Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

Very cold, no snow.

In the middle at bridge. The

Hooch is tomorrow.

Brrrrrrrrrrr!

Thursday Thirteen

• The last balance physical therapy session was this morning. The therapist says I’m doing much better. We’ll see how it goes.
• The weather has definitely changed.
• They’re actually talking about snow tonight - lots in the mountains.
• Today was the last day of early voting in TN.
• It would be wonderful go have my votes turn out to be winners.
• It would be wonderful to have ANY of my votes be winners.
• The Head of the Hooch is this weekend - Saturday and Sunday
• It’s supposed to be near freezing on Saturday night.
• We’re talking with Home at First to schedule two weeks is two different locations in Ireland in April/May
• They’ve already sent us a possible schedule.
• I had lunch today with Vicki and Tina. How special is that!
• Congratulations to the Giants for winning the World Series.
• Don’t forget to set your clocks back before you go to bed Saturday night.

A full Tuesday

The tech really worked me hard at PT this morning. She's managed to find one exercise that made me queasy in the stomach and dizzy - standing on a balance board that wobbled side-to-side, with my eyes closed. I had my hands touching (but not grabbing) a grab-bar, so I knew I wasn't going to fall, but it did make my stomach do flips. Well, better balance is the goal here, so they're pushing me. I have one more session on Thursday.

John's went on a walk this evening with some folks from the History Center - through one of the lovely old historic residential districts. It's right next to the university, so an area we know fairly well. But it'll be fun for him to see it at walking speed and hear the history about various homes, etc. The walk was great. Unexpectedly, some new homeowners were working on the restoration of their house, and invited the tour to come into the house to see it. Tina was there, too, and I met them for dinner afterwards.

Bob has been able to move back into his house. The suit his now-ex-wife filed has been settled. Once the sale of the house goes through, they'll have no more contact, even through lawyers. He has an apartment rented in upstate NY where he lived most of his life, and he’ll be heading there in a couple of weeks. We're just glad this is over. I'm glad we were here to help him out, but it's nice to have our house back to just ourselves again.

Bridge Day

I love playing bridge - even when my cards aren’t very good. Today was an exception.

I guess it was just one of those days. Except for the first round I played with John, when we had some pretty good cards, my cards were some of the worst I can remember.

Then there was the other aspect of the game - the players. Maybe 2/3 of the 20 people who played today are pretty good players. And almost all of them are really nice people. However, in four rounds, I wound up playing with and against the worst players in the bunch. I’m certainly not the best in the group, but today was just no fun.

Oh, well - we’ll be back again next week.

Beautiful Fall Sunday

The weather was so pretty today, John took Bob out for a drive along the Tellico and the Cherohala Skyway. Of course, lots of other folks decided to get out and enjoy the gorgeous weather and the trees. There was one waterfall where they couldn't even stop to look and take pictures because they couldn't find a parking place.


John goes in for an echo cardiogram tomorrow. He has A-fib, and has been noticing it more lately. He decided to go to the cardiologist to get it seen to. He wore a Holter monitor last week, and after this test tomorrow, will be going back to the cardiologist to see what's next.


Not too much coming up this week. It’s supposed to be up to 80(!) tomorrow, and then very chilly by the end of the week.

 
 

Duplicate bridge

Played poorly last time.

Didn’t think today would be

better. Tied for first.

Miscellany

• I had PT this morning.
• The therapists are working strengthening my legs and core.
• I feel like I've improved some.
• I really need to get to doing some walking.
• Haven't had time, so far.
• I had a massage today.
• It was wonderful!
• John went to the urologist today for his quarterly injection.
• His PSA was 0.4, which is great.
• He's still having hot flashes, but is dealing with them.
• He went to the cemetery with Allan’s daughters, to support them as they dedicated his stone, and to say his own goodbyes.

"Being Mortal"

I heard part of a conversation with Atul Gawande on BookTV last weekend about his new book, Being Mortal. I've just bought the book, and John is in the process of devouring it. I'm glad I got it in hardback - we'll be loaning it to almost everybody we know. Definitely a must read!

Tuesday - Day 2

The physical therapy session was tough today.  PT is a solid hour of activity - doing things I'm not comfortable doing.  Oh, well - that's the point.


I'm not too fond of grocery shopping, but that got done as well.


We spent all afternoon with T again.  John spent the time getting a new light fixture ready to hang, and getting it at least temporarily up. The girls did lots of work and got most of their stuff packed.  We're not going back tomorrow, but maybe again on Thursday.


In any case, we're both pretty tired, and it's off to bed.

Friends

Today didn’t seem like we did anything, but we‘re still tired.

The only active thing was to go to the Y and to coffee T brought lunch over, and then we went to her house. Her stepdaughters were coming to her house to pick out some personal items that had belonged to their father (who died a year ago). T was afraid that it would be traumatic for all of them, as it was after A died. We volunteered to go to her house, just to be an outside presence and a buffer. We had known the girls when they were youngsters, so it wasn’t as if we were strangers.

We all arrived at the same time. After pleasantries were exchanged, T and the girls got down to business. Today was mostly for looking at what was there and deciding what they wanted to take. They left about 4 or so. We stayed and talked for another hour before going home. There were no problems, but it was stressful for all. And we’ll go back again tomorrow while they’re there to pack up things.

Weekend

Duplicate last night

Awful. Laundry and closet

Cleaning today. Fun.

Cleaning lady comes

Tomorrow, and we will help

Tina with fam’ly.

Sunday Stealing

Let's Talk Travel Meme

Ok let’s talk travel, do you like to travel?
Oh, my, YES!!!
Where have you been?
Six continents, 50 states Canada, etc. It’s been amazing.
Next place you want to go?
Almost anywhere. Right now, we’re working on a trip to the Canadian Rockies next fall. But we’ll be doing some traveling before then.
What is something you MUST take with you when you travel?
My meds, some knitting, and my iPad.
How do you like to travel? (mode of transportation)
It doesn’t matter - car, plane, train, boat - whatever.
With someone, or alone?
Prefer with John and possibly Ann & Al or one or more of the girls.
Do you dance in your car when there are other people with you?
It would be really tough to dance in a car, with or without other people, so I probably wouldn’t in any circumstances.
If you're quiet what does it mean?
Just that I don’t have anything to contribute to the conversation.
Favorite scent?
I don’t like scents except natural ones, like roses or bread cooking or cinnamon.
Favorite store?
I don’t like to shop. I go to Aldi and WalMart because I have to in order to get groceries. Or I shop at Amazon or Knitpicks on line.
Say you wanted coffee.. what kind is your favorite?
Regular coffee. I don’t like flavored coffee.
Favorite kind of pizza?
Regular or thin crust with pepperoni, mushrooms, onions, olives.
Do you get embarrassed easily?
No.
Do you mind people asking you personal questions?
I don’t mind people asking, and I reserve the right to refuse to answer.
You have a tank of gas, $50, and the day off… what do you do?
If the weather is nice, we might go take a ride in the mountains.
Favorite tv show?
NCIS, Rachel Maddow
Song you turn the volume up all the way to listen to?
The sound track from Les Mis
Something you keep in your car?
A bottle of water
Highlight of your day?
Being in for the day and getting into soft clothes.
Something you do everyday that you wish you didn’t have to do?
I don’t much do things I don’t want to do.
Do you mind if people just show up at your house unannounced?
I’d prefer some notice, but I could probably handle it.
What do you do when you disagree with someone?
If it can be a discussion of opinions, I’ll nicely argue my position. I don’t get into heated arguments when positions are written in stone.
Do you enjoy rain?
Yes
Who’s your favorite person in the whole world?
John, of course.

YYYAAAWWWNNN!!!

I haven’t done that much today, but I’m SOOOO sleepy.

Mostly what I’ve accomplished has been in the pampering department. We got haircuts this morning. The “cutter” I like best was there this morning, and she gave me a great short cut. After lunch I went for my mani/pedi. The foot massage is my favorite opart of the process. The nails look pretty good, though.

We went to dinner with Tina at Noodles & Pho - a great chicken meal. Then back to the house for some wine and conversation. We got into a lot of hilarity over “F” words being turned into “Ph” words. Phun, phood, phriends, etc. Great silliness!

I’m recording a PBS performance of Porgy and Bess to watch later.

YYYAAAWWWNNN!!!    Good night.

Four for Thursday

I had my second PT session this morning, and I was really tired afterwards. I guess it's because I was standing or walking or getting up and down from a sitting position (without using my hands) the whole time. I was usually lying or sitting when my shoulder was being worked on. Some of this stuff is simple, but really hard for me.


I had lunch with Vicki today. She's having a second hip replacement next month. I do miss seeing her.


The chamber music series at the museum started its new season evening. This is such a great setting and great music, and is becoming very popular. This evening’s performance was a sellout - and this is an event that has open seating, and is really very informal.


It's definitely cooler now. It was in the low 60s and was cloudy all day I will enjoy this weather when my body makes the transition to these temperatures.

Miscellany

Rain mostly over.

Coffee, bagles, fruit and friends

Make a good morning.

---------------------------------------------------

Have you noticed the Viagra commercial that has only a sexy blonde in a slinky sundress, walking barefoot on a beach and beach resort-type area? No man at all in the commercial, and it doesn't mention the name of the drug until it shows up at the very end. Sheeeeshhh!!!

Follow-up

Most of the storm came through here overnight. We got 3.4" of rain, and I heard none of it. It was still rainy this morning, with a couple of really hard showers. I waited in my car at WalMart for it to slack up some before I ventured out of my car. It seems to be lightening up some now, though. Last night’s rain plus this morning’s 0.5” gave us 4” from this system. This is added to the 1.5” we had gotten on Friday night. Should I be checking the specifications for an ark?

I went to my first PT session on balance training. I have the same gal who worked on me for my shoulder, so we're old friends. She had me do some interesting things and gave a couple of exercises to do at home. One of the movements did make me slightly dizzy, so something must be working. I'm set up for 5 more sessions, 2/week for 3 weeks. We shall see.....

In the piece they did about the meeting last night, the TV folks got all three of us in a long shot and I showed up in a brief close-up.  Ah, celebrity!

Weather; run-up to Election Day

We're supposed to get really bad weather tonight. There’s no rain or wind here yet, but flash flood warnings have already been posted (we're so hilly, that's always a problem). And the start of school has been postponed 2 hours in the morning. That's so that it will be daylight when the buses run.
--------------------------------------------------
This evening, we went to a forum put on by the Tennessee League of Women Voters to explain the four ballot issues to be voted on in November. They're proposed amendments to the Tennessee constitution. We were pretty sure we knew what we were going to do, but this just confirmed it. Afterwards, we went to our favorite Mexican restaurant for our usual yummy dinner. I brought half of mine home, so somebody will get a really good lunch tomorrow.

Soggy Sunday

Rain and thunder on and off all day today - even some periods of sunshine.  More like springtime.


John worked the Chattanooga Head Race yesterday.  That entailed his being on the river from daybreak until about 6 pm.  He was working the start line, as usual. It looked like it was going to be stormy, so they delayed the starting time, but it finally cleared off.  They had a few sprinkles, but it was mostly a clear day.


Today was a matter of fixing breakfast, reading the paper, watching CBS Sunday Morning, and doing the laundry.  At least until we ordered pizza.  Missy picked it up, and Tina came by, too.  So the day ended up with our favorites - friends, family, food, and laughter.

Sunday Stealing

From Survey's

[Random Questions]
Who were you with yesterday?
The usual suspects - John, Bob, the swimmers, plus bridge in the afternoon.
What woke you up this morning?
Knowing that I had to get up earlier than usual - even though the alarm was set.
Where are you?
At home, in my chair
Is tomorrow going to be a good day?
I hope so.
What’s on your mind RIGHT NOW?
Answering these questions
Do you listen to music every day?
I usually listen to music only when I’m driving, so it depends.
Are you a fast typer?
Very fast. I was a great secretary/transcriptionist when I was working.
Whats your favorite type of soda?
I’m not much of a soda drinker. If I have one, it’s likely to be something lemony and over ice (to both dilute it and lessen the carbonation)
Have you ever won an award?
I’ve been juried into art shows, but I don’t think I’ve ever won an award.
Are you listening to music right now?
No.
How long ’till your birthday?
About five months.
Do you use ebay to buy or sell?
No
Who makes you mad?
The idiots in Congress who are determined to shut the government down by refusing to compromise on any subject.
What do you do when you’re mad?
I rarely get mad, but I usually yell at myself. In my younger days, I had been known to throw thing.
Do certain songs make you cry?
Of course
Are you usually a happy person?
Yes
What makes you the happiest?
Being in a beautiful place, with my favorite people
Do you believe in yourself?
Of course.

Five for Friday

1. Swimming and coffee are always a good way to start the day.

2. John spent the morning at the Rowing Center, helping get ready for the Chattanooga Head Race.

3. We played duplicate this afternoon and came in next-to-last. We were not at our best.

4. It’s always good to find something in the freezer that can be fixed quickly for supper.

5. The knitting is finished completely on the sweater, and it’s drying from the blocking.

Good Thursday

Sleeping late is good.

Massage feels good all day long.

Finishing sweater.

Ears

This morning, I saw the ENT doc for the report on my tests. All the problems are "age related" He smiled and said "you won't want to hear this, but..." Anyhow, just a slight hearing loss in the upper registers - not enough to do anything about.

There are some age-related balance problems, though. They're setting me up with a few PT sessions for balance training and he suggests that I try to walk more. I know I should be doing that, but I really don't like doing it. Oh, well - guess I need to get off my you-know-what and do it.

Medical week

I've been running from one to another doctor's appointment. I saw the eye doctor yesterday morning. The glaucoma drops were causing extreme eye pain on the trip, so I called and got permission to stop them - on the condition that I see them first thing Monday. All is okay, snf he gave me a sample of another eye drop medication to try. He thinks it might be the preservatives in the medication that is irritation my eye. I hope this one works.

Then I went for a 2-hour (!!!) appointment at the ENT office for audiology and ear-balance testing. It was an interesting set of tests - none painful. I'll be interesting in hearing the results when I see the doc for the evaluation tomorrow.

This morning, I saw my orthopedist for shoulder followup. He says the surgery I had is pretty much considered a "salvage" operation - when all else has failed. But that people seem happy with the results. And I am happy with the results, too. I asked him about the knee pain I've been having, and he is going to check that when I see him again in January. I would hope he could help that, at least temporarily, with cortisone injections rather than talk about more surgery.

Our weather is still cool and rainy, but supposed to be back up into the 80s by the end of the week.

The Queen of the Mississippi

A few words about the boat, etc.

The Queen of the Mississippi is only two years old, so she is still pretty new and shiny. There is capacity for 150 passengers and 50 crew members. There are passenger cabins on four decks, with the crew housing below. The fifth deck is partially covered, but open, and there are outdoor rocking chairs and/or lounges on each deck. The main meeting/socializing lounge was on Deck 2, and the dining room on Deck 1. Our original cabin was #322, before we were upgraded to #302, the starboard bow suite.

Our cabin was very nice. We had windows overlooking the bow and sliding glass doors to a private balcony on the side. There were two rocking chairs and a small table there. We had a king-sized bed, two upholstered chairs, two chests, a desk and chair, and a full bathroom. Quite luxurious.

There was open seating at meals, so we got to sit with and meet different passengers. They were from London and Sydney and all points in between. Nice folks! The food was excellent. Breakfast was light buffet or menu-ordered hot breakfast. Lunch and dinner each offered choices of two appetizers, two entrees, dessert, plus complimentary wine and beer.

Things pretty much worked and when they didn’t (the elevator was out of service one day), they were fixed quickly. The crew were all young, pleasant, and helpful.

That’s enough about the boat. I’ll talk about the trip and excursions later.

Sunday stealing

　
From Survey's
Random 20

1. Have you had an argument with anyone recently? If so, do you still have issues with that person?
Nope - I try not to argue. You’re usually not going to change someone’s opinion.
2. Are you talking to anyone while filling this in? How about texting/chatting on Facebook?
None of the above
3. Have you done something recently that helped someone else, in any way?
I think we encouraged someone to think outside the box.
4. Who was the last person to pay you a compliment?
John
5. Is there anything that’s happened in the past month, that you wish you could go back in time and change?
Probably, but that’s mostly a waste of time - unless it keeps you from making the same mistake again.
6. What colour is your purse/wallet?
Black
7. What’s the closest item to you that’s black?
The cover to my iPad is zebra-striped black and white.
8. Think about what you looked like 5 years ago. How did you look different, compared to the way you look now?
Probably not much, but that was several surgeries ago.
9. Before Facebook became popular, did you use any other social networking site, like Bebo or Myspace?
No.
10. Has someone of the opposite sex ever sung to you? If so, how did you respond to it?
Not that I remember.
11. When did you last hug someone of the opposite sex?
Yesterday
12. Have you ever seen the film “Casablanca”? Did you like it?
I don’t think I’ve ever seen the whole movie - just the famous clips.
13. Do you have a relative whose name begins with ‘L’? Tell me about him/her.
Lydia was my wonderful mother.
14. Are you a secretive person?
I’m not a blabber, and I can keep a secret. But I don’t think I’m secretive.
15. When did you last eat?
Supper, a couple of hours ago.
16. If you were going to buy a present for a special person, what would you generally choose?
I’m not much of a present-buyer. We give money for most family gifts. The only time I buy things is if I happen on just the right thing for someone.
17. If I’m going to buy you a box of chocolates, which kind should I definitely NOT get?
Something with coconut or peanut butter.
18. Is there something you generally always ask for help with?
Something that requires physical strength.
19. If you had to give up your phone or your computer, which would it be?
My phone
20. Has anyone called you gorgeous/beautiful today?
Nope

Off the Mississippi

Our trip on the Queen of the Mississippi from St. Louis to St. Paul was really good. I wasn’t able to get a consistent wifi signal, so didn’t try to post during the trip. We flew to St. Louis on departure day, and flew out of St. Paul on ending day, so we didn’t see anything of either city. We’ve spent time in St. Louis before, done the Arch, etc., so that was okay. We’ll just have to save Minneapolis/St. Paul for another trip.

In between, we stopped at Hannibal, MO (Mark Twain, of course), Davenport and Dubuque, IA, LaCrosse, WI, and Red Wing, MN. I guess our favorite stop was Dubuque. We met up with some internet friends for a couple of hours, and toured (with them) the great Mississippi River Museum in DBQ. The scenery along the river was lovely and fascinating. There wasn’t as much barge traffic as we’d expected, but we were told most of it would be grain coming south, and we were a little bit too early for that. We saw a little bit of color, but not as much as we’d hoped for. There were lots of bald eagles to watch for, and each one was exciting.

The lectures and entertainment on board were quite good, and the food was fabulous. Since we had been upgraded to a suite, our cabin was great - even though we didn’t spend a lot of time there. It was nice getting to meet the other passengers - from all over the country, Britain, and Australia. We ate dinner most evenings with two couples from Long Island and California.

We got home about 6:30. All the travel went on schedule, but we were cold the whole way home. It was chilly in St Paul when we left the boat. It was cold on the plane all the way to Atlanta, and then it was chilly and windy there. We sat in the cold wind for about 45 minutes waiting for the shuttle, and then huddled together all the way to Chattanooga. It surely felt good to get into the warm car that had green-housed in the sun. We stopped for burgers at 5 Guys on the way home. We got unpacked, and spent the rest of the evening in our chairs.

As always, it’s good to be home.