CHRISTMAS IS NEAR

There is not much to post about these days.  I have progressed to full independence for the most part although I have not tried to drive yet.  I am off the stronger pain medication now.  I take a few advil on an occasion.  I have physical therapy three times a week and this past Friday I made it to 130 degrees flexion and almost to being fully straight in extension.  That is the one the doctor is more interested in.  I will see him the last week in December.  I am still trying to build up stamina.  Hope the cane will be a thing of the past soon.

Allan is still working on our daughter's house when he can find time in between taking me to physical therapy and doing errands.  Bless his heart.

Today I started wrapping Christmas presents, but as usual something I needed was in the house or if I was at the house what I needed was in the RV.  I have a few more days before Christmas arrives. 

If I don't post anymore before Christmas,  hope you and your family have a Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year.  God bless each of you.

PROGRESS

Things are going slow for me, but I find I am making progress every day.  Each little improvement gives me encouragement.

Today Peggy and Robin, RV Maps workers, who are working at Springville Camp near by, came for a visit.  Since Allan was going to be gone all day for his doctor's appointments, it was a delight to have them stop by.

We had lunch with Joe and Carolyn last week.  We always have stories to exchange about our full time experiences.

Nancy, my riding buddy from the past, drove a long way to be my first visitor.  We could talk for hours.

Allan is laying tile in our daughter's kitchen along with a multitude of other things on his Daddy-Do-List.

SURGERY

My surgery was Tuesday, November 6 (election day).  We had to be at the hospital at 6 am and were on time.  We had been bombarded with multiple pages of instructions on the pre-op testing day which was extremely helpful and very well thought out.  Allan was able to go back with me for a short time, then they rolled me to the pre-op room.  As we entered I heard someone say "give her versed."  I don't remember anything after that until they were rolling me to my room about 6 hours later.  Allan was just getting there.  I have a full knee replacement. 

I was discharged on Friday afternoon.  It was so good to get home.  I was concerned about being able to get up the steps into the MH, but it was a piece of cake.

Allan has been driving me to physical therapy three times a week which is about a 10 mile trip one way.  I can walk right in. No stairs or elevators to deal with.  Two weeks post-op I had to travel to St. Vincent's Hospital in Birmingham for a doctor's visit, staples removed and physical therapy.  This was a long drive with lots of walking.  I was wiped out.  I slept the remainder of the day and into the night.  After that trip I have only been requiring a pain pill before physical therapy and at night.  I have found it difficult to sleep, because of hip and leg discomfort. 

Allan has proved to be a good care giver.  I don't know what I would do without him.   I am working on being independent.  I need help going down stairs and getting in and out of the shower.  I don't have the stamina to clean and cook much, but I can do small tasks.  I actually got outside and walked up and down the driveway twice today.  I think the high is suppose to be 73.

I must praise God for such good doctors, nurses, and physical therapists. 

OCTOBER IN ALABAMA

The month of October was spent at Springville Camp and Conference Center.  We had three couples here working.  The guys worked on general maintenance and chinking the log cabins which is putting a mortar caulk mixture between the logs on the exterior.  As usual everyone was extremely nice and very appreciative of all the work that was accomplished.  It is a beautiful setting especially at this time of the year with the colors reflecting on the lakes.  The camp caters to summer activities for summer camps, but is available for conferences and church and civic activities all year round.  There is also a big Royal Ranger camp on the back side of the property.  We hope to return next year probably in the fall.

I had good news from all my doctors.  Two doctors said I did not have to return unless a problem arose.  Allan also had a few doctor's appointments.  We finished up with the dentist and refit our orthotics.  Several of my doctors have retired.  Does that mean I am getting old??  Since we are trying to change to doctors on this side of Birmingham, the timing seemed good.  We had and still have excellent physicians.  I will miss the ones that retired.

I took Katie to a new vet because my old one closed and she is scheduled to have her teeth cleaned the day I have my surgery.  She will board a few days with them until I am released from the hospital.  I also took Maggie to the same vet, but on a different day.  I just didn't think I could handle them both together.

We have met with our daughters and grandson and several friends at restaurants in the area during this time home.  I have tried to accomplish two months work in one month so I can be ready for my knee surgery.  I have gone through our closet at Yancy's house, downsizing again. 

I now have completed my pre-admission testing, joint camp, and doctor's appointment for the knee surgery.  I was considering having both knees done at the same time, but reality kicked in.  The doctor said my xrays did not look severe so he will go in and possibly only do a partial knee replacement.  I will only know when I wake up.  My question is why do I hurt so bad?  Surgery is scheduled for Tuesday so due to pain medications and just not feeling up to par there probably won't be a post for a while. 

I have to chuckle.  With a history of working in the medical field,  when I watch TV commercials for medicine and they list all the side effects I wonder why would anyone want to take the medication.  After returning from the day of pre-surgical visits, I found myself with what seemed like volumes of papers about what to expect, rules and regulations.  After reading these (remember I am a manual reader) it listed things to expect during and after the surgery and possible problems that might arise.  it makes me wonder, why do I want to go through this?  The doctor did say I would hate him for a while because of all the pain.  The end results should be much better.   I am looking forward to having both knees done when I can return to the bionic woman. God bless everyone out there in blogger land.

MAGGIE HAS A SLEEP OVER WITH KATIE

Allan and I will be parked at the Springville Camp and Conference Center for a month.  While we are working here, we will also be seeing our doctors and dentists.  I have most of them scheduled for one week.  That will be a busy one, along with expensive on gas. 

Allan worked on giving the RV a bath today while I went shopping at Kohls, Petsmart and Publics.  I also picked up Maggie, our daughter's dog, for a sleep over with Katie.  Not sure if there will be enough room for all of us on the bed. 

The temperature started dropping this afternoon to give a pleasant fall feeling.  It is now raining.  So much for the nice RV wash and shine.

Not a whole lot of interesting stuff will be going on this month so the posts will be minimal.  Allan may have to do some posting while I recover from my knee replacement.  Not sure what my mental capacity will be while on pain medication.  The surgery is scheduled for the first part of November.

TRAILS, TRUMAN AND COLUMBIA

Before leaving the Kansas City area Allan and I visited several historic places of interest. 
Some of the following information is taken from the brochures.

"The National Frontier Trails Museum is the only museum, library and archives in the nation exclusively devoted to the history of the Santa Fe, Oregon and California Trails.  It recreates the story of those daring pioneers using quotes from journals and diaries, original illustrations and artifacts they left behind.  The exhibits also include the explorations of Lewis and Clark, the vital role of fur trappers and traders, the unique story of Mormons looking for religious freedom, and the transcontinental railroad which brought the overland wagon trails to an end.  The tale of the trails across the West is one of the most fascinating sagas in American history.  Thousands of wagon trains slowly snaked their way over the vast prairies, dangerous river crossings, barren deserts and rugged mountain ranges.  Those hardy pioneers who survived the grueling journey set the course of American history." 

From 2012-10-05

This is a list of some of the mountain men.

From 2012-10-05

This is Jim Bridger,one of the mountain men.

From 2012-10-05

This is a depot you can tour built in 1879.

From 2012-10-05

This is an 1852 historic house that is open for touring. We did not have time to visit it, but we did get a pictures.

From 2012-10-05

From 2012-10-05

The Harry S. Truman Library and Museum was next on our list. "The Harry S. Truman Library and Museum invites you to experience the eventful and triumphant life of America's 33rd President. For nearly eight years, he guided the U.S. and the world through perilous times: the ending of World War II, including the dropping of the atomic bomb: the formation of the United Nations, NATO and the Marshall Plan; the successful operation of the Berlin Airlift; and the beginning of the Cold War." Here are some things that came on the market during his time as President. Maybe you had one of these in your parent's home.

From 2012-10-05

From 2012-10-05

From 2012-10-05

This is what the Oval Office looked like during Truman's Presidency.

From 2012-10-05

This was President Truman's home in Independence, Missouri. This is a Morman Church in the city.

From 2012-10-05

After we left Missouri, we stopped in Columbia, Tennessee for a day of researching a family line at the Maury County Archives. It was a very successful adventure. I want to thank Michelle for all her help. She opened my eyes to new types of research that I had avoided in the past due to ignorance. While in town we drove to President James Polk's home.

From 2012-10-05

This is a bell tower which we have no clue it's significance.

From 2012-10-05

We drove a little ways outside of town to an area called Cranford's Hollow where some of my relatives lived in the 1700-1800's. It is now a subdivision, but we found a flock of turkeys in one group numbering 24.

From 2012-10-05

We have arrived in Alabama now. That will be in our next post.

GENEALOGY DREAM

This week has been a dream for me, full of genealogy. The Genies BOF have a good group here at Jackson County, Blue Springs Campground. The sites are big and level with lots of area to hike. We have visited the National Archives at Kansas City and the Midwest Genealogy Center library in Independence. Daily,we had our choice of either place to retrieve our family from their files and books. What an adventure. So many books; not enough time. We met every evening around a campfire for announcements, questions and breakthroughs we experienced and dessert. We also had several meals together. Next year the Genies Rally will be in Salt Lake City. Allan was so supportive of my endeavors. While I was gone, he washed clothes and did some household duties. We were to leave today, but our MH would not start due to dead batteries. Allan was able to find a place open and buy two along with installing them. I got an unexpected extra few hours at the library while he was busy with the MH. When I got home we tried the MH and she started up with no problems. It is good to have a wonderful, smart and handy husband. I am blessed.

ESCAPADE

On one of our overnight stops, there was a totum pole? of dogs.  Looks like they did a pretty good job. 

From 2012-09-23

From 2012-09-23

We had a beautiful sunset while there.  While we are on the subject of animals, I thought I would throw in a few pictures of  Katie.  Here she has found squirrels outside her window. 

From 2012-09-23

Here she is in the driver's seat, but she does not want to travel.

From 2012-09-23

We made it to the Escapade in Sedalia, Missouri.  Here is our MH among many others. 

From 2012-09-23

Topics for the seminars  ranged from computer, working on the road, weight safety, medical issues, genealogy and others.  There was a dance one night.  There were several entertainment nights one of which was Yakov Smirnoff, comedian.  He was really good.  Allan and I both enjoyed the rally, but it was a tiring, busy time.

There was a pet parade at the Escapade.  Here are some pictures.

From 2012-09-23

From 2012-09-23

From 2012-09-23

We drove to Blue Springs, Missouri for the Genies Rally.  So far we have been to the National Archives in Kansas City and the Midwest Genealogy Center in Independence. 

While in the Blue Springs area, Allan and I visited with Mr. Tucker, one of my junior high teachers.  We had such a good visit. 

From 2012-09-23

HOLD ON TO THAT AWNING

We made it through New York with no problems and spent the night just across the state line in Pennsylvania.  After pulling out of our site the next morning, Jeanne noticed a problem with the awning.  So right in the exit lane of the campground, Allan extended the awning so that he could fully retract the awning.  The only problem was the awning would not retract at all.  Well, it wasn't the only problem.  A big storm front with lots of wind was getting close to us and the awning was starting whip.  Allan got the ladder out and was on the phone with the coach net tech, but still could not get it to retract.  So a service repairman was called for us.  The man that arrived was a mechanic, but had never worked on an awning like this.  But between he and Allan and Jeanne, they were able to manually bring the awning and secure it to the coach.  Just as they finished, the storm hit with high winds and heavy rain.  God is good!  We pulled back into our same campsite and spent another night there.  We didn't want to chance being out on the road with tornado warnings. 

Everything is holding together fine and we have traveled through Pennsylvania and Ohio and find ourselves in Indiana tonight.  It is HOT to us.  We are having to run our a/c.

The two previous days were spent in Ohio in Amish country.  It was very beautiful and does not appear to be affected by the drought.  We ate at an Amish restaurant, took advantage of fresh produce and of course, Allan had to have another fresh baked pie. (Elderberry)

From 2012-09-11

We love the scenery in this part of the country with the rolling hills and the farm setting, highlighted by the horse and buggies.

From 2012-09-11

We went to a musical production that was called "The Confession" which was based on a Beverly Lewis book.  These were extremely talented actors/singers.  This was very professionally done.  Years ago we would go to dinner theaters frequently, but it has been a long time.  We certainly enjoyed our night out. 

Jeanne got another horse fix while in Ohio.  Here is a picture just behind our RV.

From 2012-09-12

FALL CREATURES

We drove around Killington, Vermont to take pictures of all their Fall decorations.  Businesses use bales of hay in very unique ways.  We think they did a much better job this year compared to 2009 when we were working here.

GO WEST YOUNG MAN

We have found our dream house and it is for sale!!

From 2012-09-06

We sadly left all our new friends at Caribou, Maine on Tuesday, Sept 4th.  Allan, Katie and I traveled south and caught Hwy 2 across the state of Maine.  During part of our trip we had some light drizzle.  We spent the night in an RV park close to the Maine, New Hampshire line.  During the night it rain hard which caused some concern since we were parked on grass, but when the engine was started it was no trouble pulling out.  The ride through New Hampshire was pretty.  We did encounter low clouds/fog in a few areas. 

From 2012-09-06

Mount Washington was calling our name but we could not make that stop.  We saw a coyote crossing the road taking his time.  The car in front of us put on his brakes.  We slowed down as we passed him on the side of the road.  He looked like he was going to cross the road again, but after he saw our big MH, he changed his mind.  We also saw two huge wild turkeys ambling down the edge of a field. 

At St. Johnsbury, Vermont we turned on Interstate 91 and then traveled Hwy 4 into Rutland.  We are staying in an RV park just south of town.  We have a beautiful view of the water (swimming pool).  We saw the remnants of the flash floods they had here last year. 

From 2012-09-06

Most of the bridges and roads have been replaced.  This is a house that did not fair well during the storm.  This is looking at what used to be a small creek/river that ran along Hwy 4.  It took out land, trees and rocks along with roads and bridges.

From 2012-09-06

This does not show the detail  as in real life.  It looked like you could walk through that opening and the spots you see are butterflies.

From 2012-09-06

We stopped in at Gifford Woods State Park where we worked as camp hosts in 2009.  It had not changed much and apparently did not have much damage from the flooding.  The only problem they had was no one could get to the park because the roads were washed out.

Our main reason for stopping in Vermont was to see Frank and Pat, special friends we met while working here.  We visited their home and saw their new room they added on.  Then we went out to eat together.  Later that night they came over and saw our MH.  We had such a good time visiting with them.

From 2012-09-06

FINAL DAYS IN MAINE

While we have been here in Caribou, Allan and I have been leading a Dave Ramsey Financial Peace University class at the church.  We finished the 8th class last Wednesday.  Pastor Tony will finish the last two classes.   We have enjoyed this group.  We hate not being able to finish, but the road beckons.  Several members of the class are not in the picture, but we wanted one to remember the group by. 

From 2012-09-02

Speaking of remembering, two sisters, Ruth and Helen, who are in the class presented us with a unique scrap booking memorabilia.  I can not describe it, but what a wonderful gift.  Thank you Ruth and Helen.  We wish everyone in the class much success on the road to Financial Peace.

The Methodist Church which is across and down the street from us is having an extensive exterior refacing.  Lately some men having been working on the steeple and the clock.  The clock lights up at night.  I tried to get a picture of it at night, but was never able to get a satisfactory one. 

From 2012-09-02

I am including some pictures of the activities building project just before leaving. 

From 2012-09-02

If you go back to a previous post about the party for the pastor you may be able to see all the sheet rock was finished.
Bonnie helped with a lot of physical and heavy work.  I don't know how she could keep up the pace all day long.  She is an amazing lady. 

From 2012-09-02

Of course, you can tell this is the men's bathroom without the partitions not in place.

From 2012-09-02

The next blog posting will be about our departure. Stay cool in this heat and God bless.

ENJOY OUR ACTIVITIES

We attended a balloon glow in Presque Isle, a first for us.  There were seven balloons at the event.  I have included several pictures here.  The following morning at 5:30 they were to have lift off.  As we are not early risers, we missed the big send off.

From 2012-08-09

From 2012-08-09

From 2012-08-09

From 2012-08-09

From 2012-08-09

Allan has been going to the races since we have been in Caribou, which he has enjoyed.  This week it was very different.  They had a demolition derby. 

From 2012-08-09

There was a chain race where the front car had the power but no brakes and the car that was chained behind it, had the brakes, but no power.  Other than that it was a normal race.  Next there was a sack race where the drivers had a sack over their heads so they could not see and there was a navigator riding with them telling them where to drive.  These cars were all over the place and almost hit the safety truck in the in-field.  There was also a monster truck that looked like a giant lobster that was jumping several cars. 

From 2012-08-09

From 2012-08-09

It was very entertaining.

One evening the church gave us a big thank you for volunteering in the construction of the new building.  We knew they were planning a meal for us, but what a surprise!!  As we walked in we were greeted by one of these servers in formal attire who escorted the ladies to our table. 

From 2012-08-09

At the entry the menu was posted like you were in a fancy restaurant. 

From 2012-08-09

The room was decorated with tiny white lights.  In this picture you can see some of the lights and the table setting. 

From 2012-08-09

They presented each lady with a beautiful rose. 

From 2012-08-09

What a wonderful meal.  They made the event very special which included entertainment, too which we appreciated very much.

Pastor Tony has turned 40 and the church members and Angela, his wife, wanted to have a surprise birthday party for him.  The building was far enough along toward completion that they were able to have it in the new building. 

From 2012-08-09

Here is the burning of the cake.  So many candles! 

From 2012-08-09

They played a game of Jeopardy with his mother, his father-in-law, and his best friend growing up who is now the youth pastor to see who knew him best.  His mother won!  It was a fun party.

From 2012-08-09

The RVer's have worked hard, but they have had time for fun, too.