I had another toothache in the night, so I called for an appointment with the dentist. I'm to go in on July 9th. I asked if I could get a cancellation appointment , and the girl gave me today at 1:30. I had x-rays and the doctor looked at them and at me. He recommended another root canal, but I said I would think about it, and call later to tell them my decision. I'm still not sure what that will be. When I got home Karen was here, and she had brought us dinner. I think she is maybe feeling she is deserting us again, when she flies with Terry to Long Island for his nephew's wedding. Anyway, it was nice to have her visit, and it was a good dinner. Also, we decided on a jump toy for Caden, for him to jump up and down in. We haven't heard from Bianca, to know if she thought she did well on her final exam. Maybe we will call Carla, and ask her, because Bianca flew home this afternoon or tonight.

A quiet Sunday.

Chris wasn't feeling too well this morning, so I went to Sacrament Meeting by myself. I sat by Karen, and after the meeting I came home. I had worn both hearing aids, and the sounds of all the children were drowning out the speakers! I'll only wear one hearing aid after this. I know now why Terry was upset by all the children; he has hearing aids, too. We spent the rest of the morning reading the Sunday newspaper. It's always huge, and we don't ever read all of it. After the other two church meetings Karen came over and brought us dinner. She is always so thoughtful. She has also been the compassionate service leader, and I think she is really doing more than she should, including us in it all. We finished watching the rest of "Hawaii", and I'm glad they left some of it out. It was still a long movie, though. We'll watch Masterpiece Theater later tonight. It's always good.

On Saturday

My usual hair dresser is away having surgery, so I had a new girl do my hair today. After I was done, I called Karen, and she said we wouldn't go until about 2 to visit Nancy Barnhart. So Chris and I went to Burger King for a big fish sandwich. We missed having our weekly fish during the week. Later Karen and I went to Nancy's, and she is now 91, but still making quilts by hand for all her relatives' babies. She ties, instead of hand quilting them for other people. It's amazing to me; I don't even sew anymore. Her daughter, Jean, who lives with her, gave us each two avocados when we left. Jean does a great job keeping up the house and yard for her mother. Tonight we started watching another CD, this one on the book "Hawaii." I don't remember the book with much enthusiasm.

A stay-at-home day.

I was expecting to go visiting teaching with Karen, but when I called her, she said it was tomorrow. My visiting teacher came over with her husband, to see if he wanted any of the tools Chris is going to give away. He took only a "come-along" to pull trees, and another length of chain. I wanted him to take the table saw, but Chris didn't want to part with it. The man came and got the hospital bed, so we finally got that out of the house. I want to have the carpets cleaned now, maybe in the next couple of weeks. This afternoon and evening we watched the CD of "The Mists of Avalon." It was a little more raw than I remember the book, but then I've read so many Arthurian legends, having had a class on it in college, although that was many years ago. The "Merlin" CD was gentler. Today the Supreme Court approved the gun laws, so I guess I'm in the minority on that issue.

Mainly a checkup with the doctor.

Our big news for today was about Chris' trip to see Dr. Donahoe. We left home just in time to get to Carlsbad for the appointment. The nurse put us in a waiting room, and we waited 25 minutes for the Dr. to come in. But when he got there, he was thorough, and he ordered six different blood tests to find out why Chris' blood is low in red cells, and why he has a rash on his stomach and lower legs. We won't know the results of the tests for a day or two. We stopped for lunch on the way home, and then went to the Grocery Outlet for bananas and soy milk. I seem to be allergic to regular milk and milk products, just like all three of Carla and Rex' s offspring. We talked to Kaye in Portland, where she and Kyle are attending a shooting meet, Race called us to thank us for his birthday present, and we called Carla to find out how they were, and how Bianca was doing studying for her final exam on June30.

This morning I tried again to straighten out our medical records that I have been keeping all these years, but I finally gave up again. Too much has happened since the first of the year. Karen called after her stint at GIA and we arranged to meet at Carl's Jr. for lunch. It's the first we have seen her since their trip to Denver. At home again, I tried to do the medical records , but finally gave up. We started watching the "Merlin" CD Kaye had sent, then we stopped for dinner. After that we watched the rest of it. It was a good take on the Arthurian legends. There's another CD of the same Legends here, and we will watch it maybe tomorrow, and compare them. We talked to Kaye and Carla, and Kaye and Kyle got to Seattle OK, and Carla and Rex are going camping over July 4th with friends and relatives.

We did get out of the house.

Karen and Terry got home tonight, and that was good news. Kaye and Kyle are on their was to Seattle to spend birthday time with Race. I'm waiting to hear they arrived safely. We went for our walk today in Wal-Mart store near here, and got a few things we needed, including a long-handled shoe horn for Chris, so hopefully he can put on his shoe and sock on his right foot; he can manage the left one just fine. It's the hip replacement that keeps him from doing the right. It's a little cooler here today, but we still had to turn on the air conditioner. We watched "The Lion in Winter" on the disk, but it stalled part way through. Bit we did manage to figure out the rest of the movie watching it jump through it. Great acting, though. The healthcare people haven't come for the hospital bed yet, but that's OK.

Thank you for the great little movie of our great grandson! I hope this can be added to the blog with his picture and movie. This is a new thing, adding to a blog - I hope it works. That's amazing that you could send it this way, Grandma Kaye. From your mother, and Kaden's great grandma..

Great Grandson

Our day with Bianca.

Bianca arrived about 11 p.m. last night. We talked for a short time, then we got ready for bed. Bianca studied for at least two hours before turning out the lights and going to bed. This morning we all went to Sacrament Meeting. Several seminary teachers gave short talks, but only one student. I wondered about that, then afterwards someone said some students were boycotting the meeting! I can't imagine that. We came home and had a light lunch. Then Bianca went to see Uncle Al, and we read the paper and rested and waited for her to come back. When she did, we went out to dinner at the Sizzler, and I remembered why we hadn't been there for a while; the steaks, we went for, now are too heavily seasoned for my taste. Bianca went back to school, and she called us when she arrived. I appreciate that.

Still hot here.

Chris won't let me cut his toenails, so he came with me to the beauty shop, and he had a pedicure while I had my hair set. It worked out fine. He said his feet felt really good. After that we shopped but didn't buy anything in the drug store, and then had lunch at Taco Bell. At home it was hot again today, so we didn't do much. I wrote some cards and then watched Rick Steves on TV. Chris and I collaborated on dinner, and it turned out quite good. Especially the cookies afterwards. Bianca called, and she will be over sometime this evening and will spend the night with us. I'm glad she'll be here; I've been wondering how her studies are coming. She has her last exam on the 30th. I know I was always worried about final exams when I was at college, both times. I'll go now and get clean towels for the back bathroom, and check on the bedroom.

Weather, mostly.

We were slow getting going this morning, because it was hot to begin with, 85 degrees just outside our front door. But we did finally go get the prescription. Then we went to Wal-Mart to return a shaver that fell apart. From there we went down winding Tamarack Road to the Beach. There was absolutely no parking anywhere there. We came back to Burger King for a Big Fish sandwich, and it was good. We came home, watched a British movie, and I simply couldn't understand what the people were saying. I think I may really be losing my hearing. My hearing aid is turned up as much as possible now. Later, though, we watched just U.S. TV, and I could understand that! Karen called from Denver, and it's hot there, too. And Candace told her it was 101 degrees in Pismo Beach yesterday! The weather all over has just gone crazy.

We are busy again.

We went to the Kaiser Clinic here in Oceanside this morning for Chris to have a blood test and to pick up some prescriptions. Mine was supposed to be there, but it wasn't. We'll have to go back tomorrow for that. On the way home we stopped to have Chris' glasses adjusted and to pick up a few groceries. When we got home Karen came over for a little while. They will be flying to Denver tomorrow, for Terry's birthday. He has some children and grandchildren there. Terry wants to travel as long as he can; I guess you can't tell about that with Parkinson's. I've been going over Terry's pictures of the trip to Greece and Croatia, etc. There are a lot more Greek ruins than I realized. These are interesting pictures of the old things and the new. I finally got hold of the people that furnished the hospital bed. They'll come for it in a week.

Two days' blog.

I didn't write last night, so here is a quick review of what happened. We were expecting our laundry lady at 10 a.m., but she didn't show up. I called, but she wasn't home. After a while she called back, and we arranged that she would come on Wednesday at 2 p.m. when she got done with her job at a rest home. After she left we had lunch, and then Karen called to say she was back from her visit in L.A. with Danya. That was good news. The traffic is still heavy in spite of the price of gas. Today, we went shopping at Boney's grocery, had lunch at Burger King, and came home to rest and read the paper. My husband slept; he was tired after sleeping in our our regular bed after spending all that time sleeping in the hospital bed. We didn't put clean sheets on the hospital bed, so he will try the regular bed again tonight. I'd like to get rid of the hospital bed and have the carpets cleaned; they are a mess.

Great Grandson, again

Most recent of his movies...now over 11.5 lbs....

Great Grandson

Today is Father's Day, so we did just what Chris wanted to do . First, we had a breakfast, and then at about 10:40 we drove to the church for Sacrament Service. All the talks were good, even the one by the Harris' young grandson. He must be about 14 now. The chapel and the overflow were all full of people, and of course a lot of children. We came home and spent the next about three and a half hours, reading the paper and taking our pills, and resting. About 4:15 we drove to Karen's house, where we were invited to dinner. Terry barbecued the best pork ribs I have eaten, and we had sugar-free ice cream pie for dessert. I started looking at Terry's book of photos from their last trip, and asked if I could bring it home to finish it. He said yes, so I did. Chris got gifts from Karen, Kaye, and Carla's hasn't arrived yet. It's in the mail.

Karen came for me and the chairs about 10:30. We drove to the Bishop's house, where the baby shower was to be. In the house everyone seemed to be getting the lunch ready. I helped with canapes, then I went outside, where the tables and gifts were, and talked to the older women. But the wind was blowing, and I was afraid of getting my eye trouble back if I stayed. Karen said something about getting two more folding chairs from her house, so I asked her to take me home. Only the Relief Society president knew about it, so we just left. After a short rest at home, Chris and I drove to the Mall and had lunch. Then we went to J.C. Penney' s to find a gift for his Father's Day. We didn't find anything he wanted, so we came home again. We watched another episode of " the Tudors" and it was a good one. After dinner we saw one of our usual Brit shows, and then turned the TV off. Rex is going to come by tonight, so I'll clear up the kitchen before he gets here.

This morning I had my hair done, because I want to go to the baby shower tomorrow, for which they are borrowing our folding chairs. Chris stayed home, and worked on getting caught up on the computer records. When I got home, we decided to go shopping for his Father's Day present, and a card for Candace's birthday, after having a fish sandwich at Burger King. Well, on the way back, I got uptight about Chris' comments about my driving, and I forgot to stop at the store. So, I'll have to go back tomorrow for the gift. I'll write a card to Candace. In the afternoon we watched a movie from NetFlix, which was all right, but not great. After that we went for a walk and also watered some plants in the back yard. Tonight we are just watching the news on TV, and not planning anything special.

Trying to get caught up on the 2 months I missed.

I had completely forgotten that we should pay 1/4 of our next year's estimated tax in April. So, I spent all morning trying to get the right information on the right forms. Thank goodness Chris could find the right forms on the computer. Just as I finished that, Karen arrived. she didn't mean to come over until afternoon, but she made a wrong turn and came here. She gave us the things for our dinner that she had planned to bring over later, so we had them early. This afternoon we drove to the Kaiser Pharmacy in Oceanside and picked up a group of 5 of a prescription Chris had. The price was $435, and we paid only $60. Kaiser is still the best insurance value we have found. It finally cleared up and we had a sunny afternoon. I hope it's nice when Rex goes to Torrey Pines golf course tomorrow.

Doctor's advice.

This morning we went to the First Pacific Bank and made a deposit. Chris also activated his ATM card with them. From there we went to the Grocery Outlet and bought a few things. Since it was almost noon we stopped at Taco Bell for some lunch. We were almost through our meal when a whole bunch of dirty-looking men came in. They evidently were construction workers from the same job near there; on the roads probably, that I had driven over every day Chris was in that rest home recovering from his broken hip surgery. They looked like the same lot, who are still working there. We came home, and got ready to go to the Kaiser Clinic to see Dr. Pfeiffer, who had done the hip surgery. We saw the X-rays, and that's really a big ball they put in there! Anyway, the Dr. gave advice on what to do for the next year, and if any trouble developed, Chris was to come back then.

A little busier.

This morning we talked to Kaye, and she had looked up places to get our new cell phone operating, and one was on Maron Road near El Camino Real. We drove down there, and there was a nice clerk there who set it all up for us. While we were in that neighborhood, I stopped at Marshall's to get something to replace the ruined candy that we didn't get sent to Charles and Mabel for Christmas. I thought more plates like the one Karen got for the candy would be nice, but they don't have them now. Since we were almost down to Burger King, we went there for lunch, and then for a walk along the first few stores there. Then we came home. Karen came over and visited a while, and brought a nice Chinese salad for us. We had a call from the Dr. who did Chris' hip surgery, and he is to go see him at San Marcos tomorrow.

A lazy day.

I thought about writing the blog this morning, but I had nothing to write about. So, I waited until tonight. There's still not much to tell you. Roy came and did the cleaning, and after he left we had lunch. Then Elaine Schuman called to see if she could visit this afternoon. Of course we said yes. She came and brought cookies she'd baked. She is diabetic and can't eat them, but she says she bakes them for other people! That's great that she'd do it. I'm afraid that under similar circumstances, I would eat some anyway. After she left I found her purse on the sofa, so I called her and said I'd bring it over. But she was going to a movie with a friend, and said she would pick it up later. And she did. It was nice to see her both times. We did water and fertilize the orchids this morning, and that was about all the useful activity we did today.

A quiet Sunday.

Karen went to Fast and Testimony Meeting this morning, then she came back and picked me up for Relief Society Meeting. I forgot to put in my hearing aids, so I was somewhat disabled. But I at least got to see a lot of friends I haven't seen for at least two months, and I paid our tithing. When I got home we had lunch. I had fasted, but I couldn't make it until dinnertime. We had lunch about 2:30, and dinner at 6:45. Karen had brought us a cooked roast beef and gravy dish, and we made dinner around that. I picked some lovely roses, and that was about the only other thing I did after clearing up the kitchen. We'll watch a little TV before going to bed. We talked to Kaye, and they had just been to an office party. She said it was OK.

No Rick Steves yet.

I had my hair done this morning. My operator hasn't had her hysterectomy yet, because they found something wrong with her heart. So, she has to wait for more tests. While I was out I mailed the article about Karen to Carla and Kaye. At home we watched another "Tudor" episode. I'm not sure this follows their lives well; I don't remember from my history books some of the things they portray. Maybe they just make up episodes. We wanted to go out somewhere, but there would be too many people at the beach, so we just went to Plaza Drive and bought some gas, and then we got sodas at McDonald's. At home again we watched Rick Steves' two episodes, as he helped sell PBS. Kaye told us where we ordered our set of his episodes so we can trace them, since they have never arrived, after over 2 months. Karen brought dinner for us, and some to warm up for tomorrow night, while we talked to Kaye.

Another illness, but not too serious.

The doctor's office called, and they reported that Chris' tests showed that he needs more iron, is OK with the hip replacement, but he now has pneumonia! So our first job this morning was to go to the Oceanside Kaiser Pharmacy and get a new anti-biotic for him. Also the iron, but he can't take that until the anti-biotic is gone, in 10 days. We came back home, and Karen came over and brought our dinner for tonight. Kaye had told her about the pneumonia. We talked to her earlier. After lunch, we drove to Maron Drive near here, looking for a Verizon Company where we can get our new cell phone activated. But we couldn't find it. So, I went to Albertson's grocery and bought a few things. We came home and watched another "Tudor" episode. There wasn't much new, except Henry made a play for Anne Boleyn.

Karen had her picture and and a writeup in the Gemological Institute's Magazine, and she gave me copies that I will send to Kaye and Carla. It's nice that she's in it, since she does volunteer there often. The sun came out today, and Karen invited us to drive down to the beach to have lunch. The waves weren't as big as yesterday's, but it was nice to be there and see it all. After we got home Chris checked over the stuff from the cabinets outside the house and decided he didn't want to keep any of it. Elizabeth Lopez came over later, and he asked her to tell her father about the stuff, in case he wants any of it. He is our gardener now, and has put new sprinkler heads around the yard. We watched another "Tudor" episode tonight, and Henry has asked for a divorce from the Queen.

A medical check-up.

This morning we left home early, and went to get the car washed. They did it so quickly since ours was the only car there. We were early for Chris' appointment with Dr. Donahoe, so we drove down to the beach and parked and watched the surfers get dumped by the huge waves. It looked like rain, but it never did come down. We went to the Clinic, and waited an hour for Dr. Donahoe. He had two emergencies and I guess was very busy since he just got back from vacation. He ordered a bunch of tests, and as a result we didn't get home till 2:30, just in time for our laundress to arrive. We ate beef patties for dinner, because Chris' blood is still thin. We'll keep it up, and get him feeling good again.

One of our busiest days.

This morning we went to Bed, Bath and Beyond to try to get some metal canisters for flour,sugar, etc. They had some, but they were partly clear plastic. So we didn't get them. While we were in the neighborhood, we stopped at Stater Bros. for several items. We didn't get what we wanted, but we came home home with some nice beef and a bunch of frozen dinners. After lunch we rested a while, and then we went to the Kaiser Pharmacy in Oceanside for two prescriptions. I was shocked that we paid $90 for them. Maybe Kaiser isn't so good anymore! We came home, watched the news, then together we made a nice stir-fry with meat we bought, some rice Karen had brought over, and some frozen stir-fry veggies. It was good, along with cole slaw for salad and home-made salad dressing. Tonight, it will probably be another Tudor episode on our disks from Kaye.

The start of cleaning up our junk.

Roy said he would come about 10 or 11, but he didn't get here until noon. we were just starting lunch, so we invited him, and he brought in the lunch he had, and we ate together. Then he and Chris went out to the sheds on the north and south of the house, and Roy cleaned them out and stacked the things in the side yard. Chris stayed with him, to supervise, I guess, and he really got tired. They never did get to the garage. After Roy left we sat down to rest, and Chris went to sleep. I left him there, and got up to do things. Eddy came with a blower to clean the yard, and even that didn't wake him up! Finally I woke him. We watered and fed the orchids, and then watched the news. After dinner we watched another of the "Tudor" series Kaye had sent us. She is going to copy more of them for us.

Not exactly what I should have done

This is Sunday, but I didn't go to the session of Stake Conference we were supposed to attend. Karen wasn't going, and neither was my husband. I didn't wanted to go alone, so I stayed home and read the newspaper; it took two hours. We had just sandwiches for lunch, and then I read again, and then got dinner ready. It was Cordon Bleu, from the freezer at Cost-Co. and very good. Chris talked to Rex, a day late, to say Happy Birthday. My letter will be late, too. We are so self- centered lately, we are missing important things like that. We'll really have to consider others more often. Tonight we are going to start watching a series of Tudor movies Kaye has recorded for us. The first is "Mary Queen of Scots". I wonder if it's the same one we saw recently.