Tuesday, January 17, 2017

Tuesday January 17, 2017

Blog time 0745 at Panera:

Note the early time for starting the blog. Today I have an 1100 Doctor's appointment so no time for normal morning activities. It was pouring rain so I did not want to walk to Panera.

Nancy has an early morning swim. She dropped me off at Panera.

I hope today's visit to the Doctor result in a solution for my double vision. I have also had some swallowing issues. I hope it is not the myasthenia gravis returning. On a happier note my cold is better.

Stay tuned for an afternoon health report. I am beginning to sound like an old man. No whining Bob!

Blog resumes at 1700.

After her swim Nancy stopped by Panera for a bagel and coffee.

It was still raining when we left Panera for home. If fact it rained all day with temps in the mid 30s.

We left home at 1000 for the Doctor's office. The nurse invited Nancy to sit in on the examination. It was a great move.

The Doctor gave me a good checkup. He not only checked out the double vision but also my problem swallowing. Nancy asked some good pointed questions that the Doctor answered to our satisfaction.

Bottom line it looks the eye problems and trouble swallowing are myasthenia gravis related.

Of the options I was given I decided on the low dose steroid option. Before starting the steroids the Doc wanted to make sure that I did not have some other problem. He ordered a blood test. After the visit we drove directly to the Lab. Results should be available tomorrow. If all clear he will call and I will start taking one pill a day. Stay tuned!

Nancy dropped me off at home and then drove to the Ford dealer for a six month's service.

I had lunch and then took a short nap.

PE Trump still dominates the USA and World news. He has everyone confused as to what he will do. I think most Americans are also confused. I just wish the nation decides to work together.

Nancy is fixing a chicken breast with sweet potato for dinner. Sounds good.

Will read the GRP and watch NCIS before turning in.




Monday, January 16, 2017

Monday January 16, 2017

Blog time 1215 sitting at my desk in office.

I have found an upside to my sleep apnea mask, it helps me breath when I have a head cold with a running nose.

I promised Nancy that I would sleep in but I was wide awake at 0600.

No aerobics today but I did the calisthenics at 50%.

Breakfast and then the short walk to Panera. Spent most of my time catching up on the blog.

Nancy called about 1000 and said the roads were icy. I left immediately. The walks were just getting slippery.

I walked to the condo and told Nancy I was in for the day. However, this pledge was short lived because Meijer's called and said my prescription for nose spray was ready. I need the nose spray to control my runny nose.

I did a load of laundry and spent some time cleaning my desk. Quick lunch and then a short nap.

Nancy had a Doctors appointment this afternoon. She is got a shot in her foot for pain relief.

I spent some time reading the WSJ. Will PE Trump ever get enough discipline to control his impulsive Twitter messages? Most politicians I know have developed the hide of an alligator. Insults just roll off their backs. He should develop the philosophy of "kill them with kindness".

It has rained most of the day, slick pavements are predicted for tomorrow morning.

Light dinner tonight and then some Netflix/Acorn/Amazon watching.

Sunday January 15, 2015

Blog time Sunday January 15, 2017 at 1725

Happy Birthday Debbie. I remember her birth clearly. It was Friday the 14th about 1700 when I drove Nancy to Sequoia Hospital in Redwood City, CA.

As soon as Nancy got settled in I headed to an all night grocery to cash a check to pay for the delivery. I think the birth cost was about $100. I stayed with Nancy right until she was taken to the delivery room. In 1966 fathers had to wait in the waiting room. Debbie was born right after midnight. Nancy's first words were "she is a cute little girl". I remember the next morning I snuck in a chocolate covered donut for Nancy. She still comments on the delicious donut. Thus began my adventure as a father. It is a great experience.

We are still settling in from our short trip today CA. The following is a brief update.

Wednesday January 11, we were going to make this an easy day. Nancy woke me at 0600 and said "what is that hissing noice. I got up and when I looked in the guest bathroom water was shooting out of the tub area. I tried to find the cause but got soaked. Hustled downstairs and shut off all water to the house. Downstairs in the bath, water was flowing through the light fixtures and ceiling tile. We grabbed buckets and towels and started mopping up.

Initially I thought a line had ruptured behind a wall. I pictured extensive repairs and a stay at a motel.

Called McDonald Plumbing and they said a repair man would be over at 1000.

We drove to Panera for breakfast and a chance to use their bathroom.

The repairman arrived at 1000 and soon found the cause, a broken supply line. The line was exposed and took about 20 minutes to repair. We lucked out. If the break had happened while we were in CA the damage would have been massive. Next time we leave on a trip we will shut off water to the condo.

The double vision continues so I stayed home all day. Nancy did go to Book Club.

Thursday January 12: Rain/snow mix last night. Many schools closed because of ice.

I did walk to the Y. Took it easy, did the routine at 50%. Nancy went swimming at MVP.

Spent time at Panera reading the papers. I am getting tired reading about Russian hacking. The news media thinks we should take the word of the CIA as gospel. My experience is that they are borderline competent.

We made a paper supply trip to Costco.

The weather was cold and gloomy all day.

Ms P was dropped off today.

We had dinner at Shepard's Grill. Nancy had the soup and I had a lake perch sandwich.

Friday the 13th. Walked to the Y. Today I did the routine at 60%.

Stopped at Panera and read the papers. My double vision makes reading difficult. If I close one eye I can read. I bought an eye patch in CA and it works but I always forget it.

Took Ms P on her walk. She enjoyed the walk because the pavement was dry.

Nancy drove me to Woodland Mall. I bought a keyboard at the Apple Store. Meanwhile Nancy stopped at Kohls to make a return and then returned to the mall to pick me up.

Our last stop was Trader Joe's. Bought wine, $2 chuck, soup and tamales.

Quiet dinner at home, hot dogs, followed by some Netflix.

Saturday the 14th: back to normal, we walked to Panera for breakfast. The place was empty. Everyone must be in warmer climes.

Nancy did some laundry and I walked to Cascade Library to read the papers.

Walked Ms P and had a quick lunch before a nap.

Nancy said that the chili she made for dinner smelled bad. She thought maybe some bad meat.

We had dinner at LaLaguna at local restaurant not far from the condo. Good food at reasonable prices.

Watched some football. Nancy turned in early so I watched a French language show on Netflix. I don't mind the subtitles.

Sunday the 15th: Up at 0645 and get ready for the Y. Nancy went swimming and I did some calisthenics. In addition to my double vision I have developed a head cold so I am cutting back on exercise.

Stopped at home to drop off gym clothes and then headed to Trinity Lutheran for the 1000 service.

After church we stopped at Meijer's for supplies and gas. Gas was $2.41 a gallon.

Nancy fixed her world famous poached eggs for breakfast. I had mine with a waffle.

Took Ms P on her walk. Great day for a walk. Almost Springlike.

Nap and then watched some football. Go Packers.

FaceTimed our birthday daughter, Debbie.

My cold continues unabated along with the double vision. I hope at Tuesday's appointment the Doctor can offer solutions to the double vision.

Nancy fixed a hamburger and soup for dinner.

Sunday, January 15, 2017

Tuesday January 10, 2017

Blog time 1730 Wednesday the 11th at home

We are back from our trip to southern CA.

I developed double vision on Thursday the 5th right after landing at LAX.

I am wearing an eyepatch but typing is still a challenge. This blog will be brief.

Thursday the 5th, we set alarm for 0500. The taxi arrived at 0600. The airport was busy but no problems until we got on plane. Extremely cold weather required the water in plane be drained. We had to wait until the water was replaced and the plane deiced. We were late getting into Chicago. Hustled to make our plane to LA.

I think United goes out of their way to make folks in Economy uncomfortable.

We did have a good experience getting our rental car from Hertz. No waiting, no hassle.

I drove to the Hampton Inn in Carson. We like this Hampton Inn because of its great location.

I noted my double vision on the drive to Carson. Nancy drove for the rest of the trip.

Missy stopped by to pick up AJ after she got out of work. We all had a quick bite at Panera in Carson.

Friday morning I was up early 0600 and headed downstairs for Hampton's complimentary breakfast. They have great oatmeal.

I took a 3 mile walk and then Nancy drove me to Belmont Shores neighborhood in Long Beach. I was to meet Steve for lunch, a father/son affair. We had mixed signals because Steve invited his family. I called Nancy to join us. We had a nice meal with Steve's family.

After lunch Nancy and I just hung out. We bought some wine and cheese and had a light meal at the hotel.

Saturday and we visited several shopping areas. Missy and AJ drove down and we had dinner at the Olive Garden. The place was crowded so we waited outside. The temp was near 70. Very pleasant.

Sunday up early because today we are driving to Irving to see Grandson Lucas play soccer. The game started at 0800. Lucas's team won. The win meant that they had another game at 1300.

We all had breakfast at a local cafe. We also visited a farmers market held in the park. The afternoon game was for the championship. Unfortunately Lucas's team lost.

We took it easy the rest of the day.

Monday it rained last night in fact we encountered rain all during our stay in CA but it did not interfere with any activities.

After breakfast we spent some time walking in a huge mall. The sun came out so we headed to Redondo Beach for a long walk on the beach. Great day for a walk on the beach.

Early dinner at Chili's. Finished packing and retired early.

Tuesday travel day. Leisurely breakfast, headed out at 1000 for LAX. Flew to Denver with no problems. We had a big tail wind on flight to GR we arrived 40 minutes early. We arrived at home at midnight.

Wednesday, January 11, 2017

Wednesday January 4, 2017

Blog time 1035 at Panera

Today is Breakfast Club Wednesday. Got up at 0545, dressed and packed up my breathing machine. After BC I will take the machine to get parts and have a repair done. I keep getting a message that the machine's pump is not working.

The temp was in high teens with blowing snow when I headed out. The freeway was plowed but surface streets needed work. Kind of a white knuckle drive.

Last week Dave Despres who sits next to me had his 90th birthday. Today the Doc who sits on the other side had his 91st. Good role models.

Reverse mortgages was the topic today. Good talk, a RM has some merits for old folks.


After BC I headed to CareLinc. My sleep apnea machine keeps giving me an error message.

Usually Carelinc is crowded but today because of the weather I was the only customer. Carelinc gave me a new apparatus.

Spent the rest of the day packing for our trip tomorrow to LA.

Kim picked up Ms P at 1600.

Light dinner and some TV before turning in. Set alarm for 0500.

Wednesday, January 4, 2017

Tuesday January 3, 2017

Blog time 1055 at Panera

Set the alarm for 0640 so Nancy could get to the MVP pool before the New Year resolution folks. Health clubs will be full of these folks until about mid February.

I did the calisthenics (70%) and row at home. Showered, dressed and had breakfast before getting AJ up at 0830. This morning AJ is going to breakfast with Kathi Kothe.

As soon as Nancy got home she called the dentist to see if she could get in to have a crown reattached. She was lucky the dentist had an opening at 0930.

Walked to Panera for my morning coffee and papers.

After lunch AJ and I headed downtown to the GR Public Museum. The museum is having a whale exhibit. I was surprised the museum was crowded. Apparently some schools are still on Christmas break. AJ like the hands on video displays. I think she would give the exhibit a B-

Nancy fixed chicken breasts for dinner.

Read the GRP and started watching NCIS when I got a call from my old high school friend Tom Cassell. Tom and I talked for 90'. Always great to talk to Tom.

Temps will get down to the teens this evening with a chance of snow.

Tuesday, January 3, 2017

Monday January 2, 2017

Year end update:

Took the weekend off so here is a brief update:

Saturday December 31:

New Years Eve day started slowly. Nancy and AJ slept in. I walked to Panera. Had my oatmeal breakfast and read the papers.

This afternoon AJ and I saw the movie Trolls. We both liked it. I was surprised that the theater was empty.

I did take several short walks.

We had a quiet meal at home. Watched some of the UM/FSU game. We started watching a British MI 5 spy series on Amazon. The show was originally shown on PBS. The first episode was good.

We were all in bed by 2200. Old folks do not stay up for the New Year. I have already seen 78 so no big deal.

Sunday January 1, 2017, I wonder how many times I will get the year wrong before it finally sinks in.

We all slept in. Our first business of the New Year was to head to Meijer's for supplies. I filled the Escape up. Can't remember the price of gas. Nancy bought AJ a low cal chocolate donut.

Nancy fixed her world famous scrambled eggs for breakfast. It was great.

I took a walk followed by a short nap.

At 1530 we headed to Kathi Kothe house for a New Year's meal. Kathi's brother John was also in attendance.

Kathi fixed a feast for all. After the meal we sat around the table and talked for several hours. AJ was on her best behavior. Nancy was very proud.

At home I watched some of the first half of the Lions/Packers game. Went to bed thinking the Lions could pull it off.

Monday January 2, 2017:

Nancy completed her week's hiatus from MVP. This morning she headed out to attend an exercise class.

I stayed home and did my calisthenics (80%) and ten minute row. Showered and waited for AJ to get up. She was up by 0900 but did not want breakfast.

Nancy got home at 0930 and first thing AJ wanted was breakfast. What does Grandma have that I don't.

Walked to Panera for coffee and chance to read papers. Today is a holiday so mostly fluff in papers.

It was a bright sunny day with no wind and temps in mid 30s. Took Ms P on an extra long walk.

This afternoon I took AJ to a bouncy house. Trampolines everywhere but AJ without a friend did not have many opportunities to partake. We only stayed a short time.

I did watch some of the Cotton Bowl. Wisconsin was one of the few bright spots for the Big Ten.

We had a light dinner. Continued watching the British Spy show on Amazon.

It looks like the mild weather will continue through Tuesday and then we return to normal January temps.