too much

Okay----its been while since I posted.   Sometimes I wonder why I post..I'm not sure anyone but me reads this.  However,  it seems to help me put things in writing.

Since I last posted, things have gone horribly  wrong.   October was fine; the first part of November was okay; then I see that Schuster, my big, black, adorable  poodle, who is 12, started to  show signs of going downhill.  He was in no pain so I could see no need to see the vet.   On Nov. 22 I got the phone call every mother dreads.  Al's youngest son, Ric, who is batting cancer, has taken a turn for the worse and is in the hospital again.  I throw a few things in a suitcase, call my good friend Barb who  drives across town to pick up the dogs; call Gary & Jeannette who agree to take care of cats and take me to the airport.  I fly to Seattle the next day.  Yes, Ric is really struggling to breathe; but the  doctors think they can help him.  So that  Jenn and I don't completely tire him out, we opt to not go to the hospital  on Sun and Mon.

Monday night I get a call from Barb.  Schuster has died.  My world starts to implode on me once again.  I know, I know,  he is just a dog  to some, but to me,  he and Beau  are my constant companions, being with me all the  time.  RIP my beautiful boy.

The next  morning I  go to the hospital to be with Janet while Ric under goes a procedure to have drains put in his lungs  to help the lungs drain fluid.  While they are rolling him to the operating room he goes into cardiac arrest.  The doctors revive him; but the news is not good.   He will not recover.   A different oncologist is called in for  second opinion, which it is confirmed Ric will not survive.  He is on a ventilator; basically that is what is keeping  him alive.  Brothers  are  called to come home; all friends and family gather.  All of us are in shock.  From Tuesday to Saturday we all live at the hospital.  Saturday, Nov 30, 11:50 a.m. Ric is gone.   A feeling of total disbelief has taken over all of us.  How can someone, so vital, full of life and had so much  to give, be dead?    I HATE CANCER!!!
I have often thought how horrible it would be to lose a child. --  now, unfortunately, I know.   I miss him so much.

 Ron,  Melanie's husband is having surgery on his brain to removed an  arteriouvenous malformation (a tangle os excessive veins & arteries in the brain, aka AVM) , so I head to Portland to be with them.  I decide there is no reason to go back to Tucson immediately.   My family is needing me here.  Thank God, Ron comes through his surgery with  flying colors.   In fact, he is doing so well,  he is released from the hospital 2 days early!  FINALLY,  good news.  I stayed with them for 10 wonderful days, spending time enjoying being with them.  I did, however, manage to fall down the outside steps at Melanie's and sprain my ankle.  Yes, I am still hobbling around.  Then back to Seattle last weekend to pester Jenn for 2 more weeks.

I did visit with Joyce, Al's sister & Michelle (niece) today.  They both look great and seem to be doing well.

I plan to fly back home on Dec. 30th.  I miss home.  I love to visit, travel, etc., but there is no place like home.  AND, I am freezing up here!   Need my heat.

I hope this finds everyone doing well, healthy & happy.  My wish for you all is a very. Merry Christmas and a very Happy 2014!

Ahhh -- Fall is in the air

FINALLY----the thermometer has dropped below triple digits...yes, Fall has hit Tucson.  It is only 89 here today.  A much welcomed cool down.  Or at least that is what the weather guesser said.  Yes, I will admit, it is a cool down, compared to the last 4 months of mostly 100+ temps.  And it feels like Fall....just the way the sun is positioned, etc.  And for the first time in four months, I don't have the A/C on!!!  It is actually nice to be able to have the doors open and fresh air in for a change.  The cats are lovin' it...one is sleeping by the front door and the other is at the patio door.  Jose, well, he is used to this by now and he's on the couch!

The last few weeks have been a bit stressful for my family.  Al's youngest son, Ric, has been diagnosed with stage IV kidney cancer, which has spread to his lungs and hip joint.  He had his right kidney removed on Aug. 28, with expectations of being healed and ready for chemo in late Sept.  Well, surgery went fine, but the healing has taken a bit longer, and he still has one incision that is not healed completely.  Until it does, he can't start chemo.  This set back he didn't need, but he is outwardly dealing with it.  I know him well enough to know he is worried and scared...hell, I am too!  I just pray that he will bounce back better than ever from all of this.

The RV Park that I live in is starting to get busy again with the winter visitors returning.  Yes, the snow bird flock is flying south with the rest of the birds.  I liked it this summer when it was so nice and peaceful; but I enjoy all the activity that the winter brings as well.  I am volunteering in the mail room 3 days a week now and I really enjoy it.  I also signed up for the quilting group and I am playing Canasta once a week as well.  Slowly, I am getting into things.  I also signed up for beginning line dance class, which starts at the end of the month, so me and my four left feet will see if we can do this!!  Some days I am too busy; over scheduling myself, but I manage to get it all done.  I have met a lot of new friends here and really beginning to appreciate the live I have here.

The kittens are growing fast.  Annabelle is going to be one big cat...Bella, on the other hand is going to be tiny.  Jose keeps them in line; every once in a while I see a cat flying across the room...Jose teaching them manners.  :-)

Not much else happening now.  I hope all is well at your end of the world.  The holidays are right around the corner and I can't believe that time has passed so quickly......before we know it 2014 will be here!  Until next time....

Wow A month?

Here I am again...a month has flown by and I haven't blogged!  WHAT is wrong with me?  I ALWAYS  have something to say!  Sometimes it's not worth listening to, but I always have words ready to spout out of my mouth or mind!

Let's see...where did this last month go?  Well, for starters, Ric and Janet were here for Al's 78th birthday in April.  It was fun having them here and we always enjoy being with them...even if it is always too short of a time.

Then the first part of May our good friend Suzi had knee replacement surgery and they stayed here for a few days after surgery instead of going home to Rio Rico.  I don't know how they felt about it, but it made me feel better knowing she was closer to the doctor in case she needed him...however, she did wonderful.  As Jenn calls here "Miss Over achiever"  Suzi tends to amaze me in her ability to recover from anything in the shortest amount of time.  And no whining!  I WOULD be whining...I know I would.

The last four days Mike and Bev have been here.  We had a great time as usual; Bev and I out and about a couple of days at Quilt Shops, etc.  We all went to Mt. Lemmon one day.  The regrowth from the fire a few years ago is amazing.  And the new restaurant in Summerhaven was very good and very much needed.  It was a fun day.  Then last night we all went out to dinner at Michealanglo's.  We celebrated Suzi's birthday a bit early as well.  Had a fabulous dinner and good company.  Mike and Bev left today and the house seems very empty.  Mike had a few "honey do" chores he did for me as well...a few things I can't do anymore he did for me.  THANK YOU MIKE.

Al and I have been sitting here discussing how blessed we are to have such wonderful children; children who are happy, sucessful, and loving.  And not necessarily all of them are our biological children.  A few we have "adopted" along the way...and they are just as important to us.  You know who you are.  And then there are our grandchildren...what a delight they all are to us, and then, there are the greats....and they are just that!  We are so fortunate in our lives to have all these wonderful people.  THEN, we are also so rich in the friends we have.  Our lives are so blessed with the family and friends we have.  We love you all.

Al is doing well...his hospice nursing visits down to once a week for now.  He has managed to get out a bit more in the last month and enjoys that.  We might even try to do a longer ride (gulp) down to Rio Rico in the near future....maybe, if I get up my courage.  I just don't like to be very far from home with him. 

Weather is getting hotter...it's that time of year.  We have already had several days of over 100....air conditioner running full time...I can see the $$$$ floating away.  I keep the ac set at 80, and when I get too hot inside, I go outside for a minute and then come back in...and surprise...it's cool inside for a while.  Me and my mind games!

So until next time, live life like it is your last day on earth....it could be.

So long good friends..until we meet again

Good friends of ours, Pat and Patti left this morning to return to their summer home.  No bid deal, right?  WRONG....next year they will be spending their winter in FLORIDA!!  HEY!  What about me???  You are leaving me behind!  At least that's what I wanted to scream last night.  We will really, really miss them.  But a new chapter in life keeps opening up every time I turn around it seems. 

I just updated our profile on Blogger as well...it was a little out of date.  Yes, I miss the traveling we did...my feet start itching this time of year to get going...but it won't happen ... even if I think I can make it happen I know I can't.  Al is just too frail to try a trip anywhere.  Going out to dinner is a challenge and scary some times.  He, too, is asking me "when are we leaving" and it is so hard for me to try and explain to him that we aren't going anywhere and why.  In his mind he is still able to travel.  Heck, in my mind he is!  But then reality (damn it) sets in quickly.  So we will be here for the summer, fall, winter and spring.

Speaking of summer, I think it is here.  It was 95 yesterday, suppose to be 96 today and 97-98 all weekend.  We are breaking all kinds of records here with the heat.  I like the heat opposed to the cold, but this is just a little to early.  Another month or so, and I would expect it; but I haven't had any time to "ease" into it yet.  Last weekend it was so cold we had the heater on...go figure.

My youngest nephew, Michael was in town last weekend.  He and his band are on tour and were here for a couple of days.  We got to have dinner with him and it was fun getting caught up on what is going on in his life.  He sure is a nice young man....

Dick and Lano were here for a week and their whirlwind dog, Misty.  Misty is Beau's great niece and she is only 15 mos old....still a puppy.  I chuckled at my two old men dogs...they used to want to play ALL THE TIME with Dick and Lano's old dog Buddy and Buddy would snap at them to STOP.  NOW, the tide has turned and my two are snapping at Misty to stop! 

And on a final note, RIP Dick Clark, you were one of my idols.  My youth is gone.

And yes, we are in the winter of our lives now....just don't want to see a blizzard anytime soon.  Friends and acquaintances are dying off at an alarming rate....I remember when this was happening to my parents and I thought it was so horrible...well, here we are and I still think it is horrible.

ON that note, live life to the fullest every day...you may not have a tomorrow.

It's Spring....ACHOO!!

So, yes, my allergies have decided to kick in overtime.  Every time the wind even thinks about blowing my eyes water, my nose stops up (or drips--depending on it's mood) and I start to sneeze.  And not just one sneeze...I sneeze in series...4-5 first, then a break; then 4-5 more.  I may, or may not, be done then.  I may or may not repeat cycle for 2-3 more times.  Then I am worn out!  ACHOO

Yes, it is spring in Tucson.  One day it is 90 and the next it is 60.  We have had the a/c and heat on in the same day.  And EVERYTHING is in bloom; even things that don't bloom are in bloom I think!  And the wind...today is suppose to be "breezy", what ever that means...right now it is blowing hard.  So much for "breezy".  And when the wind blows here where we live, it usually doesn't blow where our cousins live in S.E. Tucson.  Go figure!

Company is a comin'.  Dick and Lano will be here this weekend with Misty (Beau's great niece) who is still a puppy (even tho she is 17 mos old)...both dogs just groan when I say she is coming.  They so quickly forget they were like this not too long ago!   Then son Ric and wife Janet will be here on the 20th for a few days.  Can't wait!  Then it looks like we will have a very, long, dry season...summer will be here and NO ONE wants to come then.  And I understand.  However, my favorite part of the summer are the monsoons...as long as they don't take out my road.  I love the lightning and thunder...as long as it is in the mountains and not near me.  See, I seem to have a caveat for everything today!

Al is doing well, or as well as can be expected.  Some days better than others.  He went out to dinner twice last weekend and survived it (so did I) and did well.  He rode with me to Costco and other errands this week, just stayed in the car, but he got out of the house.  Blood sugar is a little on the high side, but we are dealing with it.   Blood pressure is good; weight is good; appetite is good; kidney's are still questionable, but they always will be.  Parkinson's shows it's ugly head at the weirdest times; but we deal with it.  So all-in-all, things are going good.  Lets just hope he stays on this plateau for a while. Hospice is wonderful and ever so helpful.  The nurse comes twice a week and the CNA comes 3 times a week.  Volunteer to stay with him while I get out comes once a week and our paid care giver comes once a week...so we have it pretty well covered.....as long as he stays this way.

Not much else new or exciting going on in our lives.  Snow birds have started their migration north so traffic is lighter, we can get in to restaurants, grocery shopping is pleasant again,  and things are quieter.  Seems like the snowbirds migrated earlier this year...probably due to the nicer weather in the north, except the Pacific NW....

Hope all is well with everyone....have a wonderful, joyous Easter and may the Easter Bunny be good to you and lay plenty of eggs.....that is still a question unanswered in my mind...but that is for a later blog.

Goodbye to another wonderful lady...

Tucson
This is getting to be a regular "thing" for us lately, and I, for one, would appreciate it if it would stop.  But then again, we are at the age where our friends and relatives of our generation are dying. 

Last night we said goodbye to another wonderful lady.  Shirley Spaid...rest in peace.  Shirley was my cousin Ted's wife.  Shirley, Ted, Al and I have been close in the past 20+ years, traveling together; visiting each other (they live in Colorado) and keeping in touch.  They traveled with us to Alaska in 2003, with the long, long trailer in tow.  Six weeks of "togetherness" in the 5th wheel...and yet we remained close!  Shirley and I had a special bond I felt.  She was so wonderfully talented with her knitting, crocheting, and sewing.   She liked to try new recipes; was fun loving and and so much fun to be with.  Ted said that sometimes you had to "speak Shirley" to understand her, I must have succeeded,. because I never had a problem understanding her. :-)  She was a wonderful mother, sister, grandmother and friend. 

Shirley had a massive stroke on Saturday, March 10.  She went to sleep Friday night and just never woke up.  No suffering, no pain, just went to sleep.  She did it the right way.  They removed life support on Wednesday and she took her final breath last night.  We grieve her death, but rejoice in the fact that she is at peace.  We grieve with her family, but rejoice in the knowledge that they will go on to a new and different life without her, but hold her in their hearts forever and have wonderful memories.  She has left them behind, but new children will come and hear the stories of their great grandmother and what a wonderful woman she was.  Yes, she will be missed greatly, but she lives on in our hearts and memories.  It is sad that she will never get to hold her first great grandchild, which is due in June. 

On another note, our weather has been wonderful the last week...today it is suppose to be 85!  Wait, this is March, right?  Well tomorrow it is suppose to be only 58....I think the got the numbers transposed!  We are going to have a "cool down" as the weather guesser calls it.  I think so...from 85 to 58...I would call that a cool down!  However, I am not complaining, before to long the only "cool down" we will get will be sitting under our air conditioners!

Al continues to do the same.  He has good days and awful days, nothing in-between.  Today we are going on an outing.  He has  been wanting sushi, and has asked several times to go to the "sushi garden" which advertises a lot on TV.  It also has been our favorite sushi place for many years, however, he has forgotten that.  So today we are going to attempt an "outing". 

Until next time, enjoy life, it is the only one you get.