Friday, August 31, 2007

Update on Al

Portland

Things are looking a little better today. When I got to the hospital this morning Al was sitting up in a chair. His color is much better and his fever is gone. He was also more alert and aware of his condition. He ate a good breakfast and lunch, so his appetite is returning. His doctor stopped in around noon and gave us a progress report. Al's congestive heart failure is improving and the fluid in the lungs is better. The UTI is still alive and well, but the antibotics are attacking it and they have seen some improvement there as well. As the doctor said, "Al is 100 % better today from where we started at yesterday; however, we are only about 50% out of the woods". We still don't know if the infection has gone into his blood stream, but as the doctor said, if it has, the antibotics should take care of that as well. Al' legs and feet are not as swollen as they were yesterday and he is breathing without the oxygen. So, all in all, things are looking better. I know he is feeling better, he is starting to pick on me!!!

The hospital where Al is at really is a good one and I can't say enough about the care he is getting. The resident doctor, Dr. Ladogama, or "Dr. Tony" as he says, is great! The nurses here have been super caring and the ER staff tremendous! We are fortunate that we when we needed a hospital we found this one! It is only 5 miles from the RV park as well.

The RV park we are at is a very nice park, except it is a little like the movie, "Planes, Trains and Automobiles" -- and you could include boats in that as well!! The park is located next to I-84, so we get the road noise; under the direct approach to Portland International Airport, so we get the plane noise; and of course next to the rail road tracks...and not far from the Columbia river..need I say more???? And I didn't sleep very well last night, due to the aforementioned noises and just plain worry! I am betting I will sleep tonight. I took a short nap this afternoon, matter-of-fact, I went home and ate a sandwich and in the middle of lunch I fell asleep!! I NEVER HAVE DONE THAT!

The dogs are driving me crazy looking for Al. Beau just sits at the door waiting, Schuster is wearing a path between where I am and the door, pacing. They finally gave up looking late last night, but at 5:30 this morning they were at it again.

I want to thank all of you who have called and emailed...it is truly appreciated. I will keep you posted on the progress. Doctor said maybe he could be released from the hospital on Sunday, but more likely on Monday. I have no idea when we will be back on the wroad. One thing I do know, the truck and trailer aren't moving until I feel comfortable that Al is well enough to travel! He can be stubborn, but so can I!!!

Thursday, August 30, 2007

Al is in the Hospital

Portland

Well, we have made it this far -- and now we are stopped!

Al wasn't feeling well on Tuesday night, but he thought he was just tired. Yesteday morning he woke up grumpier than usual....and things went down hill from there. We left Seattle about 11:00 a.m. but before we left, Al was sick to his stomach, but he insisted it was nothing and lets go! We got as far as the first rest stop on I-5 and had to stop for him to go to the bathroom and we stopped at every other rest stop along the way. We stopped in Chehalis to have lunch with an old friend and I could see that Al was having a real hard time contolling his bladder and he was pretty shakey. By the time we got to Portland, he had lost all bladder control and was very weak. I tried all yesterday evening and into last night to get him into the doctor, but according to him "HE WASN'T SICK", he was just tired. In the middle of the night he fell, and it was all I could do to get him up from the floor. By this morning, he was very weak and was still saying he wasn't going to the doctor -- so I gave him a choice...either I took him to ER or I called 911! Finally he agreed to go to the hospital. However, I have to say he was grumbling all the way that he wasn't sick...ya, right! To make a long story longer, as my brother says, Al is in the hospital with a severe Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) and congestive heart failure. His blood pressure when he was admitted was 200/111; fever at 102.9; heart rate at 120; none of it good. And he was very, very confused. Couldn't tell the ER staff where he was, what day it was, or answer any simple questions. He was immediately hooked up to all monitors, and I was told to leave the room for the time being...which was understandable...there wasn't enough room in there for me and all the equipment and ER staff!!!! He was finally moved into a room this afternoon and will be in the hospital for at least 3 days, or longer and I have no idea when they will let him travel. When I left him he was resting comfortably, pumped full of antibiotics, pain killers, etc.

He is in Legacy Mount Hood Medical Center, Gresham, Oregon, room 333, Phone 503-674-1333. The doctor has asked no phone calls to his room for at least 24 hours.

I am hanging in there... but it has been a stressful few days! At least he is getting the proper care now and maybe we both can get some sleep.

I will keep you posted with progress reports...and you can call me any time at 425-985-7993.

We did have a good trip up until that time. We went to Seattle on Friday; had an uneventful trip over and got set up in the RV Park in Everett. On Saturday we went to the memorial service for Roger Witt. It was a very moving service and a lot of my Boeing co-workers were there. It was good to see them, but the reason wasn't the best. Sunday we got together with Ric, Janet, Cammie, Sherrie and Mike Tangen and fiance Nancy. Monday we did the doctor appointments, had lunch with friends Frank and Lynn Conger and dinner with Bill and Laurie Lince. Tuesday was more doctors and then dinner with Ted and Nona Abber and Nancy and Eric Willliams...so we did get to see some friends while we were there. The weather was beautiful while we were in Seattle and I will say it again, there is nothing prettier than Seattle on a sunny day!

I will keep you posted with progress reports...and you can call me any time at 425-985-7993.

Monday, August 20, 2007

Loss of a Friend hurts

Odessa, WA

Today, we recieved a phone call that we all dread at some point in our lives; but always get. The notification of a friends death. In this case, the friend was someone who I worked with for many years at Boeing and who I admired and respected and was proud to call him my friend. Roger Witt was "MR TRAFFIC" as far as I was concerned at Boeing. When I was first given the duty of "Traffic person" at Boeing Mojave Test Center at Edwards AFB, CA I had no idea what to do. TRAFFIC? Isn't that something on the freeway? No, it is the coordination and movement of freight and goods in and out of the company. Hmmm...now what? There was only one name I knew, ROGER WITT. So I called Roger (I had never met him) and got my first "traffic" lesson over the phone. Roger was the one I called when I had no clue what to do and he was always so gracious and kind and helped me through whatever problem I was trying to solve. If Roger wasn't available, Gary Bell and Bob Barstad were always very helpful and willing to assist me as well...if I hadn't had one of these three on the other end of the phone I would have been in deep trouble!

Fast Forward a few years and I find myself in Seattle and I am working with Roger Witt in the outbound traffic office for the Military side of Boeing. I learned so much there with Roger, and Gary and Bob again. Pretty soon Roger is promoted to manager and I am working for him. He was always kind and considerate and always willing to help. Next thing I know, I am promoted to manager and Roger and I are once more working together. I still relied on Roger's knowledge and sound advise.

When I retired from Boeing, Roger was still working and enjoying himself. He retired shortly after I did, and like all good intentions of "getting together" we didn't. I regret that. Roger and his wife Arleen came to our 25th anniversary party last year and we had a chance to catch up. We were both delighted that they came and we enjoyed our visit with them. We invited them to Tucson and Roger assured us they would try. However, poor health on his part intervened and they never made it.

Today the call came that Roger had died....we lost a friend and we will miss him tremendously. Rest in peace my friend.

Sunday, August 19, 2007

This is August???

Odessa, WA

This is August 19. I keep looking at the calendar to make sure. Why???? Because is was a whopping 60 degrees today and rain! We woke up to a nice, gentle rain, which lasted all day. I am not complaining about the rain for once. What I am complaining about is the 60 degree high! WAIT! We are in Eastern Washington...the average temperature for today is 90 degrees! We missed the average by 30 degrees! Yes, I am freezing, however, I refused to dress for the occasion...I AM STILL WEARING my shorts! Regardless of what the thermometer says...I am going by my calendar! Okay, so I am freezing and cold....but it is AUGUST for heavens sakes!!!

In other news from around our house....Gary and Jeannette visited today with pictures of their beautiful, handsome new baby grandson, Joshua. Kali and Scott welcomed their new baby on Aug. 1 and he certainly is handsome for a new baby. And just for the record, Grandma and Grandpa are so happy with his arrival.

I accomplished something today as well...I finished my first quilt! I had finished the quilt top in June before we left for Alaska, and left it to be quilted while I was gone. I got it back a couple of weeks ago and still had to finish the edges, which I did today. So, I really have a feeling of accomplishment today...and I think my quilt is pretty, even with all the mistakes of a first quilt. IT was fun to do and I will begin another one in Tucson as soon as things settle down a bit.

We are planning on leaving next Sunday for our trip south. I can't believe we are leaving already...it seems to early, which it really is. We usually don't leave until the first part of November, but, since we have so much to do on our other house in Tucson, we are leaving earlier this year. We will go to Seattle for a couple of days to see friends and children and to do our usual doctor routines; then to Portland to get in a quick visit with Melanie and family; then to Medford to visit Jo's sister for a day or so before we head to Palmdale/Acton to stop at Billie and Dan's for a day or so to see them and pickup an air conditioner/heater unit for the Tucson house...then an overnight stop in Yuma and on in to Tucson. We should be fairly well worn out by then. We plan a week stay in Tucson before we head into Colorado to visit Jo's brother and cousins, and then on to St. Louis to see Mike and family. From St. Louis, Al will stay with Mike while Jo and Beverly head on to Washington DC for a week of sight seeing and "girl time". By the time we get back to Tucson it will be time for Al to come back to Odessa for hunting....whew...I am tired just writing about all of it!

We hope this finds everyone doing well and happy with their lives....so until next time...we are getting ready to become
THE WROAMIN' WRASPIR'S again, including all animals!

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

This story was passed on to me and I want to share it. It really puts things in perspective.

Tip: Keep inconveniences in perspective.

Beautiful Story

This past week I was on a four and a half hour, non-stop flight from Seattle, Washington, to Atlanta, Georgia. In all my years of traveling, I have learned that each time a plane has the opportunity to stop, there is potential for unexpected challenges. Flight delays, weather and airline crews can create unanticipated challenges on any trip. Therefore, I always try to fly non-stop between my destinations. About an hour into this particular flight, the Captain's voice rang over the intercom. He asked if there was a physician or nurse on the plane. If so, he asked them to identify themselves by ringing the flight attendant call button beside their seat. I listened carefully but heard no one ring their bell. Iimmediately began to wonder what was happening. In a few minutes the Captain informed us that there was a medical emergency on board and asked again if there was a physician or anurse who could help. When there was no response, we were told that we were going to make an emergency stop in Denver, Colorado. He apologized but told us that there would be a medical emergency team waiting to meet us at the gate and that we would probably only be delayed by about thirty minutes. Though it was necessary, we knew we would all be inconvenienced by the extra stop.


About half an hour later, we landed at Denver International Airport and the medical crew immediately came on board. However,everything took longer than had previously been expected. An elderly gentleman, about 85 years old, had suddenly taken ill. It was not clear whether he had experienced a stroke or heart attack. Even after the gentleman was carried off of the plane, we still sat there for quite a while. The original "short" stop turned into about an hour and a half. When we finally pushed back from the gate and were in the air, the pilot apologized profusely for the unavoidable delay. He said that since the stop had taken longer than expected, those passengers who needed to make connections in Atlanta would miss their flights but would automatically be booked on the next flight out. You could almost hear the moans and groans throughout the airplane of everyone who was being inconvenienced by the unexpected stop.

Then the pilot did one of the classiest things I have personally ever seen or heard anyone do. He spoke into the intercom and said, "Ladies and gentlemen, I thought you might be interested in one bit of information. The elderly gentleman who was taken off the plane was a Marine in WWII. I am holding in my hand a copy of the Congressional Medal of Honor that was awarded to him and signed by President Harry Truman in 1945." The pilot went on to say, "I realize that we have all been inconvenienced today. However, in light of the fact that this gentleman was a war hero and was inconvenienced for four years of his life in order that we might experience the freedoms that we enjoy today, I thought you all should know that."

Immediately the airplane was filled with applause. Everyone was cheering and so pleased to know that the gentleman had been cared for in a way that was fitting and appropriate. As we continued to fly, I thought to myself, "Isn't that interesting? We were concerned that we were inconvenienced for a couple of hours and yet, this gentleman's entire life was interrupted and inconvenienced for over four years while he went and fought in a war to protect the freedoms and values that we love and hold dear in this country today." I breathed a prayer for the gentleman and asked God to bless him for all he had done to help us understand what freedom is all about.

History does not entrust the care of freedom to the weak or timid." - Dwight D. Eisenhower

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Minorities

We need to show more sympathy for these people.
* They travel miles in the heat.

* They risk their lives crossing a border.
* They don't get paid enough wages.
* They do jobs that others won't do or are afraid to do.
* They live in crowded conditions among a people who speak a different language.
* They rarely see their families, and they face adversity all day every day.

I'm not talking about illegal Mexicans; I'm talking about our troops!

Doesn't it seem strange that many Democrats and some Republicans are willing to lavish all kinds of social benefits on illegals, but don't support our troops and are now threatening to defund them?


Friday, August 03, 2007

What a trip!

Odessa, WA Aug 3, 2007



We are finally home....we got home at 11:30 last night. Tired and a little cranky, but home.



We got out of Anchorage about 35 minutes late, and arrived in Seattle about 40 minutes late....still have no idea where we lost the additional 5 minutes as the pilot claimed we were "making up the lost time". Oh well, I have, nor never will, understand the airlines and their time tables.



Alaska Airlines had 10 planes arrive within minutes of each other, so baggage claim was a nightmare! We stood at our "appointed" baggage carousel for well over 45 minutes waiting for our luggage. Hmmm...three other flights arrived after us and their luggage was there, where in the heck is ours? I kept looking at the information board and it said our luggage was on carousel 14....where we were! FINALLY, I happened to look up and realize there was only 4 others from our flight was hanging around! Huh??? So I track down a very harried looking airline employee, who tells me, "Oh, your flight's luggage was unloaded on carousel 12 --- 30 minutes ago...we made an announcement." Er, uh, well, I didn't hear it and neither did the 4 or so of the rest of the people. So we trudged over to carousel 12 and retrieved our luggage....fish and all. I had visions of losing our fish for days and then getting some very stinky fish...whew!



WE finally got to Jennifer's at midnight...exhausted. And then my body and mind had a debate about my not sleeping...I would doze off only to be awake again due to some cramp somewhere on my body!! ARG! Finally, up and at 'em on 2 hours of sleep.



Al had 3 doctor appointments yesterday in Seattle, which went well. Of course, this is Seafair weekend and the Blue Angels were practicing over Lake Washington, which made the bridge on I-90 be closed, so getting across the lake on the 520 floating bridge was s-l-o-w. And since the terrible tragedy in Minnesota, crossing any bridge for me is a frightening experience, let alone one that his old and "floats" on the lake...I have called it an accident waiting to happen for years! Traffic in Seattle isn't good on any given day, but let one of the main bridges be closed and it turns into your worse traffic nightmare! We finally got out of Seattle heading to Odessa around 5:00 p.m. Now, being that we were back up in the Everett area, we decided to take Hwy 2 home...which is a beautiful drive, not the fastest drive, but very pretty. We got into Wenatchee around 8:00, stopped for a bite to eat and headed home. It was still 82 degree's at 9:00 by the way! A far cry from our last month of 60 degree weather. HEAT...yeah!



We drove through a "bug storm" last night.....my goodness, the car is literally covered with bugs who committed suicide last night! Our granddaughter, Cammie, had just washed our car and it was so pretty and clean until we got into this "bug storm" and now I am not sure we will ever get all the bugs pried off the car! There are even dead bugs on the TOP of the car....and I haven't figured out how that happened!



We were driving east out of Ephrata last night when we looked up in the sky to see the strangest site...what is that??? A UFO? The moon??? No, the moon is not a bright red oval shape...what is that???? We kept looking at it, knowing it was the moon, hoping it was the moon; but the oddest, weirdest moon we had ever seen. It was bright red and oval! And HUGE! I have never seen anything like it. Amazing. Also, on our drive, from Ephrata to Odessa, we were on the lookout for deer....the highway is known as "deer alley"....and yep, we came upon a deer in the middle of the road. Had I been not aware of the deer problem, we would have probably had a dead deer joining the dead bugs on the car!!! All in all, we were very glad to get home!



Our cats had some words for us last night as well. Oh boy, did they ever! I think it is very good that I can't understand "cat meows" because I am sure they were really cussing us out for them being left alone for a month. They were real pests last night....and wouldn't leave us alone all night long. I thought about kicking them out side, but the coyotes were howling last night, so I didn't want the cats to become coyote food. I picked up the dogs this morning and they too had some words for us. Right now, all four animals won't let us out of their site...if one of us is in a different room we have at least two animals with us at all times! I think we were missed...and we missed them as well.




So we are settling down for a few days here in Odessa. Our plans are to leave here heading south to Tucson around August 27-28 time frame. Al had a doctor appointment on the 28th in Seattle, and then I think we will head down I-5, stopping in Portland, Medford, Chowchilla, Palmdale and Glendora on our way to Tucson. We won't be staying long in any one place however, as we want to be in Tucson no later than Sept 8. WHEW!!!



So until next time......we are home and happy. Hope all is well with everyone else...let us hear from you.

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