hot and muggy day, but, since we were busy, we didn't notice it too much. We had lunch at a sandwich shop and got home before Carson did.
One night, I fixed a roast and rice for dinner, and the other nights we went out. One place we went was on a river, and we watched a person using a water propelled device to fly over the water. It was pretty interesting. 
They have five dogs now, Murphy and Bella, Rosie, the dog they found last year, and two of Rosie's puppies. You would never know the pups are related to each other, but one of them looks exactly like Rosie. They are all friendly and so much fun to have around.
We went for a walk in a large nature area near their house. I really wanted to go for three or four miles, but we were completely swarmed by mosquitoes, so we quit after only a little over one mile. Bill had bites all over his neck, arms and legs and I had 12 bites on my arms and face. It was too bad we couldn't go farther, because the area was beautiful.
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| Neighborhood walk |
On Mother's Day, Brendan made pancakes, even cooking them himself. Scott made scrambled eggs.
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| Carson |
The time with Scott's family went by too quickly. On Sunday, we drove to Rosenberg to Aunt Vera and Uncle Norm's house. The first thing Scott said was "You look exactly like Grandpa!" We had a very nice dinner and visit. Bonnie and Eugene were there. It was great to be able to get together with family, that we don't see very often, and who have not seen Scott in a very long time. Scott got a lot of family information. The kids are interested in the family history, so that was neat. Norm and Vera thought the kids were adorable (they were) and they stayed as long as they could, but the weather was threatening to get bad, again, and they wanted to get home with enough time to get ready for the coming week.
Then we spent a calm week with Norm and Vera, and we got to be with Bonnie and Eugene quite a bit. Bonnie talked me into putting a streak of color in my hair, getting my ears pierced for a second time. This was phase one.
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| One, two, three, ouch. |
On Tuesday afternoon, UPS delivered two dozen roses from Scott and Jenn. Aunt Vera was amazed that they would send flowers just for having dinner. The flowers were still beautiful the morning we left. I made Pasta Fagioli, which turned out perfectly.
We spent one afternoon and evening with Bonnie and Eugene. We started out at Sam's Club so she could see her eye doctor, followed by the movie, Hot Pursuit at the fanciest theater we have ever seen. The theater has sit down restaurant areas and a bowling ally. The seats are very comfortable. We were going to bowl, but we decided not to. We went to a thrift store to look for treasures, and then we went back to their house to play Mexican Train until we were hungry enough to go out to dinner. We went to a Sushie restaurant and Bill and I had General Tso's Chicken, which was the best we've ever had.
Another night, we went to Whole Foods and Eugene bought Bacon and Cheese Hamburgers. We all had dinner at their house, and then we played Phase 10. Eugene made us Amaretto Sours, that were delicious
Uncle Norm let us use his car, and we went out a couple of mornings to walk, to find garage sales, and to go to antique stores. We didn't find anything to buy, but we enjoyed exploring. We even found a cache while we were driving around.
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| Vultures waiting for us to leave |
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| Foster Museum |
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| Old unused railroad bridge |
Signs we liked at Cracker Barrel. 
We found a wonderful nursery and got lots of ideas for our yard. Now, if only we can get our hands on an old truck.
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| Cinder block garden |
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| Mini village |
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| Cute idea for the microwave |
One morning, we came across a puppy and a vulture sharing a meal in Rosenburg.
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| At the Brazos |
There was a railroad bridge over the Brazos in Richmond.
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| Driving over the muddy Brazos |
We played Phase 10 with Aunt Vera several times, but Uncle Norm didn't want to play. The last day we were there, Bill got him talking about eBay, and he got a box down from a shelf and went over some of his WWII memorabilia. Bill showed him how to look things up on eBay, and they found out that some of his things could bring a good price. He had us bring three things home with us to see if we could sell them. Unfortunately, a Nazi medal, which Bill found on eBay that had sold for $700.00+, isn't exactly the same as the one Uncle Norm has, so we'll see if he still wants Bill to sell it for him for a lower price.
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| The roses were still beautiful the last day of our visit |
Phase two of my hair makeover was to add highlights to all my hair. I love the result.
On Sunday, we drove to the airport to rent a car so we could get to the airport on Monday. Sunday afternoon, we had a thunderstorm with heave rainfall. We all sat out in the garage and watched it rain. Some neighborhood kids were playing football in the street while it poured, having a great time.
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| Getting ready to head for the airport |
Our flight was delayed because of a heavy thunderstorm, so we were especially glad that we had the passes. We didn't take off until 10:50 am. Several planes were lined up on the runway waiting for their turn to take off.
Because our flight was so late, we missed our Reno flight so we had a layover of almost three hours. There was an Art Deco exhibit in the United Terminal that was very interesting.
We had a lunch of hot soup and I walked almost 1 1/2 miles and finally we were boarding the flight home. We hadn't been able to get seats together, since we were booked only a couple of hours before, but when we got on the plane, the only seat that was empty was next to me, so we got to sit together without having to ask someone to change seats. The flight home was very good, and neither of us could believe it took an hour because it seemed like we had just reached our cruising altitude when we started our descent.
Mickie and Maxine picked us up at the airport. I had texted Bryanna to ask if she would be interested in delivering our dogs because we weren't going to feel like driving over to get them. She said she probably could but that she was busy until after 5 pm. So, we were surprised to open the door and find the dogs waiting for us. It was good to be home. Bill went to the store to get some milk for breakfast while I started unpacking. When he got home, he helped put everything away. Neither of us was hungry, so we decided to watch a little TV before bed. Bill poured us each a small (Really, they were small) glass of brandy. We both got completely blitzed. We stumbled into bed at 8:30 (it wasn't even dark, yet.) And I didn't wake up until just before 7:30 the next morning.
It is good to be home. There was a lot of rain while we were gone. The roses have two foot long suckers, the grass grew five inches and the yard looks wonderful. The new tomatoes even have babies on them. There is lots of work to do.
May 21
Our Golden Chain bloomed while we were gone.
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| Tomato and Strawberry beds |
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| Add caption |
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| One tomato, blueberry and blackberry |
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| View from our bedroom |
Last night, Sherri had a gathering at her new house for everyone to see it. She was so organized, bringing tables, chairs, snack foods, cupcakes, cookies, wine, Maker's Mark, and sodas with her. One of the couples, Michelle and Greg, brought salad. And, she had 10 pizzas delivered. The only other people we knew were Alan and Veronica, Greg, Matt and Jenn and Matt's parents. It was a fun evening and her house is perfect for her. I'm looking forward to seeing it after being painted, and decorated. She will move in on June 1.
Tony called last night. He is going to South Carolina today, and they are going to New Orleans and Longview in the next couple of months. The good news is that they might come home for a few days just before Christmas. I hope that will be possible for them.
May 24
Yesterday was Tony's birthday. We sent him an interesting book about Reno by a local author, which we think he will like because he is into history. He put a photo on Facebook showing that he is more fit and healthy than he has ever been. We are so happy for him.
Yesterday, we went for two walks downtown, one before driving to Verdi for the lottery and dinner and one after. It rained for most of the afternoon, but we were lucky when we walked and didn't get too wet.
We stopped at a garage sale just a few blocks away from the house, yesterday, and found a few things for eBay. They said they were going to have it again today, so we walked over a little while ago. The sale was over but there was a sign in front of the things that were left saying, "free," so Bill found a little cup set that will bring in $10 to $20. We managed to walk just over two miles, but it was too hot, so, now that the warmer weather is here, we'll have to either walk earlier or go to more shady places. I've been trying to get up early to walk, and I enjoy taking Mackie before it gets fully light, but I've been sleeping better lately, and it is really hard to wake up enough to walk that early.
May 27
Our good friends and neighbors, Maxine and Mickie were in a head-on collision on the way to Las Vegas on Monday. He has a broken ankle and both are very banged up. They will both be alright, but their car was destroyed. It was another case of an idiot passing several cars and trucks and not going back to their lane in time, and Mickie couldn't get out of the way.
I was visiting our neighbor, Rose, at her house when there was a knock on her door. I thought it was Bill, so I opened it only to find Christie standing there. She and Kathy had stopped by in their police car to see us. They have been volunteering there, and they love doing it.
Bonnie sent us a picture of an alligator that she saw in the pond that Bill and I walked by in their neighborhood. I wanted so much to see an alligator when we were there, but we never did.
I finally got a couple of photos of my hair for Facebook so I could show everyone my new look.
June 3,
Summer is almost here and the weather has been weird. A few days ago, the high was in the 90s and this week, we're in the high 70s, with rain possible for the rest of this week.
Our Graeagle weekend was great fun. We were all there except for Sherri and Greg, because Sherri is getting her new house ready for the move and Greg was helping. The Artz Mansion is very comfortable and there was plenty of lounge room for all of us. Only the Spinolas, the Artz'es and us stayed in the house. Susie and Kurt stayed about one mile away in a cute little motel and Pam and Ed stayed in their trailer in a nearby camp area. I felt kind of sorry for them, though, because a lot of the fun was sitting around late at night and just chatting.
Bill and I got there at about noon on Friday and the first thing we noticed when we got out of the car was the wonderful forest smell. They have a fun little game on the deck. There is a nail on a post, and a string with a ring on the end of it tied to a different post, and you have to try to get the ring on the nail. We played it a few times. A few minutes after we got there, Veronica and I went for a walk behind the house, through the river bed and over to the highway to find a cache. It was getting really hot, so we were happy to get back to a big glass of iced tea.
The house is very private with lovely forest views all around.
We spent the afternoon talking and playing a new dice game, Little Mexico, that Alan taught us. We played that several times throughout the weekend with the others, too. The Spinolas got there about 4, and the eating began. We had pizza about 6, but none of us were truly hungry after all the snacking. Then we played The Dirt Game, which was not a hit, and Little Mexico, which everyone liked, talked, drank and snacked until after 10. Bill and I and Kristen went to bed and the others talked until about 11.
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| Playing Ring Y Ding |
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| Alan and Bill with Veronica in the background |
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| John, Alan and Bill with Kristen's legs in the foreground |
Saturday morning about 7:30, Bill and I were just getting ready to go for a walk when Veronica came out of their bedroom and said that Alan had a fever and a rash. We woke Sally up and she checked on him and prescribed Benydryl along with a call to his doctor. So, Bill and I drove into town and got that along with the pastries for breakfast. The Benydryl made Alan really sleepy, so he was able to get some sleep. Later he was well enough to join us for games and dinner. After breakfast of delicious pastries and fruit, John, Veronica, Bill and I went for a walk into town and around the Old Mill Pond. There were lots of beautiful wildflowers.
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| Bill at Old Mill Pond |
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| Cache Guard |
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| Veronica, Me and Bill |
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| Veronica John and Bill |
The temperature was in the 80 by the time we got back and we felt virtuous enough after 3.6 miles that we figured we deserved to snack the day away. Susie and Kurt arrived while we were on our walk and after Pam and Ed got there, they went for a hike. I had planned to go along, but after the morning walk, and because of the heat, I stayed behind.
While they were on their hike, we visited on the deck and played games. Oh, yes, we snacked, too. Kristen braided Veronica's and Sally's hair. I don't like me in a braid, so I didn't want her to do mine.
We had enough food for 10 extra people. The Spinolas brought snacks, including lots of cheese, crackers, strawberries, blueberries, cantaloupe and watermelon. We never even cut the watermelon because we had so much other food to eat. For game time, we played Little Mexico for the whole time because everyone liked it so much.
Sunday morning, we got up early and read with John for a little while, then Bill and I went for a walk before anyone else was up. John went to play golf with Pam and Ed. After our walk, Susie and Kurt got there for breakfast. The casserole I made was really good, although I liked it better when I put some sour cream on it. We had fruit with it, and there was still lots of fruit left over.
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| Bill and John enjoying the early morning quiet time |
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| Ummm, more food |
Veronica, Susie, Bill, Kurt and I walked through the forest behind the house and gathered bark, rocks and other materials for the fairy garden I plan to make.
We were reluctant to leave, but Susie and Kurt were the first at around noon. We stayed until 3 and the Spinolas held out until almost 5. We sat around and visited, enjoying the beauty of the forest, and Kristen re-braided Veronica's hair.
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| View of the river from a bridge |
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| The Old Dairy in Graeagle 1907 |
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| Bridge at Marble Springs |
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| Swamp |
When we got home, we discovered that Maxine had gotten home that afternoon. We went over to see her before going to get the dogs. She is black and blue all over, but doing well. She hated to come home without Mickie, but she is more comfortable in her own house. He might be able to come home from the hospital next week.
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| I missed you so much |
Tony is sending us a box, soon. I think the dogs will enjoy it.
June 5
We walked at Virginia Lake and saw a bird we had never seen before.
June 6
Mickey came home yesterday. He is feeling good. Seeing the pictures of their car made me realize how lucky they were to have survived the accident. The front of their car was totally destroyed.
We had our community garage sale today. Kathy came over to sit with us for a while. She took my favorite sweater, that I had way back when we were first married. It looked so good on her, and it made me happy that she liked it.
June 7
Today was my painting class, Bugs and Blossoms, Susie and I had a good time, and I was happy with my painting of a butterfly on a Plumeria branch. Our next class is next Sunday. I think I might sign up for more classes. Bill and I want to the Nugget for our free dinner.
June 9
Yesterday was our 47th anniversary. We had a relaxing day, starting out with a walk near California and Arlington. Bill brought in, from the garage, the sign we had hanging on the back of our 1962 Chevy when we got married, as well as the matchbook where he wrote down my phone number and address when we first met.
We met Carol from AARP, and I signed up for the position of teaching the Driver Safety class as a volunteer. Bill hasn't decided what he wants to do, yet, but he will be getting a list of things that they have available. We might work the Aces games handing out information about AARP.
We met Carol from AARP, and I signed up for the position of teaching the Driver Safety class as a volunteer. Bill hasn't decided what he wants to do, yet, but he will be getting a list of things that they have available. We might work the Aces games handing out information about AARP.
We went shopping for a little while, for some pens for my painting class, and then we spent the rest of the day just hanging out at home. Tony called, and we talked for a long time. He told me more about the Ragnar Relay that he and Kathy will be running in August.
We drove to Applebees for take-out for dinner. Bill had to run to Safeway and he picked up a movie, Interstellar, from Redbox. It was almost three hours long, but it was very good. We went for a walk after the movie and didn't get to bed until almost midnight.
Bailey's birthday was on Wednesday, but we weren't able to see her because she had a game to play. Kathy said we will try to do dinner next week.
Bailey's birthday was on Wednesday, but we weren't able to see her because she had a game to play. Kathy said we will try to do dinner next week.
June 15
Wow! We've had a busy few days and a busy week ahead. Friday, I vacuumed Maxine's house and then made pizza and took it over to Maxine and Mickies for dinner. Saturday, we went to Crystal Peak Park to look for things for the fairy garden. We didn't find anything, but we discovered that the park extends under the road to the north and there is an interpretive trail and a large fish pond. We plan to go back earlier in the day so it will be cool enough to explore the whole thing.
Yesterday morning, I walked 2.79 miles through our neighborhood and the one to our south. I did it really early, so the temperature was great for walking. My last painting class was yesterday, and I really enjoyed the class, but I don't know if I want to pursue classes or just try to create some paintings on my own. When Susie and I drove through downtown, we were able to get a picture of the river with half the Virginia Street Bridge
gone.
Wow! We've had a busy few days and a busy week ahead. Friday, I vacuumed Maxine's house and then made pizza and took it over to Maxine and Mickies for dinner. Saturday, we went to Crystal Peak Park to look for things for the fairy garden. We didn't find anything, but we discovered that the park extends under the road to the north and there is an interpretive trail and a large fish pond. We plan to go back earlier in the day so it will be cool enough to explore the whole thing.
Yesterday morning, I walked 2.79 miles through our neighborhood and the one to our south. I did it really early, so the temperature was great for walking. My last painting class was yesterday, and I really enjoyed the class, but I don't know if I want to pursue classes or just try to create some paintings on my own. When Susie and I drove through downtown, we were able to get a picture of the river with half the Virginia Street Bridge
gone.
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| Before |
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| During |
Today, we walked through Meadowood Mall because it is so hot. Tomorrow, we are going to take the car to Brite Glass to have the windshield replaced, and Kristie and Sally are going to pick us up to go see Jurassiac World. Then, we will pick the car up after 3, and go home, only to have to be at Park Lane Theater by 5:30 to volunteer with the AARP group and then see Still Alice. On Wednesday, we will be going to the Aces stadium at 5:30 to volunteer with AARP again, and then we will stay for a game. On Thursday, we have to take Mickie and Maxine to the doctor at 1:45, and 3:00, and Bill has a doctor's appointment at 2:00, which means we will drop him off and he will have to wait when he is done for us to go back to pick him up.
June 21
Last Tuesday, Bill and I worked for the first time as Brand Embassadors for AAPR at a private screening of Still Alice, a movie about early onset Alzheimers. The movie was excellent. Before the movie, we helped to set up the table with AARP information, and then Bill had to count the people as they entered the theater and I was an usher, with not much to do except welcome people as they walked into the theater and ask them to take seats toward the middle. On the way home, we stopped for tacos and a burrito at Taco Bell. The next night, we worked the information table at the Aces game.
July 14
Some time has gone by since I added anything to this blog. We went to a couple of Bailey's games. She is playing for Sparks High for the summer. It was really hot but the teams play anyway.
We've been walking a lot. I walked 42.2 miles in May, 57.75 miles in June, and so far, halfway through July, I'm at 44.53. A lot of those miles were with Bill, but I've been trying to get up at 4 every morning and walk when it is the coolest. Then I can go back to bed for a couple of hours.
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| A pretty tree we saw in a neighborhood near the river |
I said I was going to make a fairy garden and this is the result so far. I'm not entirely happy with the houses because the hot glue doesn't stick to the rocks very well, and the rain has made the roofs come loose. I still want to pursue the idea.
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| Looking great |
We had a week of super hard rain almost every afternoon, accompanied by hail and lightning. We also had some flooding in our neighborhood, and then during subsequent storms, several other areas had flash floods. Vista, Sparks Blvd., Prater, and Los Altos were all under water at different times. Mackie freaks so badly when there is lightning and thunder, that Miele is now affected by her paranoia. Miele usually sleeps in the living room on her bed, but during the storms, she sleeps next to the bathroom door, which makes for an eventful midnight trip to the bathroom.
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| Dog park/water retention pond |
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| Dog park/water retention pond |
On July 4th, Mickie and Maxine had us, their son and grandkids, and another friend, Donna, over for dinner. What a spread! I took Susie's beans, and they had hamburgers, hot dogs, potato salad, cheeses, strawberries, watermelon, cantaloupe, and Donna took a huge cake. We were very well fed, and it was a lovely evening. We took the dogs with us, so when there was thunder or early fireworks, they wouldn't be home alone. The thunder didn't happen, but we did hear some fireworks.
On July 5th, we went to Sherri's new house for dinner. She had appetizers, that we tried to not eat too much of, so we would be hungry for dinner. Dinner was pork loin and a delicious salad. We stayed for several hours, just drinking wine and talking.
On the way home, we saw lots of lightning. It was the only time we had been out after dark to see the lightning. It was quite beautiful.
Last Sunday, July 11, we went to Idlewild Park to walk. They have an interpretive garden near the train, that we don't remember seeing before so we went through it. It is interesting that they have signs telling people to use all their senses to enjoy the garden. So, we were allowed to touch the leaves of the plants and lean down to smell some of the more aromatic ones.
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| This is a tree trunk that has mushrooms growing out of it. |
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| The kiddie train is still running. It has been in operation since 1943 |
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| Four people reading actual books along the River trail with Bill in the background |
A group of us went to the Picasso and Wine event that AARP sponsored. We went for $15.00 each, and it us usually $55.00. They served a delicious buffet dinner and everyone had a wonderful time.
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| Sherri and Kathy |
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| Kathy's painting |
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| Sherri and Kathy |
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| Suzi, Kristen and Sally |
August
The first weekend in August, we went to a party at Sherri's house. Jennifer had a girl, named her Aoe, and they will be moving to Oregon soon to their new house and her new job as the manager of a pharmacy.
I made the decision to cancel my reservation for the Girls of Granada weekend in October. The event was getting too big, with too many women I never knew. Nina, Ann and Anne also cancelled. We are going to drive down to visit Joline and Bill near the end of October and we will get together for dinner on Saturday night and on Sunday, Joline and I will make appetizers and we'll have them all over for appetizers and wine in her backyard. We've also asked Julie and Debbie Tucker, who both said they'd love to join us. We will have a great reunion, and not have to make nice with people we didn't know.
We worked at another AARP event. This time it was an Alzheimer's Conference at the Automobile Museum. We had a good time and they served a good lunch. I am going to be going to two Driver Safety classes in early September so I can go forward with my plans to teach the class. We dropped our State Farm Home and Auto insurance after being with them for 45 years. We got a much better rate and better coverage through AARP Hartford insurance.
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| Beautiful sunset from our neighborhood walk |
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| Pool workout because it was too hot to walk |
I got on my bandwagon and wrote a letter to the editor regarding re-branding the image of Reno.
The Reno
City Council is spending $284,000 to remake the city image. (RGJ July 22 and
23) Among other things, they will spend $43,500 to “obtain the intellectual
property rights to the Biggest Little City Movement’s branding campaign and
logo, despite the nonprofit’s offer to hand it over for $1.00.” The
majority of the budget would go toward new signage and printing costs. It also
includes a $20,000 salary increase for an administrative assistant who would
become a graphics coordinator. Maybe if they spent that money to
clean up the city, the image would take care of itself. Mayor Schieve, it would have been helpful if
you had asked the people who go to Reno for their ideas. When we drive to Reno
from Sparks, specifically via 4th Street or 5th Street, what
we see are boarded-up buildings, hookers, homeless people, and trash.
In late July, we drove to Lovelock and Fernley to do three mystery shops. They offered $200.00 for the travel and we're always happy to make some extra $$. Because of the California fires, the air was smoky that day, as well as many days since then, which makes for pretty sunrises and sunsets.
Smokey sunrise over the desert |
| Tree in Fernley |
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| Stump in Fernley |
The week before school started, on August 6. we met Bryanna and Bailey at Applebee's for a late lunch. We had such a fun time, and we stayed there talking for almost an hour after we were finished with our meals. They have grown up.
Lunch at Applebee's with the Brown Girls
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We went for a walk at Oxbow on July 27. It was a hot day, but we went early enough that we were able to go over a mile. After the walk, we went into the visitor center and met a ranger, who told us a lot about the animals who live in the area.
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| Tony at a conference in Maryland on August 10 |
Pretty clouds
Tony got here on August 13 for the Ragnar Tahoe Run. He looks fantastic, and is feeling better than he has ever felt. We only got to enjoy him for a couple of hours before Kathy and Rommie showed up at the Nugget, where we were finishing lunch. He and Kathy planned to leave her house at 3 to head up to Boreal.
On Friday afternoon, Sally called us to invite us to an Aces game that night. We were happy to go, and the bonus was, that they had box seats. It was a good game, going into overtime, so we didn't get home until almost midnight.
Kathy and Tony had a wonderful time. They each ran over 16 miles and they got very little sleep, so they were worn out, but exhilarated. Their camp theme was Trailer Trash, and they all looked great. We found a toilet ice chest at a garage sale and gave it to Kathy for their site and they proudly displayed it filled with candy. They got home around 3 on Saturday.
We had gone to Grace's birthday party at her house, which was packed with lots of family. The ones we knew well were Nancy, Darla and Rick, Janie, and, of course, Grace, Margie and Pat. Rommie and the girls were already there when we got there, and after about an hour, Kathy showed up, worn out and hungry. Rommie grilled the chicken, tri-tip, hamburgers and hot dogs and there was plenty of other delicious food to go with that. We stayed for a little while after dinner, but we wanted to spend time with Tony so we left around 6. When we got home, I fixed Tony a steak and salad. Bill and Tony drove to Safeway after he ate to pick up some Chapstick, and I took a two mile walk, even though it was really too hot.
On Sunday, we went downtown to walk and take pictures. We took him through Midtown, which he didn't know about, and to see the work on the Virginia Street Bridge. He wore us out, and Bill took a nap when we got home. Kathy, Rommie and the girls got to our house about 5 and we went to Los Compadres for a delicious dinner.
On Monday after breakfast, we took Tony to the airport and in a flash, he was on his way. The visit was too short, but, they always are. We were happy to be able to see him for a little while.
August 16
I wrote a rant that I wanted to send to the newspaper, but it was too long for a letter to the editor. I finally found out where to send it. I heard from them right away, and I think it is going to be published. They needed a photo of me, so Bill took one and I thought it was a pretty good one. It was about 150 words too long, so I had to shorten it. Here is me and my original rant. It finally made it into the paper.
I recently learned a new word. "Presentism." That is the
application of contemporary moral standards to people who lived long ago. It
subjects history and historical figures to contemporary social enlightenment.
Our founding fathers were far from perfect. Native Americans were slaughtered by
conquering whites. Slavery was common world-wide. Patrick Henry, as well
as other notable Americans owned slaves. Thomas Jefferson not only owned 175
slaves, he treated them poorly, selling them away from their families and
proposing legislation to make emancipated blacks outlaws in America, the land of
their birth. Of the eight American presidents who owned slaves while in office,
George Washington was the only one who set his slaves free. Even many black
people owned slaves. These people formed our country, and many things they did
then, that we now condemn, were, unfortunately, legal.
Slavery was rampant in the Bible, in both the Old and New
Testaments. The Bible clearly approves of slavery in many passages, and it even
tells how to obtain slaves, how hard you can beat them, and when you can have
sex with the female slaves. There were more white slaves than black slaves in
colonial America, including English, Irish and Scottish. Hundreds of thousands
of Scots were sold into slavery during Colonial America. White slavery in the American colonies
occurred as early as 1652. During the 1650s, 100,000 Irish children were
brought to the West Indies, New England, and Virginia as slaves. The judges of
Edinburg, Scotland, during the years 1662 to 1665 ordered the enslavement and
shipment to the colonies of a large number of rogues and others who made life
unpleasant for the British upper class.
In 2015, the Confederate Flag is a symbol of slavery instead of a
symbol of Southern pride. The Bible is held up as a perfect document, although
it was written by imperfect people. Some Texas textbooks are being rewritten to
exclude mention of the Ku Klux Klan and Jim Crow laws, and they will barely
address racial segregation. Students will learn that the Civil War began, not
as a war against slavery, but as a debate regarding state’s rights. Slavery
will be secondary.
The problem with rewriting history, making it sound prettier, not
as nasty, not as bad, is that, in addition to being offensive and inaccurate,
it inflicts harm on history itself. History
is about understanding facts and learning lessons of what not to do and the
mistakes that shouldn’t be repeated. History is the description of how the
world got to be what it is today, and that is learned through facts about the
past. If we change history, we are doing
a disservice to the children who will grow up knowing nothing about how we came
to be. What if Germany rewrote the entire history of World War II, including
the atrocities of the holocaust? If they wiped out the whole Nazi movement, the
Holocaust, and how 6 million European Jews, as well as members of other
persecuted groups, such as Gypsies and homosexuals, were slaughtered? What if the United States wiped out the shameful
episode during WWII of interring thousands of innocent Japanese-American
citizens? Or if Japanese historians
erased the bombing of Pearl Harbor, which drew the US into the war?
We absolutely should not try to rewrite history. We must teach it,
and learn from it, and we should move forward to make our country and our world
a better, and more enlightened place for future generations.
September
Wow. I have completely blown off the last four weeks.
Post of Facebook - I've been on a rant roll so here is my latest. Everyone has the right to their personal beliefs. When their beliefs affect their jobs, they should step down and get a different job. Case in point - the thrice-divorced, Christian clerk in Kentucky who believes that gay marriage is a sin has stopped issuing marriage licenses to anyone so she can't be accused of discrimination. (I'm not saying that divorce is a sin, but that she is a hypocrite who hand-picks what is, and what is not, a sin.)
Since she isn't doing the job she is being paid to do, why hasn't she been removed from her position? There is talk of prosecuting her but she is still on the job. Putting her in jail would only make her a martyr. Let her go on her way to a job where her radical personal beliefs don't affect others. I'm not saying divorce is a sin.
- Chris Briscoe, Julie Schleining, Amanda Tethers-Martin and 4 others like this.
Comments
We had game night at our house on August 29. Alan and Veronica and Pam and Ed weren't able to come. We had a good time, but we didn't play games. We just talked, ate and drank. We made a huge chicken, bacon and garlic salad and there was bread, and plenty of other things to eat.
We've been doing more work with AARP, going to the Senior Fest a couple of weeks ago. It was about the same as the others, but very crowded. We had fun. We finally bought a new bed and we have been sleeping so well. Neither of us have back aches any more. What a relief.
My roots had grown out from when I got the streak done in my hair in Texas, so I wanted to get them done and make the streak a little bit bigger. BIG MISTAKE!! Analise said she would do it for me for free, so we bought the stuff to do it. I picked out a nice color that I thought would be sort of auburn. It turned out to be too red, almost orange. I thought I could make it better until Analise was able to fix it but the color I put on turned darker red. I had to wait a week because we both had other things going on.
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| After the first treatment |
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| After I tried to fix it |
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| This is more like it! |
We had to go to a hearing about the barking dog two doors over from us. When I was asked for my side of the story, I explained how we have been keeping records of the barking for several months and that the dog hadn't been barking for almost one month. The judge asked if I wanted the defendants to be fined and I said that I didn't want that. The dog was quiet and that was all I had asked for. We parted from the hearing with a handshake and everything had been quiet since.
Last weekend, we went to Petaluma to visit Brian and Monique. We had an easy drive over on Thursday, with the only traffic on the 37, which we found out was due to a truck going off the side of the road partly into the swamp. We went to Ikeda's and bought seven huge peaches, which were wonderful. On Friday, Brian drove us to the Armstrong Redwood National Forest for a hike and a picnic. The area was serene and beautiful and we had a delightful time.
When we got home, we rested and then we watched a movie, St. Vincent, with Bill Murray and Melissa McCarthy. It was cute.
On Saturday, we went to an art fair, which turned out to be very small, so we walked through several blocks of an old neighborhood in Petaluma. When we got home, we rested for a little while and then went to Emily's soccer game. We saw Eric, and Jay and Kirsten. The clouds built up and we even got a tiny bit of rain.
When we got home, we watched another movie that we had rented, which was just okay, and Michelle and Riley and Haley came over for Mexican food and we played Phase 10. Michelle made two apple pies for dessert. They were yummy.
On Sunday, we talked for a while after breakfast (we ate the last of the peaches - it was still perfect) and then got on the road. The drive home was even better than the drive there, so we made it home in just over four hours. The only reason it was longer than four hours was that we stopped for gas in Sacramento, but we had to drive through some surface streets to get to the station that had gas for $2.49!!! Great price. (We are still paying $2.75 at our Costco.) And, we stopped at Ikeda's for peaches to take home.
On Monday, I attended a Driver's Safety class so I will feel more comfortable with the material. The instructor, Ellis, was so much better at teaching than the instructor I had when I took the class a few weeks ago. He gave me several pointers.
I have been asked to fly to Dallas in mid-October to attend a class on the new AARP website so I can teach the volunteers in Northern Nevada how to use the website. I am excited about it. I'll leave here on October 18 and come back on the 21st. Then we will drive to Joline's on the 22nd. Bill could go with me, but we would have to pay for his ticket so he will stay home.
We walked downtown and took a few pics of the new bridge.
We went to the top of one of the Cal Neva Parking structures to take an overview.
We went to the top of one of the Cal Neva Parking structures to take an overview.
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| Virginia Street Bridge progress |
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| Building the arches |
September 20
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| Silly stuff |
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| Silly stuff 2 |
September 21
We decided to drive to Lake Tahoe to walk. The temperature in Reno was going to be 92 and at Tahoe, only 82.
We had a wonderful day. We stopped at Galena Creek Park and walked on one of the nature trails. The next stop was at King's Beach, where we went to a couple of shops and then walked on the beach, of which there isn't much.
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| We want to make this |
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| We liked this sign |
We drove on to Tahoe City, and parked at a Museum, and walked near the Gatekeeper's Museum.
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| Bill at King's Beach |
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| Hang glider descending at King's Beach |
We had never been to the mouth of the Truckee River so we read all the signs and saw all the photos of the building of the locks, and then we walked through part of the river, which was dry. It was an interesting history lesson.
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| Mouth of the Truckee River |
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| Mountain along the Truckee on the highway |
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| Along the Truckee on I-80 |
September 24
We went for a walk after dinner and were treated to a beautiful sunset.
We went for a walk after dinner and were treated to a beautiful sunset.
I went to Dr. Geni for a physical and he said I am as healthy as can be. He thinks I might be able to stop taking Simvastatin to lower my cholesterol because I have lost 22 pounds since August 1. I will go for a blood test tomorrow and then see him again on November 9. |
| Pretty clouds over the Sierra |
Bill's leg is hurting, so I went out for a walk after dinner and went 3.47 miles at an average pace of 21.36.
Sept 26
I walked to Renown to get my blood test and Bill met me there. I only walked 1.1 mile, but then we went to Pah Rah Park and walked .89, and last night I went 1.47, so I got my three miles in for the day. We had another beautiful sunset and then I turned around and caught the rise of the full moon over the Pah Rahs.
Sept 28
AARP - I have arranged for my flights to and from Dallas, but my name isn't on the approved list, so the tickets can't be issued. They will hold the reservations until tomorrow. If they expire, and the approval doesn't come soon, there is a chance of the flights being sold out and then I might have to take one with a three hour layover or one that arrives in Dallas at 11:47 at night. I would hate that because I will have to get up early for the workshop on Monday.
Sept 29
Everything is worked out for my trip and I have the tickets in my case. It was approved on Saturday, but I wasn't notified until Monday. Nancy sent us an email inviting Bill to go to Las Vegas for the Life Re-Imagined workshop at the end of the month, so he will get to take a trip too.
October 2
Yesterday, Bill was able to get in two weeks early to see Dr. Hanson to find out why his leg has been hurting. He had asked Dr. Shields if it would be okay to stop taking it Xeralto, which is the blood thinner he has been taking since getting the blood clots. That has been two or three years, and the cost of the drug Dr. Shields didn't think it would be a bad thing, so Bill didn't renew the prescription when it ran out early last week. Turns out it was a very bad thing. The ultrasound he had done on Monday, showed that he has two occluded veins in his leg, right next to the bypass graft, and it's because he stopped taking the drug. He started taking it again, using the samples Dr. Hanson's nurse gave him, and today we took a little bit longer walk before his leg started hurting. Part of the problem with Xeralto, besides it being linked to all kinds of health risks, was that it was costing us $184.00 every three months. Bill saw a commercial about there being assistance for people who have to take the drug, so today, he went online an searched google to see if he could find what is available. He filled out a questionnaire about his condition, and got a coupon, which he took to the pharmacy. When he asked what the co-pay would be, he found out that it was zero! That will save us over $700.00 per year! We are so glad he noticed that commercial.
Yesterday, we were supposed to meet Earl and Louise, longtime friends (33 years) but the doctor appointment took precedence, so we had them over to dinner instead. We had a good long visit and they enjoyed dinner. After they left, I realized that I forgot to take any pictures. So, today on the way to the market, we stopped by their house to take some. We got to see their new couches and paint in the living room. They will be leaving next week for Colorado, and won't be back until early next year.
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| Killing Earl |
October 11
We've had several quiet days, taking walks whenever possible and doing lots of reading. Bill saw Pam for his haircut last week and she gave me a recipe for a Mexican dessert for game night next week.
We have had some gorgeous sunsets lately
For Throwback Thursday, I posted some photos of Tony and Scott and the belts I made for them at Y-Women, way back before Kathy was born. The photo of the doesn't show the belts, but it shows the ages they were when they wore them.
The comments on the belts post.
Tony posted a chart that was really cute.
Here are the comments on that post.
We have decided that we will drive to Las Vegas from Canyon Country instead of driving home and then flying to Las Vegas the next day. AARP is going to reimburse us for 900 miles worth of the trip, meaning that we will come out way ahead. So, we will get $537.00 when it will cost less than $100.00 for the gas for the whole trip.
We went to some garage sales yesterday, and I saw a house that was painted the colors of our house when the kids were so embarrassed. I'm going to send them all a picture and tell them that we are moving.
Today, we're driving up to South Lake to see Craig and Jackie. It should be a nice, relaxing day.
October 12
We had such a good time with Craig and Jackie yesterday. Our drive up was good, and we noticed lots of trees already showing their fall colors. When we got to their hotel, we went in and sat for a while before going for a walk up to the main street. There was a show and shine so we enjoyed looking at the beautiful cars. We got back to the hotel and sat at picnic tables in the shade, loving the smell of the forest surrounding us. We went in their room and had cocktails before heading out to dinner. Craig and I both looked up places to eat that had local color and low prices. He found one called Freshies and it turned out to be perfect. Bill and I had salads and we split a Kahlua pork sandwich. Craig paid for dinner! We stopped at the beach for a few minutes on the way back and then Bill and I left so we would get off the mountain before it was totally dark. We made it home just after dark and we took another walk, making our total for the day about 1 and one half miles. All in all, it was a lovely day.
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| The original in 1965 |
Of course, Craig had to do the "jump on the bed" photo that he first did at a party at my house when we were 17.
October 22
Dallas was fun, and totally unnecessary. I learned how to use the new portal, but I had already figured out how to use it from the link that they had sent me a couple of weeks before the trip. I had a good time walking, talking to lots of people and eating. I managed to stay within my calorie limit so I lost a pound while I was there. They put us up at a Hilton, and it was very nice. The food was fantastic, catered breakfast, lunch and dinner most days.
Lunches were delicious, too.
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| Pulled port, Mac and cheese, salad and grapes |
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| Me with Sam |
There was a good view from my room, on the 7th floor. Room 711 for Nevada.
On the last night, I went to dinner with Sam, Bette and Ralph, and the steak, blue cheese covered potatoes and salad were absolutely wonderful, although very expensive, They had given us a $25.00 voucher to use for the last night, so it only cost me $12.00.
The drive to Canyon Country was really good. We encountered very little traffic, and almost no trucks. I took pictures all along the way and posted them on Facebook so everyone knew where we were. The trees were just starting to show signs of fall.
When we got to Palmdale, we saw smoke ahead along the side of the road, and it turned out to be a fire. We were glad we got by before it got bad. Of course, we didn't find out what it was all about or if it ever got bad.
We enjoyed our visit with Joline and Bill. The meals she prepared were wonderful, but that wasn't any surprise. We played Phase 10 two or three times and Bill was really funny. As soon as he'd pick up his hand, he'd announce that he wasn't going to make it that time. We started playfully mocking him. It was lots of fun.
We had a really good time visiting with Nina and Ann and Anne and Debbie.The reunion started at Nina's house on Saturday night. We got there at 3 and the others got there shortly after that. The guys watched football and talked while the girls chattered about everything. We had our annuals and other pictures to share. Bill got along great with Mike, Nina's husband. There were lots of appetizers and they ordered pizza at about 5 so we were well fed Ann looked so good, even though she was in the hospital for several days just one week before. Anne is not well, either, with terrible back problems. Everyone had a wonderful visit. We sat outside for a couple of hours after dinner. Ann and John left shortly after 8 and the rest of us left about 10.
Sunday morning, we took Bill and Joline to CoCos for breakfast. Then the preparations started, getting food ready, and Bill got the yard spic and span. Ann called to say she had to go home early because she was sick all night, but they stopped by to take Joline a plant and an appetizer, so we got to see them for almost an hour. The others got there about 2, except Debbie Tucker, who I had forgotten to tell the time, so she came over at 3. The food was wonderful and we all had a good time talking. Debbie is head of the reunion committee, so she has decided that the 50th reunion should be in Ventura. We are all for that, and we all want to go together.
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| 6th grade house is beautiful |
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| 7th through 11th grade house is awful |
I would have liked to go further into the valley to see our other houses, but I was afraid we'd hit too much traffic going back to Valencia. It was really nice of Mike to drive us around. On the way back, we went to Red Robin for dinner. Delicious hamburger!
We spent the evening reading and playing Quiddler and Dirty Minds. We enjoyed our stay, In the morning, we left a little after 7 and headed over to Las Vegas.
Las Vegas was okay, but I think we would both have rather just come home. We'd had enough vacation. After we checked in at the Suncoast, we got our clothes ready for the evening and went to the pool to read. We were the only ones there for a long time, and it was warm, but overcast, so we enjoyed being there in the quiet, reading. We rested and then went down for the event. Life Reimagined was interesting, and the dinner was good. We met a few people who were nice, nothing that we made plans to continue. We saw Nancy, Julie, Gil, Bill and Mary from Reno, and the Las Vegas group, Mary Rodriguez, Maria Dent and Nancy Anderson. After the dinner, even though we knew we were going to have to get up early, we went for a walk for almost one mile.
In the morning, we both woke up really early and decided not to wait for Nancy to pick up the others. We had planned to follow her to the workshop, but we didn't want to drive in traffic, so I texted Maria to let her know that we would meet them there. We left the hotel a little after 6 and drove to the AARP offices. Then we drove to find coffee for Bill and a place to walk. We couldn't find park close by that looked like it was in a safe neighborhood. So, we parked across the street from the offices and walked at a Lowe's and Walmart parking lot for a mile. The breakfast was egg and bacon burritoes and fruit and we enjoyed them a lot. The workshop covered expense reimbursement and it was the same thing I learned in Dallas so after an hour, we asked if we could leave so we could make it home before dark.
The hardest part of the drive home was getting to the freeway using the GPS. It took us through one of the worst parts of town. I realized I should have just taken Flamingo or Tropicana to the freeway in the first place, but finally we were on our way.
The drive took 8 and 1/2 hours, with one stop for gas in Tonapah and one stop for dinner in Hawthorne. It rained off and on for the last four hours.
Check out of hotel at 6:05am. Check
Drive to where our class will be, extra early so there will be no traffic - 6:09am to 6:48am. Check
Drive to find Bill coffee - 6:48am to 7:06am in semi-heavy traffic. Check
Find a safe place to walk one mile at 7:22am. Check
Go to class at Las Vegas AARP offices at 8:00am. Check
Start drive to Sparks at 10:30am. Check
Pick up dogs at Kathy's at 6:48pm. Check
Get home, unpack, put everything away, start laundry. 7:20 - 8:02pm. Check
Call sister to let her know we made it home 8:03pm. Check
Collapse at 8:18pm. Check
November 14
We've had a few interesting things going on. Mickie and Maxine got a greyhound, Cooper. Miele had a playdate with him yesterday when we took Mackie to the groomer. They got along just fine. Mackie hasn't met him, yet. He's very sweet, just like Tony and Anais' dog Hammer was sweet. I think the temperament of greyhounds is just that way.
We had a snowstorm last Sunday night (Nov 8) that brought us quite a lot of snow. Monday, we were able to stay home in the morning, so the streets had melted before we had to drive. We did several McDonald's shops last week making lots of money.
Speaking of money, we got the reimbursement from AARP for Dallas and Las Vegas. In total we got almost $900.00 and both trips cost us under $300.00. I think we will be traveling as much as they want us to.
Bill went to see Dr. Gini because he was very worried about his memory loss. Dr. Gini assured him that he is fine and is experiencing normal memory issues associated with getting older. I believe his talk helped Bill. Also, the drugs he took probably affected his memory some, but I don't think he is any worse than I am.
We went for a walk the morning after the snowstorm at Mira Loma Park and found that there was a lot of damage to the large trees.
Then we found that there is damage all over town. We were lucky and had no damage.
I have also seen Dr. Gini and he is very happy with my weight loss and with the blood panel. I am off my cholesterol medicine and we will reevaluate in three months. I had a mammogram two weeks ago and I've been called in to have another one on the left side. I am pretty concerned, but trying to keep good thoughts that because the test was the new 3-D kind, the technician saw something that is different than what the old one showed, and it is not a problem. I have to go on Monday, Nov 16.
We volunteered at the first Northern Nevada Car Fit event on November 7. It would have been more fun if any people had shown up. I went through and it was kind of neat. We will be working next week at a luncheon at the Atlantis and at a movie night. We have asked Mickie and Maxine to join us to see The Theory of Everything, which we have all seen, but it was good so we don't mind seeing it again.
We are expecting another snowstorm tomorrow night, but we would rather not have as much snow as the last one because we have to go out early Monday morning for the mammogram.
Kathy and Rommie are taking the girls to DC to visit Tony and Anais in three weeks. It will be wonderful for them to have that time together and they will have an excellent tour guide for the trip. We will house and dog sit at their house. Christmas game night will be at Susie and Kurt's house again, and they are having the ugly sweater contest. I think Bill will win again this time.
We have most of our Christmas shopping done, and it is so nice to know that we won't have to get out with the crowds to look for anything. We still have two things to get, but they won't be hard to find and we can get them done before Thanksgiving. Rommie asked us to join them for Thanksgiving and we might go with them the day after to get them a tree. I think we will pass again this year. We really don't need to have a tree when we will be going to the Brown house as we always do for Christmas morning.
November 23
A few days ago, Alex from QSI came up to this area and had invited shoppers to tour the Auto Museum for free, We went and had a good time talking with him and some other shoppers.
On November 18, we volunteered at a Caregiver Appreciation Luncheon at the Atlantis. We got to enjoy a nice lunch and didn't have too much work to do. The next day was movie night at Park Lane Theater, where they showed The Theory of Everything. We had seen it a few months ago with Bryanna and Bailey but we enjoyed seeing it again.
I have to have a breast biopsy because of some calcification. 35 to 40 percent chance that it is cancer. I'm trying not to worry.
Kathy posted a picture on Facebook showing Bry doing Bailey's makeup for her. It was so sweet to see.
Bailey went to her first formal dance, a Junior Achievement dance, on Saturday night. They had a limo and they went to Wild Hawk for dinner. Her date's name is Dante.
We are expecting very cold weather for the next few days, although the high today was in the 60s, They are predicting snow tomorrow and Wednesday. We don't know where Thanksgiving dinner is going to be, but we will be with Rommie and Kathy and his family. Sherri called us to ask us to join them, and so did Maxine.
Yesterday, Maxine and I went to the pool to workout, My app showed that I used 440 calories. I'm still doing really good on my weight loss quest. I pulled several pair of size 16 pants out of a bin in the garage and got rid of all my size 18s. I am feeling really good about myself for the first time in a lot of years.
December 2
We've been doing so many mystery shops and volunteer duties that I haven't had the time or energy to work on this blog.
We went to Kathy and Rommie's for Thanksgiving, on a bitterly cold day. It snowed most of the day, but nothing stuck. We had such a fun time. We got there at 2, watched some football, talked, had a delicious dinner and then played Phase 10 and Spoons until almost 9. We were exhausted by the time we made it home. Our contribution was homemade apple pie and chocolate chip cookie bars with a layer of brownie and topped with butter cream frosting.
We walked at the mall several times during the cold spell, and found that there is a new store with the most hideous furniture we have ever seen. This couch costs 16,000 and the accompanying chair is $8,000. I posted the pic on Facebook and said we are going to redecorate.
Sherri, Heather and Dom came over for dinner on Monday. We had a wonderful time, just talking and eating, and, of course, drinking wine. We served baked pasta, salad and garlic bread. Such a good dinner for company, because all the cooking utensils can be cleaned up before anyone arrives. We had leftover chocolate chip cookie/brownie bars left from Thanksgiving, and Bill made a peach/banana bread. It was so good to be able to spend time with Heather and Dom. Greg's surprise party on Sunday night will have too many people for any good visiting to go on. We will also be going to Sherri's this Friday for dinner to see Jennifer and Matt and the kids. On Saturday, I'm going to help Kathy sell her creations at the craft fair at her school, and then I'll zip home to pick up Bill and we're going to play miniature golf with Sherri, Heather and Dom.
We saw a cute sign at Legends a few days ago when we walked at the Marina.
We took down the Thanksgiving decor and put up Christmas yesterday. This is the first time we've had my dad's old candles displayed since we moved back from Maui.
Tonight we have a mystery shop at Texas Roadhouse. We haven't been there in a long time. We love getting free food and being paid as well.
Bill has an audit at RC Wiley next week, and we have a valet parking shop at Renown and a Best Buy online shop, tomorrow.
December 16
Here is it, the middle of December and we wonder, where has the year gone?
We have been busy with mystery shopping and keeping warm with our really cold weather, but other things have gone on.
Sherry had a few of us over for dinner to see Jennifer and Zoe. Heather and Dom were here, so we had plenty of opportunity to visit with them before they had to head back to Gibralter.
Saturday, Dec 7, I helped Kathy at the craft fair. She made almost $300.00 on her snowmen and trees. It was fun, especially seeing all the kids dressed up to see Santa Claus.
Dec 6
Heather and Dom had a surprise 60th birthday party for Greg at Great Basin Brewery. There were about 40 people there and it was lots of fun. The food was delicious, especially the deep fried chicken fingers, which were gone far too quickly. Nick was there, with Landon and Pierce, which surprised us, only because we didn't know that Heather kept in touch with Nick. They were both my kids when they were little.
Dec 8
Kathy, Rommie and the girls flew to DC to stay with Tony and Anais for a week, and we house-sat, which included taking care of their dogs and our dogs at their house. Everything was fine, although it was strange to be living in their house. Their bed is too high for us to comfortably get in and out, even with the stepstools they have, so Bill slept in Bryanna's bed and I slept in Baileys with Mackie and Miele. Cowboy and Bruno slept in their beds in Rommie and Kathy's room so we were all comfortable and cozy, Bill had to go to the ER on Wednesday morning at 3, with severe abdominal pain. He thought his intestines were twisted in knots. After a few tests and some Dilaudid, they diagnosed diverticulitis, a very painful intestinal infection. He still isn't feeling great, but he is way better than he was that morning.
That afternoon, I decorated their Christmas tree. We did a lot of reading and a little TV watching. It snowed several times and was very cold.
Dec 12
Game night festivities at Susie and Kurt's. It was really fun. We were glad Bill felt well enough to go. He was really careful about what he ate. The food was fantastic. Everyone brought an appetizer and cookies and Susie and Kurt provided the drinks and a delicious ham.
This is the most snow-covered the mountains have been in a very long time.
Walked downtown but it was only 40 degrees and the wind was blowing so we only went 2/3 mile. We found a small group of men playing Christmas music on trombones so we sat in the sun for a few minutes and enjoyed the music.
Dec 21
We went to a party at Bob and Patty's house on Saturday night. There were only a few people able to be there, but we had a really good time visiting. Her chili was delicious. Patty had bought a track set for one of her grandchildren and she wanted to see how it worked so we all put it together. It worked once we got it on the floor. I think it will be a hit.
On Sunday night we went to Sherri's for an evening of conversation and another one of her delicious dinners.
Dec 22
Bryanna and Bailey came over to bake Christmas goodies, have lunch and watch a sappy Christmas movie. The movie they chose was Dashing Through the Snow, and it was quite sappy, but we all enjoyed it. We also watched How Murray Saved Christmas. Then we played the new game Kurt and Susie gave us, Egyptian Rat Screw, which they enjoyed so much, they asked if we could play it Christmas morning at their house, so we will be sure to take it with us.
Christmas Eve
We woke up to snow, so Bill bravely volunteered to shovel it. Yay!
We went to Grace's for Christmas Eve festivities, and had fun as we always to. Lisa had picked out more games than usual, and she did a great job this year. All the games were really fun. We played Heads Up, and had a blast with that.
The Story of Christmas
His diagnosis is
Clostridium difficile colitis which was caused by the antibiotics he was
prescribed three weeks ago for diverticulitis. The drugs killed the good
bacteria in him along with the bad. The treatment is a different antibiotic. It
is contagious so I went home at 3:30, so I could wash everything with bleach to
disinfect the house.
December 28
November 14
We've had a few interesting things going on. Mickie and Maxine got a greyhound, Cooper. Miele had a playdate with him yesterday when we took Mackie to the groomer. They got along just fine. Mackie hasn't met him, yet. He's very sweet, just like Tony and Anais' dog Hammer was sweet. I think the temperament of greyhounds is just that way.
We had a snowstorm last Sunday night (Nov 8) that brought us quite a lot of snow. Monday, we were able to stay home in the morning, so the streets had melted before we had to drive. We did several McDonald's shops last week making lots of money.
Speaking of money, we got the reimbursement from AARP for Dallas and Las Vegas. In total we got almost $900.00 and both trips cost us under $300.00. I think we will be traveling as much as they want us to.
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| Just after the snow started sticking |
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| The next morning |
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| Happy doggie |
Bill went to see Dr. Gini because he was very worried about his memory loss. Dr. Gini assured him that he is fine and is experiencing normal memory issues associated with getting older. I believe his talk helped Bill. Also, the drugs he took probably affected his memory some, but I don't think he is any worse than I am.
We went for a walk the morning after the snowstorm at Mira Loma Park and found that there was a lot of damage to the large trees.
Then we found that there is damage all over town. We were lucky and had no damage.
I have also seen Dr. Gini and he is very happy with my weight loss and with the blood panel. I am off my cholesterol medicine and we will reevaluate in three months. I had a mammogram two weeks ago and I've been called in to have another one on the left side. I am pretty concerned, but trying to keep good thoughts that because the test was the new 3-D kind, the technician saw something that is different than what the old one showed, and it is not a problem. I have to go on Monday, Nov 16.
We volunteered at the first Northern Nevada Car Fit event on November 7. It would have been more fun if any people had shown up. I went through and it was kind of neat. We will be working next week at a luncheon at the Atlantis and at a movie night. We have asked Mickie and Maxine to join us to see The Theory of Everything, which we have all seen, but it was good so we don't mind seeing it again.
We are expecting another snowstorm tomorrow night, but we would rather not have as much snow as the last one because we have to go out early Monday morning for the mammogram.
Kathy and Rommie are taking the girls to DC to visit Tony and Anais in three weeks. It will be wonderful for them to have that time together and they will have an excellent tour guide for the trip. We will house and dog sit at their house. Christmas game night will be at Susie and Kurt's house again, and they are having the ugly sweater contest. I think Bill will win again this time.
We have most of our Christmas shopping done, and it is so nice to know that we won't have to get out with the crowds to look for anything. We still have two things to get, but they won't be hard to find and we can get them done before Thanksgiving. Rommie asked us to join them for Thanksgiving and we might go with them the day after to get them a tree. I think we will pass again this year. We really don't need to have a tree when we will be going to the Brown house as we always do for Christmas morning.
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| Bryanna |
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| Bailey
For Carson and Brendan, we have done something different because we always have such a problem finding the right presents for them. We contributed to the Rainforest Site to save and feed dogs and we are sending them certificates they can put up in their rooms. We will also send them gift cards for something, but we don't know what, yet. Scott and Jenn, will get gift cards for a restaurant, or Home Depot, etc.
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A few days ago, Alex from QSI came up to this area and had invited shoppers to tour the Auto Museum for free, We went and had a good time talking with him and some other shoppers.
On November 18, we volunteered at a Caregiver Appreciation Luncheon at the Atlantis. We got to enjoy a nice lunch and didn't have too much work to do. The next day was movie night at Park Lane Theater, where they showed The Theory of Everything. We had seen it a few months ago with Bryanna and Bailey but we enjoyed seeing it again.
I have to have a breast biopsy because of some calcification. 35 to 40 percent chance that it is cancer. I'm trying not to worry.
Kathy posted a picture on Facebook showing Bry doing Bailey's makeup for her. It was so sweet to see.
Bailey went to her first formal dance, a Junior Achievement dance, on Saturday night. They had a limo and they went to Wild Hawk for dinner. Her date's name is Dante.
We are expecting very cold weather for the next few days, although the high today was in the 60s, They are predicting snow tomorrow and Wednesday. We don't know where Thanksgiving dinner is going to be, but we will be with Rommie and Kathy and his family. Sherri called us to ask us to join them, and so did Maxine.
Yesterday, Maxine and I went to the pool to workout, My app showed that I used 440 calories. I'm still doing really good on my weight loss quest. I pulled several pair of size 16 pants out of a bin in the garage and got rid of all my size 18s. I am feeling really good about myself for the first time in a lot of years.
December 2
We've been doing so many mystery shops and volunteer duties that I haven't had the time or energy to work on this blog.
We went to Kathy and Rommie's for Thanksgiving, on a bitterly cold day. It snowed most of the day, but nothing stuck. We had such a fun time. We got there at 2, watched some football, talked, had a delicious dinner and then played Phase 10 and Spoons until almost 9. We were exhausted by the time we made it home. Our contribution was homemade apple pie and chocolate chip cookie bars with a layer of brownie and topped with butter cream frosting.
We walked at the mall several times during the cold spell, and found that there is a new store with the most hideous furniture we have ever seen. This couch costs 16,000 and the accompanying chair is $8,000. I posted the pic on Facebook and said we are going to redecorate.
Sherri, Heather and Dom came over for dinner on Monday. We had a wonderful time, just talking and eating, and, of course, drinking wine. We served baked pasta, salad and garlic bread. Such a good dinner for company, because all the cooking utensils can be cleaned up before anyone arrives. We had leftover chocolate chip cookie/brownie bars left from Thanksgiving, and Bill made a peach/banana bread. It was so good to be able to spend time with Heather and Dom. Greg's surprise party on Sunday night will have too many people for any good visiting to go on. We will also be going to Sherri's this Friday for dinner to see Jennifer and Matt and the kids. On Saturday, I'm going to help Kathy sell her creations at the craft fair at her school, and then I'll zip home to pick up Bill and we're going to play miniature golf with Sherri, Heather and Dom.
The bridge work is progressing a little more quickly now that it has been placed over the river. We walked downtown yesterday, and went into the bowling stadium for the first time in several years, We had forgotten how huge that thing is. We walked up the stairs, about 60 of them, which got us pretty winded, but we decided that it was a great workout, so we will plan to do that every time we walk downtown.
We saw a cute sign at Legends a few days ago when we walked at the Marina.
We took down the Thanksgiving decor and put up Christmas yesterday. This is the first time we've had my dad's old candles displayed since we moved back from Maui.
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| Handmade snowman by Kathy |
Tonight we have a mystery shop at Texas Roadhouse. We haven't been there in a long time. We love getting free food and being paid as well.
Bill has an audit at RC Wiley next week, and we have a valet parking shop at Renown and a Best Buy online shop, tomorrow.
December 16
Here is it, the middle of December and we wonder, where has the year gone?
We have been busy with mystery shopping and keeping warm with our really cold weather, but other things have gone on.
Sherry had a few of us over for dinner to see Jennifer and Zoe. Heather and Dom were here, so we had plenty of opportunity to visit with them before they had to head back to Gibralter.
Saturday, Dec 7, I helped Kathy at the craft fair. She made almost $300.00 on her snowmen and trees. It was fun, especially seeing all the kids dressed up to see Santa Claus.
Dec 6
Heather and Dom had a surprise 60th birthday party for Greg at Great Basin Brewery. There were about 40 people there and it was lots of fun. The food was delicious, especially the deep fried chicken fingers, which were gone far too quickly. Nick was there, with Landon and Pierce, which surprised us, only because we didn't know that Heather kept in touch with Nick. They were both my kids when they were little.
Dec 8
Kathy, Rommie and the girls flew to DC to stay with Tony and Anais for a week, and we house-sat, which included taking care of their dogs and our dogs at their house. Everything was fine, although it was strange to be living in their house. Their bed is too high for us to comfortably get in and out, even with the stepstools they have, so Bill slept in Bryanna's bed and I slept in Baileys with Mackie and Miele. Cowboy and Bruno slept in their beds in Rommie and Kathy's room so we were all comfortable and cozy, Bill had to go to the ER on Wednesday morning at 3, with severe abdominal pain. He thought his intestines were twisted in knots. After a few tests and some Dilaudid, they diagnosed diverticulitis, a very painful intestinal infection. He still isn't feeling great, but he is way better than he was that morning.
That afternoon, I decorated their Christmas tree. We did a lot of reading and a little TV watching. It snowed several times and was very cold.
Dec 12
Game night festivities at Susie and Kurt's. It was really fun. We were glad Bill felt well enough to go. He was really careful about what he ate. The food was fantastic. Everyone brought an appetizer and cookies and Susie and Kurt provided the drinks and a delicious ham.
This was our contribution. Two kinds of cookies, a homemade cheese tree and chips, pretzels and carrots to dip into the tree.
This is the most snow-covered the mountains have been in a very long time.
Walked downtown but it was only 40 degrees and the wind was blowing so we only went 2/3 mile. We found a small group of men playing Christmas music on trombones so we sat in the sun for a few minutes and enjoyed the music.
Dec 21
We went to a party at Bob and Patty's house on Saturday night. There were only a few people able to be there, but we had a really good time visiting. Her chili was delicious. Patty had bought a track set for one of her grandchildren and she wanted to see how it worked so we all put it together. It worked once we got it on the floor. I think it will be a hit.
On Sunday night we went to Sherri's for an evening of conversation and another one of her delicious dinners.
Bryanna and Bailey came over to bake Christmas goodies, have lunch and watch a sappy Christmas movie. The movie they chose was Dashing Through the Snow, and it was quite sappy, but we all enjoyed it. We also watched How Murray Saved Christmas. Then we played the new game Kurt and Susie gave us, Egyptian Rat Screw, which they enjoyed so much, they asked if we could play it Christmas morning at their house, so we will be sure to take it with us.
Christmas Eve
We woke up to snow, so Bill bravely volunteered to shovel it. Yay!
We went to Grace's for Christmas Eve festivities, and had fun as we always to. Lisa had picked out more games than usual, and she did a great job this year. All the games were really fun. We played Heads Up, and had a blast with that.
The Story of Christmas
Bills Marvelous Christmas Adventure
We
spent most of Christmas day in Renown ER. Since 10:00 pm, Christmas Eve, Bill
was having multiple symptoms. I will not go into detail, but the most worrisome
was passing out several times. It turned out his blood pressure was 67/46.
Everyone we saw in the ER was professional and very kind. After a very long
day, he was taken to a room, and I went home at 8 pm with him stable at 91/41.
December
26
He
had an ok night, pretty much the normal hospital stay. The day went well, with
Bill eating pretty good meals and even getting up to take a walk around the 7th
floor, until his nurse reminded him he was in isolation.
At
about 7 pm, the room next door got 8 visitors. Two of them were young children,
about 3, who proceeded to run through the halls laughing and yelling and
slamming the door of the room they were visiting. I called Bill at 7:40. He was
upset about the noise but didn't want to complain. I'm not that nice, so I called
the floor supervisor and asked if she could help. She said they had the right
to be there, too. I asked if she could close Bill's door and ask them to quiet
down. She asked why he didn't close it himself. I said, "He has been a
little bit sick and he can't reach the door from his bed." He could have
unplugged his IV machine to walk over to close it, but why should he have to do
that? You'll see in a minute why unplugging it could be problematic. Nobody
came to close his door.
At
7:58 Bill had to go to the bathroom. He unplugged the IV unit and got IV cord
tangled. Broke connection off and dislodged the needle in his arm. He started
bleeding a lot. Rang for nurse. Applied pressure. Arm, gown, side of body, and
floor bloody. He stood next to the bed, so not much blood got on it.
Jenn
arrived while talking on phone. She saw what was happening. Continued her phone
conversation while handing him gauze. She said to Bill, "Fitzgerald,
remember that name!" She finished her call. She wrapped a washcloth around
his arm. He asked for something to clean up the blood. She said she had to get
supplies. Brian came in and asked Bill if Jenn was getting something to clean
the floor. Bill didn't know. Brian left and came back with wipes and a fresh
gown. He opened the wipes and set them on the bed. He turned to get gloves.
Bill started to pick up the wipes so he could start cleaning himself. Brian
turned around and said "don't touch those! They're bleach wipes for the
floor. "He then sat on the floor and began to clean it. Meanwhile Bill was
still bleeding. Brian finished cleaning the floor and left. Jenn came back and
wrapped his arm with gauze over the washcloth that was already there. She got
another phone call and told Bill she would be right back.
Bill was still sitting on the
edge of the bed. Brian brought wipes for Bill to clean himself. Bill took fresh
gown and wipes and went into the bathroom to clean himself up. He went back to
bed, which still had a small amount of blood on it. At 9:00, Jenn started to
redo his IV. She was called out of the room, again, before finishing, so the
I'V catheter was in but not attached to a bag. She said she would bring new
tubing and a new bag of saline. She brought the new tubing 10 minutes later and
reattached the old saline bag. She left. When that ran out 10:45, Brian came in
to turn off the alarm. He said he would tell her Bill needed a new bag. Jenn
came in without bag and said Bill was going to be moved to a new room soon so
she had to arrange for a transport. She left. Came back at 12:15 with Sean for
transport and the new bag. She made Sean wait while she installed the bag. Bill
was taken to new room at 12:30.
December
27
In
the new room, he met Joe and Shellie. Shellie asked if he had socks on. He said
he had his own. She said she would get him some clean socks. He told her that
was the same thing he was told when he was first admitted but he never got
them. She assured him she would being him some socks. He never got socks.
His
morning meds were sent to the wrong room so he didn't receive them. At 8:20,
while eating breakfast, he asked Maggie, his day nurse. to bring his meds. She
said, "It's too late because you get another dose at noon." I said,
"But, it won't be another dose because he missed his 6 am dose. Can't he
have his first dose at 9 and his second dose at 3 instead of noon?" She
said, "No we can't do that because his second dose is scheduled at noon.
It's very caustic so we have to weigh the benefits. If we miss a dose, it
isn't crucial." I pointed out that they must be giving it to him so he can
get well and he shouldn't have to go 12 hours without it. She said she would
discuss it with the doctor. Doc came in 1/2 hour later. He didn't mention meds
so I asked about it. He said Bill should have his dose immediately. He said
Bill can go home this morning. Maggie brought the medication. Doc came back 3
minutes later and said Bill might not be able to go home because his meds have
to be compounded and the compounding pharmacy is closed today. It's possible
that Walgreens on South Virginia might be able to provide the meds.
Maggie
finally changed the bloody sheets at 9:50, while we were taking a walk.
With
the high cost of hospital care, wouldn't you think they could buy some new
sheets and blankets?
Walgreens
came through for us so Bill can go home after lunch.
The
End (we said, with our fingers crossed.)
At Home about 2:30 pm
More to the story..... just a quick note.
This just adds to the craziness of the experience.
Bill was dressed and sitting
on the side of the bed when Maggie came in to give us the discharge papers. She
said transport was on the way to take him to the car. And that I should go
ahead and bring the car around to the door. After she left, Bill realized the
IV needle was still in his arm. I went by to the nurse’s station to let her
know. One of the other nurses told me that they leave the needle in until last,
just in case, which I know is true. But, normally they take it out before
giving the patient the release papers and sending for the transport. Maggie
admitted that she forgot, and she went right away to take it out.
But
he's home, so, yay!
Kathy Brown Good lord! Did you send all this in to renown?!?!?!?
Billie Kennedy Garrow Not yet.... I want him safely out of here before I make waves.
Kathy Brown Request his medical records before you leave.
Ann Holman OH MY GOSH!! What a terrible experience! I'm so sorry Bill and you had to go through that. Hospitals are understaffed and the patient pays for it. It is unacceptable. When my sister had brain surgery and was in ICU she asked for pain meds and it took her an hour to get them. And that is in ICU where the nurses only have 1-2 patients!! Feel better, Bill, This is a CHRISTMAS you will never forget!!
Larry Sherry Cerfoglio So sorry Bill had to go through this. Glad he is coming home.
Kim Kapaun Richardson That is horrible but I'm glad you are getting better.
Valerie Marshall What a tale of poor nursing staffing skills at Renown. My neighbor went through an ordeal there also a few weeks back. Gosh....sending my prayers for Bill. I'm living here in Reno Billie if you need help.
Veronica Artz Oh, Bill and Billie. Too much hospital is bad for your health! I'm so sorry for your troubles, and glad Bill will be home soon. Thinking about you.
Analise Guillen Oh my gosh. That's awful. Sending positive vibes your way and hoping for a speedy recovery. Hoping your holidays get a little bit better.
Anne Kimball Solomon Nina should've been there, she would have straightened things out!
Conni Walsh Wackerman OMGOODNESS!!! What an ordeal! Poor Bill, it's bad enough to be ill & have to spend the Christmas holiday in the hospital, to have such atrocious care is unacceptable.
I hope he feels better soon and you can find a better place to go next time you have to use a hospital.
I hope he feels better soon and you can find a better place to go next time you have to use a hospital.
Lauren Cohn Paul This is ludicrous! I am at a loss for words!!! I'm glad he's ready for home though. Sending good thoughts. May your New Year be wonderful.
Billie Kennedy Garrow I think we will go back to using St. Mary's the next time we have need for a hospital. We always expect glitches, but, yes, this was unexceptable. Nina, where were you? Thank you everyone. You always help to keep me sane whenever we go through this. Thank you for your kind offer, Valerie. We have a wonderful support system, including our daughter, Kathy Brown and her husband and our granddaughters.
Laura May With my experience with Denis you need to (1) report all this to hospital admin and also to the State Hospital Admin, with a copy of what you wrote here.. This is atrocious. Hospitals can be understaffed, but not to that extent, or someone was dropping the ball.I hope is feeling better and they get the original drug problem sorted.
Billie Kennedy Garrow Aunt Laura, he is gone and feeling good. We plan to report this.
Julie Schleining Goodness gracious this litany of incompetence is disgraceful. Short staffed or not, there is no excuse for the lack of care and the lack of willingness to deal with visiting hellions not controlled by their parents. Glad Bill is home and that you can manage his care with support from Kathy. Sending much love and praying for recovery without more drama.
Billie Kennedy Garrow Thank you, Julie. He's feeling very well.
Susie Johnson Sorry that you both had to endure so much! I so glad he is better and back home!
Lisa Shannon Partee How awful! Hope he's better, it sounds like a Major lack of communication going on as well. And DON"T BE ON THE PHONE WHILE HELPING a patient? REALLY?
Nina Tethers OMG what a horrible experience, damn well I would have done my best. Would have started a new IV if I was credentialed at that hospital or not! AND changed his sheets and gowns. and sox!!.
Nina Tethers I tripped and fell into a bush chasing the cat on Xmas eve, just getting ready to go to Brian's. Cut my forehead, but figured I'd get the same service, so I fixed it myself. May have a scar but my BP stayed normal.
Shellie Shannon unbelievable...well, not really. I'm glad Bill is out of there and better.
Gee Weckerle Oh no!!!! So sorry Bill wasn't well and he received such poor treatment. So glad he is feeling better. XOXO
Susie Montejano Holub Yea, that is awful treatment. What you do next time is nag until they get it right! Been there! Sorry Bill had to go through that
Patricia Walenda Sherwin I am so sorry for how he was treated. I was in the hospital for an allergic reaction to cyndamyicin. It burnt my skin but unlike Bill I had great nurses. There is no reason he had to sit in his own blood or clean up. I am real ballsey. I would have called my doctor or his service to complain. I have done it before.
Billie Kennedy Garrow We will be complaining as soon as we find out where to direct the complaint.
We're heading over to the Browns for our Christmas morning breakfast. It's about time!
We had a wonderful time at their house. Rommie and Kathy made their usual great breakfast, scrambled eggs with cheddar cheese, sausage, bacon, spam, biscuits, and sausage gravy. We ate breakfast and discussed the last few days, and then we opened the presents. I think everyone was happy with what they got and there are only a couple of take backs. Bailey's new crocs are too girlie, my shirt just doesn't look good on me, although it is wonderful to be able to wear a medium, and one of Bill's new shirts has a defect in the collar. It snowed all morning, so we had a white Christmas after all.
We had a wonderful time at their house. Rommie and Kathy made their usual great breakfast, scrambled eggs with cheddar cheese, sausage, bacon, spam, biscuits, and sausage gravy. We ate breakfast and discussed the last few days, and then we opened the presents. I think everyone was happy with what they got and there are only a couple of take backs. Bailey's new crocs are too girlie, my shirt just doesn't look good on me, although it is wonderful to be able to wear a medium, and one of Bill's new shirts has a defect in the collar. It snowed all morning, so we had a white Christmas after all.
