DeBary, FL.
60 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast = Cloudy skies early, then partly cloudy this afternoon. High 81F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph.
Linda was real nervous as Big RED pulled out of the driveway a little after 9:00 yesterday morning. You see, they were on the way to Linda's first radiation therapy treatment, and again, there was the unknown of just what to expect. :-(
By the time they got over to the Radiation Oncology area of the Florida Hospital in Orange City, Big RED said that he thought she might have been feeling a little better though. Once inside everything moved quickly and soon Linda was whisked away into the treatment room.
In about 20 minutes, she was back to where Jim was waiting for her.
From what I gather, everything went smoothly and it wasn't as bad as Linda had envisioned. In fact, by a little before 10:00 Big RED was backing into the driveway. :-) Once back in the house, both she and Jim relaxed for awhile, ate some lunch and then, about 12:15, headed over to the chemo place for another saline transfusion.
While this procedure was being done, Jim went to Publix, bought some groceries and then came back here to the house and put them away. A few minutes after 4:00, Linda called and told Jim that they were just about finished with the transfusion, so Jim headed over there to pick her up.
On the way back here, they stopped at the Lotus Garden and picked up some Chinese food for dinner.
Laura and Lindsey stopped by for a little while in the evening. (Laura wanted to hear all about Linda's first radiation treatment). Then the rest of the evening was spent watching TV.
Today, Linda will have her 2nd radiation treatment at 11:40. From what I understand, this will be the time that Linda will go in every day. She'll also see the doctor, (Dr. Graham), today, and the nurse told Linda that she would probably be seeing him every Tuesday.
I know some of this is probably real boring for many of you, but there are a few people, including some of Jim and Linda's kids that want to know all about the procedures that Linda is going through. Plus, I'm thinking that some day, Jim or Linda may want to look back on just what happened and when, so I'm trying to document the procedures here.
Thank you for your patience. I'll try to get back to some more interesting things soon.
A Point to Ponder : Never be afraid to try something new. Remember, amateurs built the ark. Professionals built the Titanic.
Woof!!!
Tuesday, February 25, 2014
Sunday, February 23, 2014
Just A Photo Today
DeBary, FL.
60 deg. fog, no wind.
Forecast = Cloudy this morning. Scattered thunderstorms developing this afternoon. High 84F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%
This is a photo of a sign that I came across while surfing the Internet yesterday. Thought you might enjoy it.;-)
Did you know that the word "mogul" comes from the Austrian word "mugel," which means "small hill" or "mound?"
Woof!!!
60 deg. fog, no wind.
Forecast = Cloudy this morning. Scattered thunderstorms developing this afternoon. High 84F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%
This is a photo of a sign that I came across while surfing the Internet yesterday. Thought you might enjoy it.;-)
Did you know that the word "mogul" comes from the Austrian word "mugel," which means "small hill" or "mound?"
Woof!!!
Saturday, February 22, 2014
Doctors, Doctors And More Doctors
DeBary, FL.
66 deg. light fog, no wind.
Forecast = Scattered thunderstorms this morning, then mainly cloudy during the afternoon with thunderstorms likely. High 77F. Winds WNW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 80%.
Linda has been having a lot of dizzy spells lately and they didn't seem to be going away, so Thursday, she called the chemo doctor's office to see what they said. They told her to come on in to the office at 2:15, so about 2:00 Jim and Linda took Big RED and headed over there.
Once she got in, (they had kind of squeezed her in between other patients, so it was somewhat of a wait), they did a blood test and took her blood pressure. The blood test was fine, but when they took the blood pressure, they found it to be lower than normal and when taken while Linda was standing, quite low. The doctor asked about Linda's diet and fluid intake, and she decided that because of the chemo treatments and the amount of fluids that Linda was drinking, she was dehydrated.
So, being that it was already late in the day, she sent her home with instructions to drink lots of water and try to eat a little more. She also temporally took Linda off of one of her blood pressure medications and made an appointment for Linda to come in on Friday for a transfusion.
Being that Linda already had an appointment at the Radiation Therapy doctor for Friday morning, the appointment was set up for early afternoon.
Yesterday morning, Jim and Linda again took Big RED and headed to doctor's appointments. The appointment at Dr. Graham's office, (the radiation therapy doctor), was at 10:20. This was a preliminary appointment where they took x-rays and did some other test and measurements. After that appointment, they came back here to the house, had a little lunch and then headed to the 12:15 appointment at Dr. Saferali's, (the chemo doctor), for the transfusion.
The transfusion was just a saline solution, but by the time she got into the room where they do the transfusions, it was about 1:00 and then it took about three hours.
So, , , , basically, the whole day was spent at doctor's offices. It was about 4:30 by the time they returned here to the house. Both Jim and Linda were tired, so they just threw a couple micro meals in the microwave for dinner and then relaxed in their recliners.
Laura stopped by to visit for a little while in the evening, but other than that, the rest of the evening was spent watching the Olympics on TV.
Nothing much happening today or tomorrow. Jim is planning on going to the grocery store to pick up a few things and I'm sure he and Linda will be watching the Olympics. Then Monday, Linda has to be at Dr. Graham's office at 9:20 for her first Radiation Therapy treatment, and then to Dr. Saferali's office at 12:30 for another transfusion.
Then, for the rest of the week, Linda will go to Dr. Graham's each day for radiation therapy. These treatments will then continue every day, (Monday through Friday), for a total of 8 weeks!!! :-(
Did you know that it's been 26 years since the Jamaican bobsled team made its debut at the Olympics?
Woof!!!
66 deg. light fog, no wind.
Forecast = Scattered thunderstorms this morning, then mainly cloudy during the afternoon with thunderstorms likely. High 77F. Winds WNW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 80%.
Linda has been having a lot of dizzy spells lately and they didn't seem to be going away, so Thursday, she called the chemo doctor's office to see what they said. They told her to come on in to the office at 2:15, so about 2:00 Jim and Linda took Big RED and headed over there.
Once she got in, (they had kind of squeezed her in between other patients, so it was somewhat of a wait), they did a blood test and took her blood pressure. The blood test was fine, but when they took the blood pressure, they found it to be lower than normal and when taken while Linda was standing, quite low. The doctor asked about Linda's diet and fluid intake, and she decided that because of the chemo treatments and the amount of fluids that Linda was drinking, she was dehydrated.
So, being that it was already late in the day, she sent her home with instructions to drink lots of water and try to eat a little more. She also temporally took Linda off of one of her blood pressure medications and made an appointment for Linda to come in on Friday for a transfusion.
Being that Linda already had an appointment at the Radiation Therapy doctor for Friday morning, the appointment was set up for early afternoon.
Yesterday morning, Jim and Linda again took Big RED and headed to doctor's appointments. The appointment at Dr. Graham's office, (the radiation therapy doctor), was at 10:20. This was a preliminary appointment where they took x-rays and did some other test and measurements. After that appointment, they came back here to the house, had a little lunch and then headed to the 12:15 appointment at Dr. Saferali's, (the chemo doctor), for the transfusion.
The transfusion was just a saline solution, but by the time she got into the room where they do the transfusions, it was about 1:00 and then it took about three hours.
So, , , , basically, the whole day was spent at doctor's offices. It was about 4:30 by the time they returned here to the house. Both Jim and Linda were tired, so they just threw a couple micro meals in the microwave for dinner and then relaxed in their recliners.
Laura stopped by to visit for a little while in the evening, but other than that, the rest of the evening was spent watching the Olympics on TV.
Nothing much happening today or tomorrow. Jim is planning on going to the grocery store to pick up a few things and I'm sure he and Linda will be watching the Olympics. Then Monday, Linda has to be at Dr. Graham's office at 9:20 for her first Radiation Therapy treatment, and then to Dr. Saferali's office at 12:30 for another transfusion.
Then, for the rest of the week, Linda will go to Dr. Graham's each day for radiation therapy. These treatments will then continue every day, (Monday through Friday), for a total of 8 weeks!!! :-(
Did you know that it's been 26 years since the Jamaican bobsled team made its debut at the Olympics?
Woof!!!
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
Full-Timing RVs and Trucks
DeBary, FL
.
.
58 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast = Sun and clouds mixed. High 83F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph.
Being that nothing important is happening, I thought I'd create a collage of the RVs and trucks that we've had since we went full-timing back in 2001.
In the top left corner there's Mariah. (You can click on the photo to enlarge it). She was the 1998 35' Winnebago Chieftain gas engine motor home that Jim and Linda had when we started full-timing June 1, 2001. They had purchased her in 1999 and she served us well, taking us all across the lower 48 states many times and even up to Alaska and back in 2002.
The center photo on the left side is TTT a 1992 Nissan pickup truck. (Mariah named him TTT for Tiny Tin Truck). He also was with us right from the start and followed along behind Mariah for many, many miles. He really took a beating from all the gravel on our trip to Alaska and in 2004 developed some major mechanical problems, so in April of 2004, Jim traded him off for CLT, (Lower left in the photo), a 1996 Nissan pickup, (Named Cute Little Truck, also by Mariah). CLT's truck bed was the same as TTT's so it was possible to transfer the bed cap from one truck to the other without any modifications.
In 2005, Mariah developed some major structural problems so Jim and Linda traded her for Myrddin, (a 1992 40' Beaver Marquis diesel pusher). (Top right in above photo)
Myrddin was beautiful inside with a handcrafted cherry wood interior and was probably the motor home with the interior that Jim and Linda liked the best. Myrddin had his problems though, and on the first trip out West in 2005 we had major problems with the engine stopping all of a sudden and doing that, during the whole trip out west and back. Jim and Linda took him to many RV repair shops along the way, but no one could figure out what was wrong.
We finally made it back down to Florida where a mechanic named Lester, at a shop in Lakeland Florida figured it out. Come to find out, it was an intermittent short in a 12 volt electric motor that powered the vacuum pump for the dash heater.
The problem was fixed, but Jim never had faith in Myrddin after that.
In 2011 on our way to the RV Dreams Rally in Sevierville, TN, Myrddin again developed an engine problem. This time it was a misfire condition. We made it to the Rally and then after the rally, Jim tried to find someone who could figure out what was wrong. Every place he called, he was told that they no longer had the diagnostic equipment to check his engine out. Jim finally found a CAT dealer in Bristol TN who had the equipment and repaired the problem, which ended up being a loose wire on cylinders 3 & 4 injectors.
At this same time, there was also a problem with Myrddin's furnace. When they tried to order the needed parts, they found out that they were almost non existent. It was at this time that Jim and Linda started to look for a newer RV.
In May of 2011, Jim and Linda found Emrys, a 45' 2000 Newmar, London Aire diesel pusher motor home at a dealer in central Illinois. (Bottom center in the above photo).
Linda named him Emrys, and he was also very nice inside, but didn't have the fit and finish of the woodwork that Myrddin had. When Jim and Linda purchased him, there were some problems that the dealer said that they would take care of. Well, come to find out, they just patched him together to get him out of the door, and once we were on the road, things started to go wrong. : ( (This dealer has since, gone out of business).
Again, Lester, (the mechanic and his crew down in Florida), came to the rescue and soon most of the problems were repaired and we were on our way. : )
Emrys was huge at 45', great to drive down the Interstates, (steady as a rock), and great to be living in with his 2 slideouts, but neither Jim or Linda had any idea just how much more those extra 5' of length would restrict where we could camp or go. He was no fun at all on hilly, twisty/turny roads, (like U.S. 101 up along the Oregon coast), and we found that many of the campgrounds along the non-Interstate roads could not accommodate such a large RV.
Jim and Linda adjusted our travels though, and soon we were traveling on almost all Interstates and staying in only the larger parks.
I still don't know just what happened to make Jim decide that he thought it was time to stop full-timing and to buy a house again, but during the winter of 2012/2013, he told Linda that he thought it was time to stop. Now, before they started full-timing, they made an agreement that if one of them ever decided that it was time to stop full-timing, they would tell the other, discuss the reasons, and then stop if that person still felt the same after the discussion.
Well, as most of you know, they did buy a double wide manufactured home down in DeBary Florida. It's in a gated community and there is absolutely no place to park a 45' motor home, much less even get it through the entrance. They do however, have a storage lot within the community where a smaller RV could be stored.
So, the search was on for a smaller RV.
It didn't take long before Jim and Linda found Bobbie T., a 27' Class B motorhome, (lower right in the photo), at a nearby RV dealer that would take Emrys in on trade.
During the summer of 2013, we took Bobbie T, with CLT hooked behind, and traveled from FL to IL by way of Virginia Beach, VA and Apex, NC. At Linda's regular Doctor's appointment in August, she was diagnosed with cancer.
At that time, we came down here to Florida and moved into the Double-wide manufactured home so that Linda could have surgery and treatments, thus, officially ending our full-timing lifestyle in August of 2013.
Since we've been here in Florida, Jim and Linda have traded CLT for a 3/4 ton Dodge pickup, and sometime before fall, will be either selling Bobbie T, or trading her in on a trailer of some kind. The reason for this is that Bobbie T. is not doing well over in the storage lot and Jim is worried about what kind of condition her engine and other chassis parts will be in after such a long period of non-use.
So, that's the vehicles that we've had while Full-timing. We've had a great time traveling all over the lower 48 and up into Alaska and would have liked to full-time longer. But, as we all know, things don't always work out the way we wanted them to.
Did you know that American Eddie Eagan is the only person to have won gold medals in both the Summer and Winter Games? He was a boxing champion in the 1920 Antwerp Games, and also won gold at the 1932 Lake Placid Games in the team bobsled event.
Woof!!!
Linda named him Emrys, and he was also very nice inside, but didn't have the fit and finish of the woodwork that Myrddin had. When Jim and Linda purchased him, there were some problems that the dealer said that they would take care of. Well, come to find out, they just patched him together to get him out of the door, and once we were on the road, things started to go wrong. : ( (This dealer has since, gone out of business).
Again, Lester, (the mechanic and his crew down in Florida), came to the rescue and soon most of the problems were repaired and we were on our way. : )
Emrys was huge at 45', great to drive down the Interstates, (steady as a rock), and great to be living in with his 2 slideouts, but neither Jim or Linda had any idea just how much more those extra 5' of length would restrict where we could camp or go. He was no fun at all on hilly, twisty/turny roads, (like U.S. 101 up along the Oregon coast), and we found that many of the campgrounds along the non-Interstate roads could not accommodate such a large RV.
Jim and Linda adjusted our travels though, and soon we were traveling on almost all Interstates and staying in only the larger parks.
I still don't know just what happened to make Jim decide that he thought it was time to stop full-timing and to buy a house again, but during the winter of 2012/2013, he told Linda that he thought it was time to stop. Now, before they started full-timing, they made an agreement that if one of them ever decided that it was time to stop full-timing, they would tell the other, discuss the reasons, and then stop if that person still felt the same after the discussion.
Well, as most of you know, they did buy a double wide manufactured home down in DeBary Florida. It's in a gated community and there is absolutely no place to park a 45' motor home, much less even get it through the entrance. They do however, have a storage lot within the community where a smaller RV could be stored.
So, the search was on for a smaller RV.
It didn't take long before Jim and Linda found Bobbie T., a 27' Class B motorhome, (lower right in the photo), at a nearby RV dealer that would take Emrys in on trade.
During the summer of 2013, we took Bobbie T, with CLT hooked behind, and traveled from FL to IL by way of Virginia Beach, VA and Apex, NC. At Linda's regular Doctor's appointment in August, she was diagnosed with cancer.
At that time, we came down here to Florida and moved into the Double-wide manufactured home so that Linda could have surgery and treatments, thus, officially ending our full-timing lifestyle in August of 2013.
Since we've been here in Florida, Jim and Linda have traded CLT for a 3/4 ton Dodge pickup, and sometime before fall, will be either selling Bobbie T, or trading her in on a trailer of some kind. The reason for this is that Bobbie T. is not doing well over in the storage lot and Jim is worried about what kind of condition her engine and other chassis parts will be in after such a long period of non-use.
So, that's the vehicles that we've had while Full-timing. We've had a great time traveling all over the lower 48 and up into Alaska and would have liked to full-time longer. But, as we all know, things don't always work out the way we wanted them to.
Did you know that American Eddie Eagan is the only person to have won gold medals in both the Summer and Winter Games? He was a boxing champion in the 1920 Antwerp Games, and also won gold at the 1932 Lake Placid Games in the team bobsled event.
Woof!!!
Saturday, February 15, 2014
Starting The Radiation Therapy Process
DeBary, FL.
56 deg. clear, SW wind @ 12 mph.
Forecast = Possible showers this morning and then partly cloudy skies this afternoon. High 67F. Winds W at 10 to 20 mph.
Yesterday morning, Big RED took Linda and Jim over to the Florida Hospital where the Radiation doctor is located. I guess I had the letters confused the other day when I said something about an MRI because that's not what they did. They did a CAT Scan instead.
Everything went smoothly but after the scan was done, the doctor came into the room and told Linda and Jim that for some reason, the CAT Scan machine wasn't giving them all the information that they needed and asked if it would be possible for them to go over to another Florida Hospital in Ormond Beach, FL., which is just North of Daytona Beach. Jim and Linda said that they could go over there, so after lunch, Big RED took them. This was also a painless procedure and soon they were back here at the house.
The weather was very nice yesterday, so Jim decided to take back roads which allowed them to stay off of the Interstates. It ended up being an nice ride over to Ormond Beach and back. :-)
The Radiation Doctor told Linda and Jim that Linda's radiation treatments would probably start late this next week, after they had had time to study the CAT Scan results and decide on a "plan of attack".
Linda is still having dizzy spells. She has to be real careful when she gets up from a sitting position and starts to walk. They're side effects of the chemo treatment and hopefully they'll soon go away.
Since the weather was nice, Jim cooked a couple brats on the grill for dinner while Linda got out some potato salad and chips to go with them. Then, after eating they watched the Olympic Games on TV.
I hope all of you had a nice Valentines Day yesterday and gave that special someone in your life a big hug. Jim and Linda didn't go out to eat or anything, but they tried to do special things for each other throughout the day. ;-)
Did you know that it wasn't until 1537 that St. Valentine's Day was declared an official holiday? England's King Henry VIII declared February 14th a holiday in 1537 for the first time.
Woof!!!
56 deg. clear, SW wind @ 12 mph.
Forecast = Possible showers this morning and then partly cloudy skies this afternoon. High 67F. Winds W at 10 to 20 mph.
Yesterday morning, Big RED took Linda and Jim over to the Florida Hospital where the Radiation doctor is located. I guess I had the letters confused the other day when I said something about an MRI because that's not what they did. They did a CAT Scan instead.
Everything went smoothly but after the scan was done, the doctor came into the room and told Linda and Jim that for some reason, the CAT Scan machine wasn't giving them all the information that they needed and asked if it would be possible for them to go over to another Florida Hospital in Ormond Beach, FL., which is just North of Daytona Beach. Jim and Linda said that they could go over there, so after lunch, Big RED took them. This was also a painless procedure and soon they were back here at the house.
The weather was very nice yesterday, so Jim decided to take back roads which allowed them to stay off of the Interstates. It ended up being an nice ride over to Ormond Beach and back. :-)
The Radiation Doctor told Linda and Jim that Linda's radiation treatments would probably start late this next week, after they had had time to study the CAT Scan results and decide on a "plan of attack".
Linda is still having dizzy spells. She has to be real careful when she gets up from a sitting position and starts to walk. They're side effects of the chemo treatment and hopefully they'll soon go away.
Since the weather was nice, Jim cooked a couple brats on the grill for dinner while Linda got out some potato salad and chips to go with them. Then, after eating they watched the Olympic Games on TV.
I hope all of you had a nice Valentines Day yesterday and gave that special someone in your life a big hug. Jim and Linda didn't go out to eat or anything, but they tried to do special things for each other throughout the day. ;-)
Did you know that it wasn't until 1537 that St. Valentine's Day was declared an official holiday? England's King Henry VIII declared February 14th a holiday in 1537 for the first time.
Woof!!!
Thursday, February 13, 2014
OK! I Got The Message!!!
DeBary, FL.
55 deg. overcast, W. wind @ 25 mph.
Forecast = A mix of clouds and sun. High 58F. Winds W at 15 to 25 mph.
OK!!! I get the message!!!
I've received a couple e-mails and a comment about Mr. L's name and I guess it's time for me to reconsider. The comment came from Dave, (One of the Illinois Bunch and the one who had the fish fry this past Sunday), and the e-mails were from friends and relatives, all who said that the name just doesn't fit the new truck.
Dave's comment was the most compelling and he was the only one that had a suggestion as to a new name. In case you didn't read the comment, here it is.
"Ok Mr. Blaine I'm going to disagree with you. Let me tell everyone, the pic's that are posted of Jim's new truck do not do it justice. Not that it's much prettier or anything like that but this truck is RED and I mean RED with a capital R-E-D red, not reddish, not red hue, not red tint, but RED! I've seen it up close and personal, it is not red but RED. If you hate red you would hate this truck, if you love red this this truck would give you an orgasm! It is RED! Sorry Mr. Blaine but this truck's name should be Big RED!"
So, , , , , , after much thought, and a conversation with Mr. L, I have decided to change his name to "Big RED". The name really does "fit" him better and he seems happy with it. In fact when I told him what I had decided to name him, I think I saw a little smile in his grill. ;-)
Yesterday morning, Jim and Linda took Big RED and headed over to DeLand and to a place that Jim found on the Internet called Truck Stuff. They have all kinds of accessories for trucks and if they don't have it in stock, they'll be glad to order it for you and in most cases have it the next day. When they came back, I learned that Jim had bought custom fit splash guards for both the front and rear fenders and a set of 4 window visors for the side windows.
The splash guards will stop the crud from the roads from getting up on the fenders and the window visors will allow Jim and Linda to leave the windows open slightly without the chance of rain entering the cab, both while driving and while stopped.
After Jim and Linda returned, Jim went out and installed the splash guards and window visors. Then, because there was a weather front coming across the state, they headed to Gram's Kitchen for an early dinner.
The front came through about 5:30 and it brought quite a bit of wind and about an inch of rain in just a couple hours. There was some wind damage in the area and a tornado reported in the Western part of the state, but no severe damage reported right here in DeBary.
Tomorrow, Linda has an appointment with the Radiation doctor. They're going to do some tests and exams, (I think I heard MRI at one time), and then I'm pretty sure that her radiation treatments will start next week. I expect today to be kind of hard for Linda as again, there's the unknown. :-(
Did you know that in the middle Ages, people believed that the first unmarried person of the opposite sex you met on the morning of St. Valentine's Day would become your spouse?
Woof!!!!
55 deg. overcast, W. wind @ 25 mph.
Forecast = A mix of clouds and sun. High 58F. Winds W at 15 to 25 mph.
OK!!! I get the message!!!
I've received a couple e-mails and a comment about Mr. L's name and I guess it's time for me to reconsider. The comment came from Dave, (One of the Illinois Bunch and the one who had the fish fry this past Sunday), and the e-mails were from friends and relatives, all who said that the name just doesn't fit the new truck.
Dave's comment was the most compelling and he was the only one that had a suggestion as to a new name. In case you didn't read the comment, here it is.
"Ok Mr. Blaine I'm going to disagree with you. Let me tell everyone, the pic's that are posted of Jim's new truck do not do it justice. Not that it's much prettier or anything like that but this truck is RED and I mean RED with a capital R-E-D red, not reddish, not red hue, not red tint, but RED! I've seen it up close and personal, it is not red but RED. If you hate red you would hate this truck, if you love red this this truck would give you an orgasm! It is RED! Sorry Mr. Blaine but this truck's name should be Big RED!"
So, , , , , , after much thought, and a conversation with Mr. L, I have decided to change his name to "Big RED". The name really does "fit" him better and he seems happy with it. In fact when I told him what I had decided to name him, I think I saw a little smile in his grill. ;-)
Yesterday morning, Jim and Linda took Big RED and headed over to DeLand and to a place that Jim found on the Internet called Truck Stuff. They have all kinds of accessories for trucks and if they don't have it in stock, they'll be glad to order it for you and in most cases have it the next day. When they came back, I learned that Jim had bought custom fit splash guards for both the front and rear fenders and a set of 4 window visors for the side windows.
The splash guards will stop the crud from the roads from getting up on the fenders and the window visors will allow Jim and Linda to leave the windows open slightly without the chance of rain entering the cab, both while driving and while stopped.
After Jim and Linda returned, Jim went out and installed the splash guards and window visors. Then, because there was a weather front coming across the state, they headed to Gram's Kitchen for an early dinner.
The front came through about 5:30 and it brought quite a bit of wind and about an inch of rain in just a couple hours. There was some wind damage in the area and a tornado reported in the Western part of the state, but no severe damage reported right here in DeBary.
Tomorrow, Linda has an appointment with the Radiation doctor. They're going to do some tests and exams, (I think I heard MRI at one time), and then I'm pretty sure that her radiation treatments will start next week. I expect today to be kind of hard for Linda as again, there's the unknown. :-(
Did you know that in the middle Ages, people believed that the first unmarried person of the opposite sex you met on the morning of St. Valentine's Day would become your spouse?
Woof!!!!
Monday, February 10, 2014
A Great Day
DeBary, FL.
48 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast = Sunny. High 74F. Winds light and variable.
Yesterday morning, Jim and Linda were busy getting ready to head to the fish fry at Dave and Dee Dee's. Jim was putting lawn chairs and a cooler with drinks in it in Mr. L and Linda was busy inside getting everything else ready to go.
A little after 1:00 we pulled out of the driveway and headed for a gas station where Jim bought a bag of ice for the cooler.
Yes, you read that right!!! I said "we"!!! ;-) Jim and Linda took me along and it was sure good to get out of the house and on the road again. I hadn't been anywhere since we came down here, way back in August.
Anyway, after stopping for Ice, we headed over to the Southern Aire RV Resort in Thonotosassa. It's about 100 miles over there, so it took us about an hour and 45 minutes to get there.
Everyone brought lawn chairs, positioned them around the fryer and visited for about an hour. That's Dee Dee in the pink blouse.
As close as I could tell, there were about 25 people there, and I think everyone had a good time. Dave is the one in the maroon shirt.
That's Dorthy, (One of the Illinois Bunch), standing and talking to Linda.
These are the tables where all the food was placed. Almost everyone brought some kind of side dish or desert.
Then, it was time to fry the fish!!! It sure did smell good and everyone was commenting on how good it tasted. ;-)
I think everyone had a good time. (I know Jim and Linda did). Everyone said that the food was great and how much they enjoyed the afternoon.
I know that Jim and Linda really enjoyed being there and want to thank Dave and Dee Dee for inviting them.
I don't know just what time it was when we left, but by the time we arrived back in DeBary, it was dark. Mr. L preformed well and Jim says that he's very comfortable to drive. Linda was completely exhausted by the time we returned, but said that she was really glad that we went.
All in all, it was a great day!!!! :-)
Thanks, Dave and Dee Dee!!!!!
Did you know that the FIRST brothers to win Olympic gold medals were Americans John and Sumner Paine? They came first in the military pistol and free pistol shooting events respectively in 1896.
Woof!!!!
48 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast = Sunny. High 74F. Winds light and variable.
Yesterday morning, Jim and Linda were busy getting ready to head to the fish fry at Dave and Dee Dee's. Jim was putting lawn chairs and a cooler with drinks in it in Mr. L and Linda was busy inside getting everything else ready to go.
A little after 1:00 we pulled out of the driveway and headed for a gas station where Jim bought a bag of ice for the cooler.
Yes, you read that right!!! I said "we"!!! ;-) Jim and Linda took me along and it was sure good to get out of the house and on the road again. I hadn't been anywhere since we came down here, way back in August.
Anyway, after stopping for Ice, we headed over to the Southern Aire RV Resort in Thonotosassa. It's about 100 miles over there, so it took us about an hour and 45 minutes to get there.
Everyone brought lawn chairs, positioned them around the fryer and visited for about an hour. That's Dee Dee in the pink blouse.
As close as I could tell, there were about 25 people there, and I think everyone had a good time. Dave is the one in the maroon shirt.
That's Dorthy, (One of the Illinois Bunch), standing and talking to Linda.
These are the tables where all the food was placed. Almost everyone brought some kind of side dish or desert.
Then, it was time to fry the fish!!! It sure did smell good and everyone was commenting on how good it tasted. ;-)
I think everyone had a good time. (I know Jim and Linda did). Everyone said that the food was great and how much they enjoyed the afternoon.
I know that Jim and Linda really enjoyed being there and want to thank Dave and Dee Dee for inviting them.
I don't know just what time it was when we left, but by the time we arrived back in DeBary, it was dark. Mr. L preformed well and Jim says that he's very comfortable to drive. Linda was completely exhausted by the time we returned, but said that she was really glad that we went.
All in all, it was a great day!!!! :-)
Thanks, Dave and Dee Dee!!!!!
Did you know that the FIRST brothers to win Olympic gold medals were Americans John and Sumner Paine? They came first in the military pistol and free pistol shooting events respectively in 1896.
Woof!!!!
Sunday, February 9, 2014
Normal Things, Thonotosassa and A Name
DeBary, FL.
50 deg. overcast, N. wind @ 7 mph.
Forecast = Partly cloudy. High 72F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph.
Not a whole lot happening the last few days. The laundry has been done, Jim's been working on re-arranging the workshop, Linda's been doing some embroidery work and they've both been trying to do the normal things that people do, day to day.
We've had a lot of rain the last few days so other than Jim taking Linda to the chemo place to get her blood test on Thursday, they haven't gone out much. It did stop raining for a short while yesterday afternoon though, so Jim took the new truck to the station and filled it up with some #2 diesel at $3.99 per gallon. He had 2 reasons for wanting to fill it up. One, was so that he could start to calculate the mileage that the truck is getting and second, unless Linda is not feeling well when she gets up later, they're heading to the fish fry in Thonotosassa this afternoon!!!! :-)
Speaking of the new truck. I suppose that you've noticed that it doesn't have a name yet. Well, I've been waiting for Jim or Linda to come up with a name, but so far they haven't. So, , , , , I'm taking the "Ram" by the horns and doing it!!! ;-)
First of all, the other day when I was out there checking it out, I realized that there is nothing meek or timid about this truck and with it's Cummins Diesel engine it's big and strong. To me, this means that it's a "he" and not a "she". The next thing I noticed when I was out there was that he had a name tag on his tailgate so he already has a name.
It's Laramie!!!!
When I was on his hood, (acting like a hood ornament), I talked to him a little and asked him if he minded if I called him Mr. L instead of Laramie? He said that he didn't mind and in fact he kind of liked it.;-)
So, , , , "Mr. L" it is!!!!
This morning, Jim and Linda will be getting ready for the trip down to Thonotosassa this afternoon. Linda baked a cake yesterday afternoon, and Jim will be putting some lawn chairs in Mr. L. The weather is supposed to be nice for a change, so it should be a great day for a nice ride and a cook-out/fish fry!!! ;-)
Did you know that the oldest man to compete in the Summer Olympic Games was Oscar Swahn of Sweden in shooting (1908, 1912, and 1920)? He became the oldest gold medalist when he won gold at 64 years and 280 days old in 1912, and the oldest medalist when he won silver in 1920 aged 72 years, 281 days old.
Woof!!!!
50 deg. overcast, N. wind @ 7 mph.
Forecast = Partly cloudy. High 72F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph.
Not a whole lot happening the last few days. The laundry has been done, Jim's been working on re-arranging the workshop, Linda's been doing some embroidery work and they've both been trying to do the normal things that people do, day to day.
We've had a lot of rain the last few days so other than Jim taking Linda to the chemo place to get her blood test on Thursday, they haven't gone out much. It did stop raining for a short while yesterday afternoon though, so Jim took the new truck to the station and filled it up with some #2 diesel at $3.99 per gallon. He had 2 reasons for wanting to fill it up. One, was so that he could start to calculate the mileage that the truck is getting and second, unless Linda is not feeling well when she gets up later, they're heading to the fish fry in Thonotosassa this afternoon!!!! :-)
Speaking of the new truck. I suppose that you've noticed that it doesn't have a name yet. Well, I've been waiting for Jim or Linda to come up with a name, but so far they haven't. So, , , , , I'm taking the "Ram" by the horns and doing it!!! ;-)
First of all, the other day when I was out there checking it out, I realized that there is nothing meek or timid about this truck and with it's Cummins Diesel engine it's big and strong. To me, this means that it's a "he" and not a "she". The next thing I noticed when I was out there was that he had a name tag on his tailgate so he already has a name.
It's Laramie!!!!
When I was on his hood, (acting like a hood ornament), I talked to him a little and asked him if he minded if I called him Mr. L instead of Laramie? He said that he didn't mind and in fact he kind of liked it.;-)
So, , , , "Mr. L" it is!!!!
This morning, Jim and Linda will be getting ready for the trip down to Thonotosassa this afternoon. Linda baked a cake yesterday afternoon, and Jim will be putting some lawn chairs in Mr. L. The weather is supposed to be nice for a change, so it should be a great day for a nice ride and a cook-out/fish fry!!! ;-)
Did you know that the oldest man to compete in the Summer Olympic Games was Oscar Swahn of Sweden in shooting (1908, 1912, and 1920)? He became the oldest gold medalist when he won gold at 64 years and 280 days old in 1912, and the oldest medalist when he won silver in 1920 aged 72 years, 281 days old.
Woof!!!!
Thursday, February 6, 2014
A Few Photos
DeBary, FL.
61 deg. overcast, N. wind @ 8 mph.
Forecast = Cloudy with showers. High 59F. Winds NNE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 50%.
Jim got out his camera and took a few photos of the new truck yesterday. This first one shows how it fills up the carport.
He took me out there with him so I thought I'd give it a good close inspection. ;-)
You know, I think I could drive this thing if I could get someone to work the pedals!!
What do you think? Would I look good as a hood ornament?
Wow!!! The bed of this truck is Huge!!!!!
Not a whole lot else to report today. Linda has an appointment this morning at the Chemo place to get a blood test and to talk to the doctor. She and Jim never did get to the laundry yesterday, so I'm sure they'll be doing some of that this afternoon.
Did you know that more athletes than spectators attended the 1900 Paris Olympic Games?
Woof!!!!
61 deg. overcast, N. wind @ 8 mph.
Forecast = Cloudy with showers. High 59F. Winds NNE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 50%.
Jim got out his camera and took a few photos of the new truck yesterday. This first one shows how it fills up the carport.
He took me out there with him so I thought I'd give it a good close inspection. ;-)
You know, I think I could drive this thing if I could get someone to work the pedals!!
What do you think? Would I look good as a hood ornament?
Wow!!! The bed of this truck is Huge!!!!!
Not a whole lot else to report today. Linda has an appointment this morning at the Chemo place to get a blood test and to talk to the doctor. She and Jim never did get to the laundry yesterday, so I'm sure they'll be doing some of that this afternoon.
Did you know that more athletes than spectators attended the 1900 Paris Olympic Games?
Woof!!!!
Wednesday, February 5, 2014
It's In The Carport
DeBary, FL.
68 deg. overcast, SW wind @ 6 mph.
Forecast = Partly cloudy early. Thunderstorms developing this afternoon. High 81F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 80%.
Guess what's sitting in the carport???
Yep!!!! A big, bright, Red, Dodge pick-up!!!!
Jim and Linda couldn't do much Sunday about getting things rolling as far as the new truck was concerned, so they just watched all that football stuff on TV. As you probably know by now, the Football game was a "bust" so they didn't even watch the last part of it.
Monday morning, Linda called their Financial Adviser and put into motion the process of getting some money transferred to the bank. After that, Jim called their insurance agent, told her about the new truck and got the insurance ready to transfer to it.
Then, while Jim was out getting all of the "stuff" out of CLT, Linda spent rest of the day doing a little embroidery work and taking cat naps. :-) That is until about 5:00 when Laura stopped by, picked up Linda and took her to see that new Hobbit movie at a theater over in Altamont Springs. They both enjoyed the movie and by about 10:00 or so, Laura was dropping her back off. ;-) By the time Linda came back into the house, she was really beat and just collapsed in her recliner for the rest of the evening.
Yesterday morning, Linda called the bank to make sure that the money had been transferred. It was, so Jim called Jay, over at Gibson Truck World and told him that he and Linda would be there right after lunch to purchase the truck.
So, about 12:30, they took CLT, stopped at the bank to pick up a cashiers check and headed over there.
It was kind of sad to see CLT pull out of the driveway, knowing that it would be the last time I'd see that little green truck. :-( He's been a really good little truck throughout the years and has served Jim and Linda faithfully since 2005, with hardly any problems at all.
I'll miss you, CLT!!! :-(
Once over to the dealer, the whole process of trading began. Jim says that he can't understand why it takes so long, but it took about 3 hours to get all the T's crossed the the I's dotted. Basically, the whole process went pretty smoothly and by about 4:00, I heard the new truck backing into the carport. (or should I be calling it a truckport)? :-)
I haven't been out there yet, but from what I could see by looking out of the window, it sure looks nice. (Did I mention that it's Red)???? I didn't realize how much bigger it would be than CLT. It sure takes up more room out there than he did!!
Today, Jim wants to go and get a couple spare keys made for the new truck and he'll need to get some of that "stuff" he took out of CLT, put into it. He and Linda also need to do some laundry, so it's looking like it'll be a fairly busy day.
Oh!! The other day, Dave, (one of the Illinois bunch), called. Many of you long-time followers will remember that every year, about this time, he and Dee Dee have a fish fry over at the park in Thonotosassa, (near Tampa). Well, he called to invite Jim and Linda over there for the fish fry this next Sunday. He follows this blog and knows that Linda doesn't have much energy, but he's hoping that they might be able to make it over there again this year.
Linda did pretty well at the dealer yesterday, so she and Jim are hoping that by the weekend, she'll be feeling well enough to go. It would be a nice drive over there to see good friends and also be a good excuse to take the new truck for a nice long drive to see how it performs. (It's about 100 miles over there).
Who knows, maybe I could even ride along!! ;-)
Did you know that Red Buttons (Aaron Chwatt) was born on this date in 1919?
Woof!!!!
Did I mention that the new truck is Red????
68 deg. overcast, SW wind @ 6 mph.
Forecast = Partly cloudy early. Thunderstorms developing this afternoon. High 81F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 80%.
Guess what's sitting in the carport???
Yep!!!! A big, bright, Red, Dodge pick-up!!!!
Jim and Linda couldn't do much Sunday about getting things rolling as far as the new truck was concerned, so they just watched all that football stuff on TV. As you probably know by now, the Football game was a "bust" so they didn't even watch the last part of it.
Monday morning, Linda called their Financial Adviser and put into motion the process of getting some money transferred to the bank. After that, Jim called their insurance agent, told her about the new truck and got the insurance ready to transfer to it.
Then, while Jim was out getting all of the "stuff" out of CLT, Linda spent rest of the day doing a little embroidery work and taking cat naps. :-) That is until about 5:00 when Laura stopped by, picked up Linda and took her to see that new Hobbit movie at a theater over in Altamont Springs. They both enjoyed the movie and by about 10:00 or so, Laura was dropping her back off. ;-) By the time Linda came back into the house, she was really beat and just collapsed in her recliner for the rest of the evening.
Yesterday morning, Linda called the bank to make sure that the money had been transferred. It was, so Jim called Jay, over at Gibson Truck World and told him that he and Linda would be there right after lunch to purchase the truck.
So, about 12:30, they took CLT, stopped at the bank to pick up a cashiers check and headed over there.
It was kind of sad to see CLT pull out of the driveway, knowing that it would be the last time I'd see that little green truck. :-( He's been a really good little truck throughout the years and has served Jim and Linda faithfully since 2005, with hardly any problems at all.
I'll miss you, CLT!!! :-(
Once over to the dealer, the whole process of trading began. Jim says that he can't understand why it takes so long, but it took about 3 hours to get all the T's crossed the the I's dotted. Basically, the whole process went pretty smoothly and by about 4:00, I heard the new truck backing into the carport. (or should I be calling it a truckport)? :-)
I haven't been out there yet, but from what I could see by looking out of the window, it sure looks nice. (Did I mention that it's Red)???? I didn't realize how much bigger it would be than CLT. It sure takes up more room out there than he did!!
Today, Jim wants to go and get a couple spare keys made for the new truck and he'll need to get some of that "stuff" he took out of CLT, put into it. He and Linda also need to do some laundry, so it's looking like it'll be a fairly busy day.
Oh!! The other day, Dave, (one of the Illinois bunch), called. Many of you long-time followers will remember that every year, about this time, he and Dee Dee have a fish fry over at the park in Thonotosassa, (near Tampa). Well, he called to invite Jim and Linda over there for the fish fry this next Sunday. He follows this blog and knows that Linda doesn't have much energy, but he's hoping that they might be able to make it over there again this year.
Linda did pretty well at the dealer yesterday, so she and Jim are hoping that by the weekend, she'll be feeling well enough to go. It would be a nice drive over there to see good friends and also be a good excuse to take the new truck for a nice long drive to see how it performs. (It's about 100 miles over there).
Who knows, maybe I could even ride along!! ;-)
Did you know that Red Buttons (Aaron Chwatt) was born on this date in 1919?
Woof!!!!
Did I mention that the new truck is Red????
Sunday, February 2, 2014
Happy Groundhog Day and Big Changes
DeBary, FL.
64 deg. light fog, no wind.
Forecast = Foggy this morning, then partly cloudy this afternoon. High 82F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph.
Happy Groundhog Day!!!!!
Linda's still doing fine, but she has been extremely tired since her last chemo treatment and has almost no energy at all. She's also been having some dizziness, which is also part of the Chemo side effects.
Until yesterday, there hasn't been much happening around here. Just normal everyday things. But, yesterday, after Jim and Linda had come back from Walgreen's, Jim showed Linda a photo of a truck that he had been looking at on the Internet.
Why has Jim been looking at trucks, you ask?
Well, I've heard little bits and pieces of conversation between Linda and Jim lately, (in fact for the last month or so), that neither of them were real happy with how Bobbie T was working out for them. You see, they both have admitted that they thought that she would work fine, but they had made a mistake when they thought that the very small bathroom, the lack of a comfortable place for Jim to sit and relax and a tight bedroom was something that they could deal with.
On top of that, since Linda has this medical problem and will not be able to travel as much as they had planned, it won't be good for a motorized RV like Bobbie T to be sitting for long periods of time. In fact she already has one brake caliper hanging up and will have to be taken someplace to get that fixed before she can be used again.
So, , , , , , Jim and Linda have decided that a medium sized travel trailer or 5th wheel would serve them better and be more suited to the type of traveling that they will be doing in the future. Now, of course, CLT couldn't possibly pull either one of those types of RVs, so Jim has been looking at 3/4 ton trucks to take his place. They hadn't planned on doing any trading this soon, but CLT is going to need some work real soon, (new tires and a power steering pump for sure), so rather than spend money on him, it was decided that now was the time to trade if they could find a suitable truck.
Like I said, Jim has been looking at trucks and a few days ago, he found one that he liked, at a price that they could handle. So, yesterday afternoon, they headed over to Gibson Truck World in Sanford to look at it.
Well, it turned out to be almost exactly what Jim was looking for in a truck. It's a 2006 Dodge Ram Laramie Crew Cab with a 5.9 Liter Cummins Diesel engine. And, it's RED, just like my sweater!!!! ;-) It only has 49,000 miles on it and both Jim and Linda said that it looks like it just came out of the factory. It also has a Carfax Report with it and the dealer is giving it a 1 year bumper to bumper warranty!!
But wait, there's more!!!! The dealer is also giving them 12 months of free scheduled maintenance on the truck, up to $1000.
It also has all it's past maintenance records and it is certified as being a 1 owner vehicle.
Did I mention that it's RED?????
This is a photo of it that I got off of the dealer's website. It sure looks nice to me!!!.
Jim and Linda will be picking it up sometime this next week, as soon as they can get their finances together. :-)
Did you know that according to National Climatic Data Center, Punxsutawney Phil, the most famous of all the Groundhog Day groundhogs, isn't very good at his job, having picked correctly only 39 percent of the time?
Woof!!!!
Did I mention that it's RED????
64 deg. light fog, no wind.
Forecast = Foggy this morning, then partly cloudy this afternoon. High 82F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph.
Linda's still doing fine, but she has been extremely tired since her last chemo treatment and has almost no energy at all. She's also been having some dizziness, which is also part of the Chemo side effects.
Until yesterday, there hasn't been much happening around here. Just normal everyday things. But, yesterday, after Jim and Linda had come back from Walgreen's, Jim showed Linda a photo of a truck that he had been looking at on the Internet.
Why has Jim been looking at trucks, you ask?
Well, I've heard little bits and pieces of conversation between Linda and Jim lately, (in fact for the last month or so), that neither of them were real happy with how Bobbie T was working out for them. You see, they both have admitted that they thought that she would work fine, but they had made a mistake when they thought that the very small bathroom, the lack of a comfortable place for Jim to sit and relax and a tight bedroom was something that they could deal with.
On top of that, since Linda has this medical problem and will not be able to travel as much as they had planned, it won't be good for a motorized RV like Bobbie T to be sitting for long periods of time. In fact she already has one brake caliper hanging up and will have to be taken someplace to get that fixed before she can be used again.
So, , , , , , Jim and Linda have decided that a medium sized travel trailer or 5th wheel would serve them better and be more suited to the type of traveling that they will be doing in the future. Now, of course, CLT couldn't possibly pull either one of those types of RVs, so Jim has been looking at 3/4 ton trucks to take his place. They hadn't planned on doing any trading this soon, but CLT is going to need some work real soon, (new tires and a power steering pump for sure), so rather than spend money on him, it was decided that now was the time to trade if they could find a suitable truck.
Like I said, Jim has been looking at trucks and a few days ago, he found one that he liked, at a price that they could handle. So, yesterday afternoon, they headed over to Gibson Truck World in Sanford to look at it.
Well, it turned out to be almost exactly what Jim was looking for in a truck. It's a 2006 Dodge Ram Laramie Crew Cab with a 5.9 Liter Cummins Diesel engine. And, it's RED, just like my sweater!!!! ;-) It only has 49,000 miles on it and both Jim and Linda said that it looks like it just came out of the factory. It also has a Carfax Report with it and the dealer is giving it a 1 year bumper to bumper warranty!!
But wait, there's more!!!! The dealer is also giving them 12 months of free scheduled maintenance on the truck, up to $1000.
It also has all it's past maintenance records and it is certified as being a 1 owner vehicle.
Did I mention that it's RED?????
This is a photo of it that I got off of the dealer's website. It sure looks nice to me!!!.
Jim and Linda will be picking it up sometime this next week, as soon as they can get their finances together. :-)
Did you know that according to National Climatic Data Center, Punxsutawney Phil, the most famous of all the Groundhog Day groundhogs, isn't very good at his job, having picked correctly only 39 percent of the time?
Woof!!!!
Did I mention that it's RED????
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