Sunday, July 18, 2010

TIME AND TIDE WAIT FOR NO MAN ...

The celebrated quote by the famous 14th century English poet, Geoffrey Chaucer still holds true today! Our days and weeks are flying by and sometimes it seems that we are spinning our wheels. I know I’m just being impatient and we will get this project done as expeditiously as possible but it sure seems like time is speeding by like a bullet and we are crawling along at a snails pace!

Carly and her family are back from vacation and they had a wonderful time tent camping along the way. We went to her first soccer game on Monday night after they returned. She played really well (as usual) and stayed in the position of goalie the last half of the game. The game ended with a tied score (three to three) thanks to Carly’s speed and skill in that position. The ball struck her more times than I can count and she shook it off like a real pro. The team they were playing was heads taller than Carly’s team and very good so she was at a dead run for most of the second half and foiled many attempts at making a goal by the apposing team. We were all very proud of her! Well-done Carly!

On Monday, an Ear-Nose-Throat specialist examined Phil. He agreed that Phil most likely had problems breathing through his nose at night (deviated septum) but doubted whether surgery would “cure” his snoring. The upcoming sleep study and possible CPAP machine were his best recommendation. I guess Medicare will not cover this machine but hopefully, Phil’s supplemental insurance will because they are very expensive.

Wednesday was my big day and what a day it was! I had cataract surgery on my left eye and all went perfectly. My post-op exam the next day corroborated my statement that I was doing very well and my eye surgeon was extremely pleased. By the second day my vision had cleared up and my long distance sight is getting better every day. There are a few new “floaters” in my left eye but I am told they will get better with time. I have had no pain and only an occasional feeling of something brushing my eye that goes away almost immediately. Overall, I am thrilled with the procedure and the result and am looking forward to having the right eye taken care of in three weeks. What a pleasure to be able to see well again.

Phil is working diligently on re-plumbing our new bathroom. It will be wonderful when he finishes and starts refitting the new cabinet, fixtures, lighting and installs the washer-dryer. He has the new 50-gallon hot water tank in place and has cut a new hole so he can turn the toilet a quarter turn after he reconfigures the sewer connection. He scraped off the old linoleum tile and after some additional preparation will put down the new floor. I love the pattern (who wouldn’t when enough tiles to do the job only cost us $5.00 at a garage sale) and I think the end result will be a very clean, modern and attractive facility for our new home base.

An auction and two days of garage sales completed the week for us and now the big job of sorting and re-packing the many bags and boxes begins so our new treasures can be stacked out of the way in a neat and orderly fashion until needed.

Many friends have wondered aloud why we are “settling down” or why we are not traveling “anymore.” Neither is true … we are only stopping to take a breather from full timing in our much loved Penny the Pace and have no intentions of going off the road permanently. Medical needs and missing our family and friends (we had been apart for 21 months this past trip) are playing a big part in our hiatus this next year and creating a more permanent home base seemed like a good idea at this stage in our retirement years. Who knows what will happen next?

As always, thank you so much for stopping by and leaving your wonderful comments!
Until next time ...

5 comments:

  1. What? No photos of your garage sale and auction treasures? Sounds like Phil will be back in eBay business after the house project is over.

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  2. Sooooo glad your eye surgery went well. I'm so glad you are doing so well health-wise. If Phil can't get the CPAP machine, a cheaper alternative may be ear plugs and sleeping pills for you. Word of caution, Roger had a CPAP but couldn't use it because he couldn't breathe through his nose.

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  3. I think your doing the right thing Joy, that's just my 2 cents worth :)

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  4. Joy, Medicare and my supplemental insurance paid to "rent-to-own" my CPAP machine three years ago. After 24 months of rental payments, the machine became my own, and Medicare pays for replacement face masks and hoses. Don't leave a stone unturned. Go to a medical supply house (there has to be one near you) and inquire about that. If Phil's doctor says it's medically necessary, it should be covered. (I believe you mean "deviated septum.)

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  5. It all sounds wonderful Joy. I am glad you are taking time with your family and friends. The older I get the more important that is. Isn't that so. Take care dear ones.

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