We returned home from our Route 66 Adventure Saturday, October 19th. We have now been home two weeks. The first week was spent getting my Blog all complete with our trip. My Blog is my Journal. This second week has been trying to get back to normal. Big To do lists for Claude and me as we try to prioritize the things that need to be done. This Blog entry will try and cover the highlights of the past two weeks.
Sunday, October 20th, we attended Church and found that, while we were gone, the Beaumont Ward had been dissolved. The member of that ward that lived in Lexington will now attend the Pioneer Ward. The members that live in Versailles will not attend the Elkhorn Creek Ward. Our Sacrament Meeting was full to overflowing. This Sunday two young men who will leave for their missions gave talks in Sacrament meeting. This meant family and friends came to hear them speak. Add them to the new members from the Beaumont Ward plus our regular ward members and you have one full chapel. That is a very good thing.
Beverly Wheeler was here from Idaho. Her grandson, Rhett Barber, is leaving on his mission and he was one of the speakers. Beverly lived here for several years and moved back to Idaho when Jennifer and Bart Barber's kids started going west for college. It was so nice to visit with her. However, she has some serious health challenges and it felt particularly good to make sure she knew she would be included in my prayers.
Monday, October 21st, we started watching General Conference. This was actually held October 5th and 6th. We were on the road but set our DVR to record the sessions. We would watch one session each night for five nights. How good it is to be able to do this. As a child, when General Conference happened and you lived in Louisiana, you had to travel to Utah to see it. Then we had one radio station who agreed to try broadcasting one session as it happened. Everyone stayed home with their radios on to listen to that one session of General Conference. We all wrote thank you letters to the radio station. The station could tell this was greatly appreciated and they continued to broadcast a session for us each General Conference. It took several years before we could actually watch a session on television as it happened. Now, we can see all sessions as they happen on BYU-TV. By Wednesday after the conference, we can go to our Gospel Library app and read the talks and highlight and mark them or we can replay that talk on our devices. Amazing. Grateful. Really Grateful.
Tuesday, October 22nd, I started back to office PT. I did fine with the exercises. However, the stretching really left me sore. But it was good to be back to it again. I truly feel that stretching is very, very important to the strengthening and movement in my recovery. Tina took measurements. We learned almost all of my measurements stayed the same from before our trip. One went down a bit. One actually improved. One never knows when one is away from that healing routine how that will impact the pace of recovery. I was grateful for this report.
When we left, Claude cut the front yard. We have had little rain so he didn't even touch the back yard. We were happy we could see the house after leaving the yard for three weeks. We were grateful our neighbor, Catherine, has a guy that really doesn't keep up with her mowing like she would like. Her yard had grass as tall as ours or taller. We were not the worst looking house on the block. Claude did cut the front yard once. He had to stop in the middle and recharge the battery on the lawn mower. That tall, thick grass is hard on the battery.
This is Jessie Carter. She is my friend. We had a tradition of sending post cards when we traveled to our grandmonsters. It got so post cards were hard to find overseas. Getting postage on them was even harder. So we kind of gave up on that. This Route 66 trip was here in the State and we revived our post card tradition. We sent to grandmonsters and great grandmonsters and to Jessie. Jessie got her postcard after we got home. Isn't that a happy face. Love the Lady.
Wednesday, October 23rd, I went to see Dr. Lyon. I had some serious digestive issues before the trip starting Thursday, September 12th. It seemed to be under control but after a day on the road, we knew it was not okay. Pepto Bismol was my friend and Align was my other friend. We would find a place to eat and I would carefully pick something I thought might work. By the time we returned home, I lost 7 pounds. That, in itself, is not a bad thing. I called Dr. Lyon on our way home and set up this appointment to be sure I was okay. He took blood work. Listened carefully to my story. Explained possibilities. Then suggested that, after he received results from the blood work, I should wait three weeks to see if the problem persists. If it doesn't, I should stay with the Align and come back to see him for a prescription. If it does get better, just keep taking that Align. He is such a good doctor.
Claude went out to work on the yard again. He did another cutting of the front yard and two cuttings of the back yard. It should not be good for a couple of weeks as the cooler weather is coming and the growth will be slower.
Thursday, October 24th, Dr. Lyon's office called to tell me the bloodwork was all okay except for cholesterol being a little high. Yeah!! Align is now my hope for healing.
Friday, October 25th, Bailey had a tour of University of Kentucky. She really would like to go there. Michael and Andie both toured with her. They finished up about 3pm in Lexington. Then they took our orders from a new place and brought a meal to our home. We had such a nice visit. They had been to see Hayden while we were returning home, so we got an update on our young man. We talked a bit about our trip. Bailey curled up in my recliner under the John Deere blanket and took a nap. It was very pleasant having them visit.
Saturday, October 26th, I had a strong impression it was time for Jake to get a pizza. He agreed and we ordered him pizza and salad from Cottage Inn Pizza.
I finished up all my Blogging, saving as Word documents and posting to Facebook.
Sunday, October 27th, after Church, that Relief Society presidency came here for our presidency meeting. Jenessa brought her boys. They are so cute and inquisitive.
After Claude's nap, we went to McAlister's for a nice dinner together. He had been to Paris Ward to do a training session for them.
Monday, October 28th, with my Blogging complete, I made a new To Do list so I could prioritize the things I need to do to get back to a normal routine.
I also had an ophthalmology appointment. I had not been in about a year. I had an appointment during the time I was wearing the big, black sling after surgery and really didn't feel I could take that little test where you push the button when you see a light. They couldn't schedule me in until October. My eye pressure stayed the same all this time. I am going pretty good. There are some wrinkles in the eye that may be causing the fuzzy vision. There are definitely cataracts but they are no where near where Medicare would pay for surgery. I am to you natural tears to moisten my eyes when the vision get blurry. Dr. Richardson did give me a prescription for glasses for long distance but says I don't have to use it unless I feel it is really necessary. I get to keep using my readers and my drops in the morning and at night. All is good.
Claude made grilled cheese sandwiches for our dinner. They are one of my very favorite things he cooks for me.
Tuesday, October 29th, I finished the November Relief Society Newsletter and updated my Trivial Pursuit questions on my cell phone. The laundry was done. I was getting a few more things done on that long To Do list.
Wednesday, October 30th, Claude and I went back to the temple for the first time in a very long time. I have not had good use of my right arm and finally felt I could actually participate in the session as I should. It was really good to be back in the temple. There is a prayer roll in the temple. You can put someone's name on it and it stays there for two weeks. As I went through my session, I had a little prayer in my heart about whose name I should put on the prayer roll. As we got to the end of the session, Katelyn's name came to my mind clearly and strongly. Before changing into my street clothing, I put Katelyn's name on the prayer roll. When I got to the car, I sent her a text explaining what I did. I love the sweet prompting of the Holy Ghost.
Thursday, October 31st, Halloween. The forecast was for rain starting at 6pm. That is the hours for trick-or-treating. Hmmmm....
Claude had a dermatology appointment in the morning. I got into my work-in-the-flowerbed clothes and went out to weed flower beds. I did this before the trip. They lawn company had seeded our yard a few days before we left on the big adventure. It seems they let that grass seed fly and a lot of it flew into my flower beds!! The choice was to let Claude also mow the flower beds or to try and pull up that grass. I chose pulling weeds and grass. I finished about the same time Claude got home for Dr. Wilson's and doing some errands.
I went into get a soda and rest for a bit. Claude came into the living room and watched the rest of my Expedition Unknown with Josh Gates. Then I tried clearing out some History's Greatest Mysteries. By this time, it was apparent we were done for the day. Now, this is where retirement takes its sweetest form. We decided we would go to Taco Bell and get a box of tacos for dinner. We came home and watched Castle and ate our tacos. The plan was to take candy and sit in the garage to give out candy to the trick-or-treaters. The rain started before 6pm. Trick-or-treating is from 6pm to 8pm. None of our neighbors were out with the rain showers at 6:15pm. We called the evening and kept watching Castle. We have bags of unopened candy on the kitchen counter. But we had such a lovely afternoon and evening. We can only do this because we are retired. Life is good.
Friday, November 1st, takes us to another month!! I started it with office PT. After my weeding and using my right arm to do so, I was a mite sore. But made it through PT just fine. They really now kind of give me my chart and let me do my exercises before Tina does that stretching. They check on my and mark what exercises I have done and then I keep going until time for stretching. Kind of cool.
I came home and iced my shoulder for a while. Then Claude and I went to the Scott County Library for early voting. Love that they do this in Kentucky. This is a presidential election. Lots and lots of voters. This is a good thing. I sent Hayden a text with a picture of my "I voted" sticker. He is passionate about voting and this pleases Claude and me. We vote for different candidates but it is wonderful he wants to be a part of the process and have others also participate.
We had our big meal-of-the-day at Fazoli's. Then we ran a couple of errands before returning home. I have caught up on my two weeks since our trip. Now, for a quiet evening with Claude. I have grown to love our quiet evenings.
