Catching Up and Jim's Last Chemo Treatment

DeBary, FL.

76 deg. clear, S. wind @ 5 mph.

Forecast for Sunday =  Partly cloudy. High around 80F. Winds ENE at 10 to 20 mph.


Well, most of Jim's hair is gone. Linda did cut it last Saturday and now it's only about 1/2 inch long. Jim said that he hadn't had hair this short since his military days back in the early 60's!! ;-)

Sunday, not much happened around here, but Monday, Linda and Jim decided to go grocery shopping. They went to the  Publix Grocery store in Orange City and they both grabbed one of those electric shopping carts to ride around on in the store. Everything went fine, but by the time they had carried the groceries into the house, Jim was completely wiped out and Linda was dragging her feet too. (These stronger Chemo treatments are really taking a toll on Jim's energy level).

For dinner, they had a Pizza delivered here to the house so no work was involved.

Wednesday was a "recoup day" but by Thursday evening, it was decided to use one of the gift cards that they had received for Christmas and head over to the 5 Guys hamburger place in Orange City. The burgers were good, but neither Jim nor Linda thought they were worth the price and were glad they had the Gift card to pay for them.

Yesterday morning, Lila took Jim and Linda up to Deland for Jim's Last Chemo Treatment. It was another one of the stronger treatments and by the time they stopped at Gram's Kitchen for a bite to eat and got back here, Jim was really tired and starting to have a lot of bone and muscle pain. Some medications that Jim had received from the doctor, helped that a quite a bit though.

If you remember, the last time Jim had received one of these stronger treatments, his white blood cell count had dropped to a level where he could have easily caught some type of an infection. Well, this time after the treatment, they put this "On Body Injector" on Jim and as of about 7 PM this evening, it will inject a drug call "Neulasta" into his body.  "Neulasta" stimulates the bone marrow which raises the white blood cell count. It also causes bone pain, so I'm sure Jim will have to take more medications tonight. :-(

This is the little device that Jim has stuck to his body. There's a little green light that flashes about every 4 or 5 seconds and tonight, it's supposed to "beep" 2 minutes before it starts injecting the drug and then it will take about 45 minutes to inject the drug. Then, after it "beeps" again, Jim can remove the device.

What won't they think of next??? Oh!! I guess I'd better explain that this Neulasta drug has to be administered no less than 24 hours after the chemo treatment. It was about 4:00 yesterday when the chemo treatment was finished. so 7 PM tonight will be 27 hours. 

This last treatment has really sapped Jim's strength and endurance. Hopefully this side effect won't last too long and he'll be able to do some things without getting tired right away. 

Did you know that on this date in 1833 - Peterborough, NH, opened the first municipally supported public library in the United States? 

Woof!!!

Last Radiation Treatment and A Fish Fry?

DeBary, FL.

39 deg. clear,, no wind.

Forecast = Abundant sunshine. High 68F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph.

Saturday Night = A clear sky. Low 39F. Winds light and variable.


Nothing special happened since I last posted except, yesterday, Jim had his last Radiation treatment!! :-)  That means that he won't have to be getting up and leaving here by 8;15 every weekday morning and hopefully, some of the side effects such as the fatigue Jim has been experiencing, will start to fade away.

He also had his last weekly Chemo treatment yesterday. The next treatment will be in about 21 days, although, he will still have to go in to get a blood test every week, in-between the treatments. The Chemo treatments Jim has been receiving, have lasted about 3 hours, but these last 2 treatments will last about 5 hours, so it will be a longer day and who knows what the side effects will be from the heavier dose of the medications.

To celebrate Jim's last Radiation Treatment, He and Linda went to Gram's Kitchen for dinner last night. Jim ordered the Prime Rib Special that they have every weekend and Linda ordered meatloaf. As usual both dinners were very good.

Oh, speaking of food!!! The other day, Jim received an e-mail from Dave, (one of the Illinois bunch), and they are having their annual "fish fry" over at their home at the Southern Aire RV Park in Thonotosassa, FL tomorrow.

If you are a long time reader of this blog, you may remember that the whole Illinois Bunch used to spend the winter at that RV Park and we used to spend a couple weeks each winter camping over there and visiting with them.  Well, we lost Gordy a couple years ago and Dorthy sold their Motorhome. Denny and Bev have not been coming down to Florida for the last couple years, so that just leaves Dave and Dee Dee who have bought a Park Model Home over there.

Anyway, every summer, Dave does a lot of fishing up in Illinois. He and Dee Dee freeze the fish and bring them down here for a "fish fry" for their friends. Most everyone brings food along, so they end up having a Pot Luck Dinner with the fish as the main dish. If I remember right, there were about 50 people there for the last fish fry that Jim and Linda were able to attend, 2 years ago.

If Jim is still feeling well, Lila will take them over there tomorrow. They're  planning on eating around 3:00 but if they can, Jim and Linda will head over there earlier so that they can spend tome time visiting with Dave and Dee Dee, before they get too busy with meal set-up, preparation and cooking.

Should be a fun day, and it will be a good excuse for Jim and Linda to get out of here for a day. ;-)


Did you know that today is  International Sword Swallowers Day?

Woof!!!

Continuing To Improve

DeBary, FL.

67 deg. partly cloudy, no wind.

Forecast = Scattered clouds with the possibility of an isolated thunderstorm developing this afternoon. High 83F. Winds SSE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 30%


Not a whole lot to report. Jim's breathing seems to be improving as time passes and so far, he hasn't had any serious side effects from the chemo treatments.

He continues to go for radiation treatments every morning, (Monday through Friday) and to chemo treatments, every Monday, after the radiation treatment. He's now about 1/2 way through the radiation treatments and is looking forward to not getting up every morning and having to be over there by 8:45.

The other day, Jim and Linda took Big RED and headed over to Paradise Lakes RV Park to check on Nora. When they returned, they said that everything looked good and that she was nice and dry with no leaks, even though we've had some serious rain storms lately. There was also some talk about putting Nora in storage to save some $$. There is a possibility that they may be able to leave her "on site" and still save quite a bit, but not quite as much as moving her to the storage area.

They'll be heading over to the Park and talk to Kelly to see just what their options are, sometime before the 13th when the current lot rent runs out.

Yesterday, Lila took Jim and Linda to Walgreen's to pick up some prescriptions and other necessities and then in the evening, over to Gram's Kitchen for dinner. Linda had a chef's salad and Jim had the Country Fried Steak. Both of them said that their meals were excellent. :-)

No big plans for the near future. The radiation treatments every morning kind of limit what can be done each day.


A Quote to Ponder : “The art of being wise is the art of knowing what to overlook.”
William James

Woof!!!

3 Firsts

DeBary, FL.

43 deg. mostly cloudy, no wind.

Forecast = Mostly cloudy skies early, then partly cloudy this afternoon. High 64F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph.


The weather change came through as expected and it truly was shock to the system, the first cold weather of the season. Anytime you get a 25 degree drop in the temperatures after having record high temps for quite awhile, you feel it all the way through to your bones.  Actually, the weather now is more like what it's really supposed to be like in January down here.

Monday morning, Jim and Linda took Lila and headed over to get Jim's radiation treatment and then headed up to DeLand for Jim's first chemo treatment. Everything went well and it was pretty much as expected. They first met with Dr. Saferali's PA and then Jim was taken into the chemo room. The worst thing about the treatment is that it takes a long time to administer all the different medications through the IV. Some of the meds are preventative to help counteract reactions of the treatment and of course the rest are the treatment meds themselves.

Jim got into the treatment room at about 10:30 and it was right at 3:00 when he and Linda returned to the car.

Jim was feeling fine, so on the way back here so they stopped and bought Lila a well deserved drink of 87 octane. This was the first time she had been filled since she was purchased and both Jim and Linda were well pleased with the 26.7 MPG that she attained, especially since all the miles were driven in town, :-)

For dinner, Jim and Linda again took Lila and headed over to Gram's Kitchen in Orange City. Jim had a fish sandwich and Linda an open faced beef sandwich. Both were very good. :-)

Yesterday, after Jim's radiation treatment the day was spend just kicking back after the busy day on Monday.

So, here's the schedule as of right now. Every Monday through Friday Jim will go to get his radiation treatment at 8;45 in the morning. Every Monday, after his radiation treatment, he will head up to DeLand and receive a chemo treatment that will last until late afternoon. This will go on for about 7 weeks and then, after the last radiation treatment, there will be 2 additional chemo treatments at 21 day intervals.

The treatments should be over by mid- April, but then there will be a recovery period and I'm sure another Pet Scan.

Side effects from chemo are accumulative, so by the end of the treatments, it's hard telling what kind of, or the severity of the side effects will be. As of now, no travel plans are being made for this summer. If we do get to travel, it may only be a short trip up to Illinois, but we'll have to see if that will even be possible.


Did you know that on this date in 1979 - The Y.M.C.A. filed a lawsuit against the Village People over their song, "Y.M.C.A."? The suit was later dropped.

Woof!!!

Catching Up

DeBary, FL.

60 deg. overcast, no wind.

Forecast = Cloudy early with peeks of sunshine expected late. Slight chance of a rain shower. High 72F. Winds N at 10 to 15 mph.


Well, let's see!!! When I last posted, it was Thanksgiving and Jim and Linda were getting ready to head over to Lindsey's parent's house for dinner. They had a great meal with turkey, ham and all the "trimin's" and lots of excellent deserts. they must have had a good time talking with Lindsey's family too, because it was late afternoon by the time they returned. :-)

Saturday evening,  Jim and Linda headed over to Gram's Kitchen where they both had nice meals. It was their first visit to Gram's since we've been back here and it didn't seem like much had changed since spring.

Monday was grocery shopping day. Lots of groceries were purchased at Winn Dixie.

Thursday, Linda had an  appointment with her cancer doctor, (Dr. Saferali). She had a blood test and everything looked good. Linda's next appointment with her will be sometime next spring. :-)

Friday finally came and by a little after 9:00, Jim was having the CT scan. Everything went smooth but by noon, Dr. Mathura had called and was telling Jim that there definitely was spot on Jim's lung that he called a "small mass". After explaining things to both Jim and Linda he said that he would call a pulmonary doctor and a cancer doctor and have them call the first of this week to set up appointments. :-(

So,  ,  ,  ,  ,  that's where we are right now. not good news, but I suppose it could be worse. They're not even sure if it is cancer or not, so I'm thinking that a biopsy will be required before any treatment is done.

Even before we left here this last spring, Jim and Linda have been talking about getting a small car for Linda to drive and to use down here in FL. Well, Jim's been doing a lot of research online and he found one that he thought would do the job. So, Saturday morning he and Linda headed down to Sanford to take a look to see what it looked like.

To make a long story short, they ended up buying it. It's a 2014 Hyundai Accent sedan that has 35,000+ miles on it. It's still has some of the factory warranty left on it and seems to be in really good condition.

Here's a couple photos of it sitting in the driveway here at the double-wide in DeBary.

Introducing, "Lila"

Yesterday morning, Laura and Lindsey came over and helped Jim and Linda put up their Christmas decorations. Jim had set up the tree, but no decorations had been put on it before they arrived. It has become kind of a "tradition" for Laura, (and sometimes Lindsey) to come over and help decorate. Linda usually puts out some snacks and they all seem to have a good time decorating. :-)

Here's a photo of the decorated tree.

Don't know what's going to happen now. I guess we'll just have to wait until those doctors call. Today,  This morning Linda has an appointment with Dr. Bernard, (her retina doctor down here in FL), to see how her eyes are doing. She's hoping that she won't have to have any of those injections.


A Quote to Ponder:   “In the long run the pessimist may be proved right, but the optimist has a better time on the trip.”
Daniel L. Reardon

Woof!!!

Another Week Has Gone By

DeBary, FL.

54 deg. mostly cloudy, N. wind @ 5 mph.

Forecast = Showers early, then cloudy in the afternoon. High 72F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%.


Well, another week has gone by since I've posted. :-(  I guess it's because we're in the house this winter and not in an RV that I'm having trouble finding things to write about.. cause other years, it's been sometimes days between post, not a week or more.

Last Wednesday, Jim and Linda took Big RED and went to Gram's Kitchen for dinner. Thursday was grocery shopping day at Winn Dixie, Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday, absolutely nothing happened except Sunday morning, Jim and Linda went over to Laura and Lindsey's for coffee and doughnuts and to see Ashley, (who was down here from Jacksonville for the day). Other than that, it's been just normal day-to-day living. Then, last night they again took Big RED and headed to dinner, this time at Bob Evans, where they had breakfast for dinner.

Wow!!! Really exciting. Huh????

Of course, now this weekend, there's a conflict about things to do. You see, Sunday, Dave, (one of the Illinois bunch), who is wintering over in Thonotosassa, FL called to invite Jim and Linda over to the annual Fish Fry that they will be having this Sunday. Jim and Linda would have surely gone except Sunday is the day Linda's brother, Glenn and his wife Jeanette are arriving here from Wisconsin.  they actually arrived in Florida yesterday, but landed in Miami and will be heading to Key Largo and other parts of Southern FL. before driving up here to DeBary,

So, Jim and Linda had to tell Dave that they couldn't make it this year. :-(  Isn't that always the way? Nothing happens for a week or more and then two things happen on the same day!!! :-(

It'll be really good to see Glenn and Jeanette though. With Linda's health problems, it's been over a year since we've seen them. It sounds like they'll be getting here sometime during the afternoon, having dinner here with Linda, Jim, Laura and Lindsey and then staying in a hotel in the area before heading to Orlando to catch a flight back to Wisconsin.

Linda already has Sunday's meal planned and all the groceries have been purchased. She's going to try to keep it fairly simple so that she doesn't have to spend time in the kitchen cooking while Glenn and Jeanette are here.

I think she's planning on making a Pot Roast in the slow cooker. :-)

Did you know that In 1951, Diners Club issued the first credit card to 200 customers who could use it at 27 restaurants in New York? But it was only until the establishment of standards for the magnetic strip in 1970 that the credit card became part of the information age.

Woof!!!

Good News and A Delivery

DeBary, FL.

60 deg. overcast, no wind.

Forecast = A mix of clouds and sun this morning followed by mostly cloudy skies and a few showers this afternoon. Thunder possible. High 76F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30%.


Had some good news yesterday. Linda had an appointment with Dr. Barnard, (her retina specialist, down here in FL). She was dreading going because she was sure that he would be giving her another one of those eye injections. Well, after checking and doing an eye scan, he determined that the last injection had taken care of the problem and her eyes were "stable". :-)

So, another appointment was made for the 23rd of February, when he will preform another scan to see if the eyes are "still stable".

Needless to say, Linda was thrilled!!!

I haven't posted lately because there really hasn't been anything to post about. Just everyday living.

One day, Jim and Linda went to Walgreen's, another day, Jim went grocery shopping at Winn Dixie, Saturday evening, they went to Gram's Kitchen for dinner and yesterday, after Linda's appointment with Dr. Barnard, they went to the 4 B's Restaurant where they both had nice meals off of the special's board. (Jim had flounder and Linda had Swiss steak).

Here at home, Linda has been working on her Family Tree program and catching up on paperwork and filing, some that was from a year ago that didn't get done while she was going through the cancer treatments. Jim has been helping when he could and going through some boxes and drawers that hadn't been sorted since we moved into the house.

Oh, and Saturday, the UPS delivery man brought a big box to the door!!! It was pretty heavy and when Jim met him at the door, he helped Jim set the box inside of the Florida room, which runs across the front of the house.

Soon after the UPS man left, Jim opened the box and I found out that it was a glider that he and Linda had ordered online.

Awhile back, Linda had said that she was wondering if anyone still made gliders because she thought it would be nice to have one out in the Florida room to sit on. Jim did a little research and found some. So,  ,  ,  ,  they picked out the one they liked and ordered it. :-)

It's kind of like a swing, but instead of hanging from the ceiling, it has a platform that sits on the floor and it glides back and forth on it.

It came partially disassembled but it wasn't too hard to put it together, and soon Jim and Linda were gliding back and forth. :-)  Both of them said that they liked it and have been enjoying it ever since.

Did you know that in the southern United States, porch gliders were referred to as divans? Especially popular was the "basket weave" pattern in the hot non- air conditioned South of the 1950s and 1960s.

Woof!!!

Worrying Works

DeBary, FL.

66 deg. overcast, N. wind @ 4 mph.
Forecast = Partly cloudy. Slight chance of a rain shower. High 82F. Winds light and variable.


Worrying Works!!!  90% of what you worry about never happens!!!! When asked yesterday, what the scan looked like, the radiation doctor said, "Boring"!!  In other words, the scan contained nothing unusual and it looked like just a normal scan of a healthy person!!!!

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Big RED said that he thinks that Linda smiled all the way from the doctor's office to the house. ;-) She was so excited that as soon as she got home, she called most of the family and told them the great news!! Then last evening, she and Jim went to Gram's Kitchen for dinner. They both had the Friday "all you can eat fish special" and said that it was just as good as they remembered, when they last went in July. :-)

The doctor told Linda that he wanted to see her again in 6 months, but when he found out that Linda and Jim had travel plans for next summer, he said that he'd see her in early April, (just before we'd be leaving), and then again next November when we return.

So, as of now, we're "good to go"!!!! :-)  Jim will start making some more definite travel plans and he and Linda can get back to more "normal" living.  Linda still has an appointment with the surgeon who did the cancer surgery and also the Chemo doctor, but those are just normal follow-up visits and should not be a problem.

Oh, and Nora will be going to the new RV Park in about a week and a half. Jim and Linda went to Highbanks the other day and Jim told them that he'd be taking her out of the park on the 16th or 17th of this month.

Did you know that three quarters of fish caught are eaten – the rest is used to make things such as glue, soap, margarine and fertilizer?

Woof!!!

2 Days And Counting

DeBary, FL.

73 deg. partly cloudy, no wind, humidity 88%
Forecast =  Partly cloudy with scattered storms. Highs around 91°F. Heat index around 102°F. South southeast wind 2 to 9 MPH. Chance of precipitation near 35%.

2 days and counting!!!!  ;-)

Not a whole lot to report. Jim and Linda have been packing up "stuff" to take over to the trailer, getting rid of things that will not keep or that will not be needed, and trying to figure out what they'll need and won't need for the next 4 months.

Thursday, Jim and Linda took a bunch of stuff over to the trailer, packed it away and then went to the post office and filled out a temporary change of address card so that the little mail that they do get here in Florida gets sent to their mail forwarding service in Sioux Falls. Then, they went to Gram's Kitchen and had breakfast for lunch. ;-)

The rest of the day was spent going through clothes to try to determine what will be needed. That's kind of difficult because we could get into some pretty chilly weather up North before we return in November.

Yesterday was laundry day. There wasn't a huge amount, but everything possible needs to be laundered before we leave. Jim also pumped up the tires on Big RED and gave him a quick once-over to make sure he's ready to travel.

One of the most difficult things about this whole getting-ready procedure has been the heat and humidity here in FL. By nine or ten o'clock, it's already in the mid 80's with very high humidity, and it make it very difficult for Jim and Linda to do anything that involves being outside.

Take yesterday for example. Around 9:00 Jim got out the air compressor to pump up Big RED's tires. Well, by the time he found the extension cord to plug it in, got it plugged in and then filled the tires, he was soaking wet with sweat and by the time he got everything put away again and came into the house, he was really beat and just collapsed in his recliner. :-(

Now, I know that there are lots of people who work and play every day down here in FL, but neither Jim or Linda seem to  be able to cope with the weather. Maybe they're just not used to it, but you would think that by this time they would be. At least somewhat.

Today, Jim will be taking more "stuff" over to the trailer and pump up it's tires. He already has most of the stuff loaded in Big RED and will probably go over there around 7:00 or 7:30 to try to beat the heat as much as possible. He probably won't get most of the stuff put away, but he and Linda can go back over there later and do that.

A Point to Ponder : Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.
--T.S. Eliot

Final Countdown

DeBary, FL.

74 deg. clear, no wind, humidity 87%
Forecast =  Partly cloudy with scattered storms. Highs around 91°F. Heat index around 97°F. West wind 2 to 9 MPH. Chance of precipitation near 50%

Houston, we are ready to launch!!!!

Well, maybe not launch, but we are certainly ready to hit the road!!!! ;-) Right now we're at 4 days and counting and everything is looking "good to go!!

Yesterday Big RED took Linda and Jim over to the surgeon's office and the surgeon removed the "port" that has been giving Linda the creeps ever since it was installed way back on the 27th of December, 2013!! :-(   After Dr. Ogle removed the port, he gave Linda a "good to go", and in a total of about 1 hour, Big RED was backing back into the carport and Linda was relaxing in her recliner.

With a big smile on her face, I might add.  .;-)

Before Linda and Jim went to the doctor's office, Laura and Lindsey had stopped by for a few minutes. They chatted for a little while and then just before they left, Linda and Jim gave them a bunch of frozen foods out of the freezer for them to take home and use. There was just too much in the house freezer to take over to the trailer, so if they can use it, it won't go to waste.

As soon as Linda got back from the doctor, she called Laura and told her that the port was out, she was doing fine and it was a very easy procedure. Laura suggested that since we'll be leaving Monday and she'll be busy or working every day before that, it might be nice to go out to dinner together someplace.

So, after taking naps, Jim and Linda took Big RED and headed over to Gram's Kitchen where they met up with Laura and Lindsey for a very nice dinner and some great conversation with a couple of very special people. ;-)

Thanks so much for everything, Laura and Lindsey!!! :-)

So, what's left to do before we leave DeBary? Well, Jim went over to Highbanks early this morning and made some adjustments on the Equal-i-zer weight distribution, sway control hitch on the trailer. It had been set up with the trailer empty and now there's quite a bit of  "stuff" in it that has changed the amount of tongue weight, so he felt an adjustment was needed.  There's medicine to take over to the trailer, as well a clothes, personal items and the rest of the food. Jim and Linda have a pretty large list, but I won't go into all of that here.

Then, they have to get the house ready to sit empty for about 4 months. They'll need to do a little cleaning, close all the blinds and shades, empty the refrigerator, turn off most of the circuit breakers to the house, (the A/C stays on and is set at about 84 degrees, and one other circuit is left on for a light), make sure the water is shut off and of course, make sure all doors and windows are checked and locked. Everything outside needs to be put away or secured so that nothing blows around in case there is a severe storm, and the shop/shed is locked and everything in the Florida room and screened-in section of the carport secured.

There's also things to do like go to the Post Office and have all mail sent to Alternative Resources, their mail forwarding service, stop by the office here in the park to let them know that we'll be gone for about 4 months, talk to Bob, the lawn maintenance guy, and pay for the electric that was used since the first of the month over at Highbanks.

Whew!!!!!

Yeah, there's a lot to do, but I have faith!!! ;-) You can't imagine how ready Jim, Linda and I are to get away from here and get back out on the road. Talk about "hitch itch" we've all got a bad case of it and as far as I know, there's only one way to cure it, and that's to hit the road!! And, to top it off, Monday is the day the lot rent at Highbanks is up, so I'm sure we'll be out of here, one way or another!!! ;-)

Did you know that a third of the human population sneezes when they look at the Sun? Light can signal the ocular nerve near the sinuses and triggers a sneeze.

Woof!!!

Achoo!!!!!!! :-)

Another Dr. Visit, Sorting and A Sewing Class For Ashley

DeBary, FL.

73 deg. clear, no wind, humidity 88%
Forecast = Partly cloudy with scattered storms. Highs around 95°F. Heat index around 108°F. West wind to 9 MPH. Chance of precipitation near 30%.


Early Thursday, Linda had another appointment to see Dr. Saferali, the Chemo Doctor. All reports were good but the Dr. decided that Linda was still dehydrated so she prescribed another Saline Transfusion. Rather than come back another day, it was decided that they would do the transfusion right away.

So, while this was happening, Jim took Big RED and headed over to Wally World to purchase a few items. I really don't know why he went to Wally World, He always has problems finding what he wants to purchase there, and this time was no different. :-(

About noon, Jim  went back and picked up Linda and they returned here to the house.

Because Linda had gotten up at the "crack of dawn", ;-)  she spent a good part of the afternoon dozing in her recliner. After taking it easy during the afternoon, she and Jim took Big RED and headed over to Gram's Kitchen for dinner.

Yesterday, Laura came over for awhile and helped Linda sort through the kitchen cabinets here at the house to determine what things she wants to take over to the trailer, what to get rid of and to reorganize the rest. By the time they were finished, there was one box full of items to take to the trailer, a bag and a box of groceries for Laura to take home and a list of items to take to the trailer just before we leave for Illinois, in just over 2 weeks from now.

Thanks Laura!!! ;-)

I don't know if you remember or not, but back on about the 8th of June I wrote about Linda, Laura and Ashley going shopping to buy some material, patterns and supplies for Ashley to use to learn how to use her new sewing machine. Well today, Ashley is going to stop by so that Linda can teach here how to operate the machine and get her started on the sewing project.

I think it'll be fun for both of them. ;-)

Did you know,



Woof!!!

Friday The 13th, A Full Moon, The Spare, Linda's Last Treatment and Happy Birthday Laura

DeBary, FL.

70 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast = Partly cloudy this morning with thunderstorms becoming likely this afternoon. High 86F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 80%.

Whoooooo!!! Whoooooooo!!!!! Whoooo oo o o oo ooo o o o!!!!!!!!!!!

OH!!! Sorry about that. I just can't control myself when that big old moon is full and especially when it's on Friday the 13th!!!!

I'll try really hard to control myself.

Tuesday, Big RED took Jim over to Winn Dixie so that he could buy some much needed groceries. They weren't gone too long but Jim did manage to purchase quite a few items. He and Linda thought about doing a load of laundry, but that didn't get done.

Wednesday morning, Jim called LaMesa RV, (where he and Linda bought the trailer), and asked about the spare tire and wheel that they were supposed to order from Heartland. If you remember, Jim found out that the spare was the wrong size and the wheel wouldn't even fit on the trailer. Well, the parts girl had told Jim that she would call as soon as it came in, but guess what? She didn't and Jim found out that it had been there since the 5th of June!!!

So, after Linda got up and had her breakfast, Big RED took them over there and the spare tire exchange was made without a hitch. :-)

One thing that Jim and Linda have learned about this RV place is that they almost never call you back when they're supposed to. The only person who ever called when they said they would was the salesman, to let Jim and Linda know that the trailer was ready to be picked up.

Yesterday, Linda had her final Chemo treatment. Dr. Saferali said that by her blood test, she was doing well and was pleased with Linda's progress.

While Linda was getting her treatment, Jim and Big RED took the new spare trailer tire over to Highbanks and mounted it on the trailer. After that, they stopped by Auto Zone and picked up some spare fuses for Big RED and some Leather Cleaner to use on Big RED's seats and on Jim's Barcalounger, (which is getting pretty dirty).  From there, they went up to DeLand and to the DeLand Truck Center where Jim bought some diesel fuel system conditioner. On the way back here to the house, they stopped by Gram's Kitchen where Jim had breakfast for lunch. ;-)

About 1:30, Linda called from the Chemo place and told Jim that she was just about done with her treatment, so he and Big RED headed over there to pick her up. Everything went well with the treatment and by about 2:30 Big RED was backing into the driveway.  

 Yesterday, was also Laura's birthday, so Inez, (Lindsey's mother) had a party for her last night. Ashley was there as well as Lindsey's brother, Danny. Everyone had a good time and Big RED said that he could hear them singing "Happy Birthday" to Laura way out by the street. :-)

Today some laundry has to be done and then this afternoon, Linda goes back to the Chemo place for that Injection. Then, we'll just have to wait and see what the side effects are going to be like this time. :-(

Did you know that the next time that there will be a full moon on Friday the 13th will be August 13th 2049?

Whoooo ooo ooo ooo ooo ooo!!!!!!!!!!!

Good Doctor's Report and Exciting Plans

DeBary, FL.
Highbanks Marina and CampResort

71 deg. clear, S. wind @ 7 mph.
Forecast = Sunshine and a few afternoon clouds. High near 95F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. 10% chance of rain.


Yesterday morning, Jim woke Linda up at what she calls, "The crack of dawn", so that they could get to Linda's Dr. appointment with Dr. Saferali at 8:00 AM!! :-) By 7:45 they were out of the door and Big RED was taking them over there.

Linda had the normal blood test and then she and Jim sat and waited for the test results and to talk to the Dr.  When Dr. Saferali came into the room, she checked a few things and then told Linda and Jim that the test results looked good and that she was very pleased with how Linda was doing. :-)

After asking Linda some questions about how she was feeling, the subject of Linda's last Chemo treatment, next Thursday, came up. Both Jim and Linda asked her if she had any idea how long it would be after the final treatment that she thought they would be able to make plans to head up to Illinois to see doctors, take care of business and see family and friends up there?

She brought up a calendar on her computer and said that she thought that Linda and Jim should be able to travel, (If Linda was up for it), shortly after the 4th of July!!!!!!!!!! :-)  :-)  ;-)

Wow!!!! I really didn't expect that!!!!!  I was hoping for sometime in August!!!!!

So,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  , after stopping at the house and picking up a few things to bring out here to the trailer, stopping by the CG office to pay for another month and getting things brought inside, Jim got out his computer, the calendar and his big eraser and went to work!! ;-)

If, (and there's that "If" again), everything goes well and Linda doesn't get any more serious or different side effects from her last treatment, and "If" her blood counts don't do anything strange, it looks like we'd be leaving DeBary around the 12th to the 14th of July. (The rent for the site here at Highbanks runs out on the 14th). We'll take our time, with short days at first, to see how well Linda is able to travel, and even stay more than 1 night in a few campgrounds along the way so that she can rest up if necessary.

It's about 1,150 miles up there and by Jim calculations, (along with the help of "Trip Planner") we should be getting to Rantoul about 10 days later on about the 21st, 22nd or 23, of July!! ;-)

Oh, and one more thing. Dr. Saferali is setting up an appointment with Dr. Ogle to have the "port" removed before we leave too. (Linda has hated that thing since it was put in).

So, that's the new plan. Dr. Saferali doesn't see any problems and everything has already been cleared with Dr. Graham, (the radiation doctor), so unless something really out of the ordinary happens, we'll be on our way by, at least, the 14th of July!!! :-)

To celebrate, Jim and Linda took Big RED and headed over to Gram's Kitchen for dinner. ;-)

Did you know that on D-Day, it is estimated that nearly 2 million soldiers, sailors and airmen were involved in Operation Overlord, including U.S., British, and Canadians who were scheduled to fight after men on the ground secured a Normandy bridgehead?

Woof!!!

Back Home Again

DeBary, FL.

66 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast = Sunny. High 94F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph 0% chance of rain.

Late Tuesday, after going over to Gram's Kitchen for dinner, it was decided that it would be better to head back to the house before Linda's Chemo Treatment, so yesterday morning, bright and early, Jim started packing things up. Then, when Linda got up at about 8:30, she ate her breakfast and helped Jim finish the packing.

By noon, we were back at the house and most of the things that they had brought back were already put away. They left quite a bit of "stuff" at the trailer this time, so in the future it should be much easier to gather up what's needed and head over there. :-)

We were only at the trailer for 4 days, but it was a nice little get-a-way and I really think it was good for both Linda and Jim.

Today, Linda has her 2nd Chemo Treatment of this series of 3 treatments. Her appointment is at 8:45 and it'll probably be mid to late afternoon before she gets back home. We're hoping that there's no weird side effects this time, (like the rash she got after the last treatment).

No big plans for the near future. A lot will depend on how Linda feels after this treatment.

Did you know that The first Indianapolis 500 was held on May 30, 1911, which was on Memorial Day?  Ever since, the race has always been held on Memorial Day weekend (Sunday)  in (of course) Indianapolis, Indiana.

Woof!!!

Joe's Visit

DeBary, FL.

65 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast = Sunny. High 92F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph.

Joe was able to get a flight Friday and by about 2:00 he was pulling up to the house in the rental car. :-)  After H and K, (Hugs and Kisses), and some visiting, they all climbed into Big RED and headed over to Dr. Saferali's so that Linda could get her injection. (The one that makes her bones ache).

In a little while they were back here and relaxing. Joe especially needed to relax because he had gotten up really early so that he could get to the airport early to be sure of a seat on a flight.

Because everyone was tired and the weather wasn't too nice, (Lots of rain), Linda called Laura and Lindsey  and invited them and Ashley and Chris to come over for pizza. (Sorry no photos). :-(

After they arrived, the pizza was ordered and soon everyone was enjoying the food and catching up with what has been happening with Joe and his family.

The side effects from Linda's injection didn't seem to get too bad this time so on Saturday, after spending the day visiting and relaxing, Jim, Linda and Joe took Big RED and headed over to Gram's Kitchen for dinner. Jim and Joe had the fish special, and Linda had a chopped steak meal. Again, the food was very good and the conversation even better. ;-)

Sunday morning, they headed over to Highbanks to show Joe the new travel trailer. Then on the way back here to the house, they stopped by Walgreen's and picked up a few needed items that Jim and Linda needed.

Monday, not a whole lot happened. Laura stopped by for awhile in the afternoon, Joe made spaghetti for dinner and then Laura and Lindsey came back and spent most of the evening visiting.

Early yesterday morning, (around 6:00 AM), everyone got up and visited for awhile while Joe packed all his belongings  up. By a little after 7:00 and more "H and K", (and a few tears), Joe was on his way back to the airport. :-(

It sure was good to see him again. His visit really really lifted Linda's spirits. It's too bad he couldn't have stayed a little longer, but he had to get back to Virginia. Hopefully, if all goes well, we'll be stopping by their house this fall.

Did you know that May is "National Vinegar Month"?

Woof!!!

Dr. Appointments, Joe's Coming To Visit and Other Stuff

DeBary, FL.
Highbanks Marina and Camp Resort

65 deg. clear, W. wind @ 6 mph.
Forecast = Areas of fog early, then partly cloudy this afternoon. High 88F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph.

Everything went well at the Chemo doctor's visit Thursday. As expected, Linda will start Chemo treatments this coming Thursday, (The 1st of May), and will then have 2 more treatments at 21 day intervals.

This means that this next week is going to get really busy. On Wednesday, Linda has a follow-up appointment with the radiation Dr. (Dr. Graham), Thursday, she'll have the Chemo Treatment, plus Joe is flying in from Virginia Beach to visit. Then on Friday, Linda will have to go back to the Chemo doctor's office for that injection that helps her bone marrow make more blood cells. If you remember, that's the injection that makes her bones ache for 2 or 3 days. :-(

I don't know exactly how long Joe will be staying, but I think it will be between 5 to 7 days. He has some kind of airline discount thing that he must use by the 7th of May, so he'll have to be back in Virginia by then.

We've been having a good time camping here at Highbanks. Jim and Linda have been getting things organized in the trailer and yesterday, Jim went to Home Depot and purchased a towel bar, a TP holder, a toothbrush holder and some clothes hooks for the bathroom. I'm not sure why these items aren't already included with the trailer, but I suppose it's another way the manufacturer can cut the cost of production.

Speaking of the trailer, so far everything seems to be working well and no major defects have been found. Jim has tightened up a few screws and there is a piece of trim in the bedroom that he will be tacking down with a small nail, but nothing that would warrant taking the trailer back to the dealer.

Last night, Jim and Linda went to Gram's Kitchen for their "Fish Fry". Again, the food was good and so was the service. Gram's has become a very "comfortable" place for them to go out to eat.

It's been getting quite warm down here in Florida the last few days. We've been having highs near 90 degrees and the forecast is for temps over 90 Monday through Thursday. The humidity hasn't been too high yet, but I'm sure that will be rising soon. Neither Jim, Linda or I are looking forward to spending the summer here in Florida, but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.

Did you know that the average high temperatures for June, July and August in DeBary, FL. is above 90 degrees?

Woof!!!

Gram's Kitchen and More Wheels For Linda

DeBary, FL.

67 deg. light rain, no wind.
Forecast = Considerable cloudiness with occasional rain showers. High 81F. Winds SW at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 50%.

Saturday night Jim and Linda did go to Gram's Kitchen where they splurged on the Prime Rib special. Again, both of them thought it was very good and there was enough that they'll probably get another meal out of the leftovers that they brought home. ;-)

Sunday, Jim went to the Winn Dixie Grocery store in the morning and then watched most of the NASCAR race on TV, while Linda read, in the afternoon.

Speaking of Winn Dixie, Jim says that they've almost completely changed the layout of the store. The bakery, Deli, frozen foods and dairy are still in the same place, but all of the merchandise on the shelves have been moved to different locations!!! :-(  It took Jim a lot longer to find what he was looking for and when he came back, I heard him telling Linda that there were some pretty angry customers over there. I really wonder why they do that? They haven't changed what merchandise they stock, they just moved it to a different place!!!

Monday, about 1:30, a truck pulled up in front of the house and being that Jim was out in the workshop, he went out to the street to see who it was. Come to find out, it was the medical supply company delivering the new "mobility chair" that the lady at the hospital had arranged to have sent here.

It seems to be pretty nice and it should be of some help when she wants to go shopping or to the radiation doctor at the hospital. In fact, yesterday, Jim loaded into the back of Big RED and they used it just for that purpose when Linda had her radiation treatment.

Jim says that it worked fine, but he's thinking that it pushes harder than a regular wheelchair. It's lighter weight than a regular wheelchair though, so its easier for him to load in and out of the truck.

They're forecasting rain off and on today, so I don't expect Jim and Linda to be going anywhere except the hospital for the radiation treatment and possibly stop by Walgreen's to pick up a few items on the way back here.

Did you know that March is "National Umbrella Month"?

Woof!!!

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!!!!

Prescriptions, A Hat For Linda and Ashley Saves The Day

DeBary, FL.

59 deg. overcast, NE wind @2 mph.
Forecast = Sun and clouds mixed. High 71F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph.

Saturday morning, Linda was pretty sore from the surgery, so Jim headed to Walgreen's to get Linda's regular prescriptions refilled and pick up a few other items. He would have had to wait for at least an hour for them to have the prescriptions ready, so he told them he'd come back later.

One of the things he found while roaming around in Walgreen's, was a turbine type head covering that the ladies wear after they've washed their hair. Jim though it may make a nice head covering for Linda after she lost her hair, so he bought her one.

From Walgreen's, he headed over to Winn Dixie, (which is just across the street), and picked up some essentials before coming back here to the house.

When he got back here to the house, he showed Linda the head covering, and she was thrilled to death!!! :-) She thought it was just great, and said that she thought she'd wear it a lot.  

After lunch, Jim went back to Walgreen's and picked up most of the prescriptions. I say "most" because again, they didn't have enough of one of the meds, so now today, (Monday), he'll need to go back again! :-(

By Saturday evening, Linda was feeling better and she asked Jim what he thought about going out to eat someplace? She was also thinking about Ashley coming Sunday morning to shave her head, and said that she'd like to go out to eat before that happened.

So, about 4:30 they took CLT and headed over to Gram's Kitchen and had their Prime Rib Special!!! Both of them were still talking about how good the steak was when they returned and it made my mouth water as Linda was wrapping up the leftovers to put into the fridge and freezer! .-)

Sunday morning, (about 11:00), Ashley came over took care of Linda's hair. By this time, the hair was starting to come out by the handful so Linda was glad that she had made plans to get it removed. Ashley was very caring but yet  professional and in just a short time, it was done.

After finishing, Ashley stayed and talked for awhile and then headed to one of her friends house for lunch.

Linda wants to thank Ashley so much for the way she handled the whole thing. Because of the way she went about it, she kept it from being the traumatic experience that Linda was dreading.

Thank you so much, Ashley!!!!!!!

A Point to Ponder :  Don't worry about what people think, they don't do it very often.

CLT Goes To A Mechanic, Decorations and A Second Phone

DeBary, FL.

62 deg. light fog, no wind
Forecast = Mainly sunny to start, then a few afternoon clouds. High near 85F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph.

Wednesday, Jim took CLT to a mechanic down on US 17/92. You see, for a while now, there has been a clunking noise coming from his steering wheel, and just lately, his horn has started blowing at odd times while driving down the road. Jim was quite sure that something had come loose in the steering column and didn't want to take any chances of the steering either locking up or coming apart! :-O

The mechanics at Bob Gorman's Alignment and Brake Center did a fine job and soon had CLT's steering repaired. While he was there, Jim also had the mechanic install new shocks on the front and do an alignment. Now CLT doesn't bounce while driving down the road and Jim says that he drives better too. :-)

While CLT was at the mechanic's, (Bob brought Jim back here to the house while CLT was being repaired), Jim and Linda finished decorating the tree. I think it looks pretty nice and I'm even starting to get into the Christmas spirit. ;-)

Then, about 4:30 Bob called and told Jim that CLT was finished and he would be picking him up in just a short while. In about 10 minutes, Bob arrived with CLT and picked Jim up. They headed back to the shop where Jim paid the bill, (Jim thought the charges were very reasonable), before bringing CLT back here.

Since she doesn't know how the chemo treatments are going to affect her, Linda's getting worried about getting everything ready for the upcoming holiday. In fact, yesterday, she and Jim were making a list of things that need to get done before the treatments start. Then, about 2:00 they took CLT and headed out to do some shopping and to see about getting another phone so that they can contact each other.

You see, all these years, Jim and Linda have only had one phone, and that had worked quite well because they were almost always together. Now, since we're here in DeBary, there already have been some times when a second phone would have come in real handy. After checking on how much it would cost to have another phone line added to their regular plan, it was decided to just go with a pre-paid phone, which was much less expensive.

After doing the shopping and getting the phone,  they came back here for while and then headed to Gram's Kitchen in Orange City for dinner.

This afternoon, Linda has an appointment at the chemotherapy  place for a "Chemo Patient Education" session. From what I understand, they will show Linda the facilities, explain the procedures to her and answer any questions she has about the treatment process and the side effects. Jim and Laura will also go along so that they will also have an idea of what Linda is going through.

 Then on the 12th, (next Thursday), Linda will have her first treatment.

A Point to Ponder :  Being kind is more important than being right.

Woof!!!