Things are looking better.

I woke up feeling completely well this morning. Of course it didn't last long. But I did go with Chris when he went grocery shopping. I stayed in the car while he did it, and then we went to Burger King and had a hamburger and a drink. I brought the last of my burger home and finished it here. Then I had a rest, and then re-read the short story that leads to Pattie's new book, which Kaye sent, which arrived this afternoon. We talked to Carla about coming up to Bandon in Sept., but we decided to wait a week or two before making definite plans. I'm quite well now, but not up to traveling yet. Karen hasn't called today, but we expect her home sometime tomorrow. My new root canal is doing better than the first one, thank goodness.

We look forward to a better day.

This morning we got up, and had our showers, and then the water heater broke, and flooded the garage! Chris located a plumber who will come between 12 and 2, so we hurried and got ready for our dental appointments. It's so good to have an emergency water supply on hand. I got my new crown put on my second root canal tooth, and I will have the tooth pulled next time one wears out. The antibiotic the dentist had given me both times caused a bad stomach condition. I had forgotten that, and I had a miserable few weeks each time. We got home and Chris had his protime blood test and picked up 3 prescriptions at Kaiser in Oceanside. Then the plumber came and replaced the water heater. It cost $1490, which we put on our Discover card.

Lots of comings and goings.

Last night Brittany arrived about 9 p.m. She seemed so tired, we suggested she go right to bed. She did, and then she slept in until I woke her at about 12:30. She had some lunch with us, then she showed us some of her pictures of Japan and when she met Bianca in France. She left here about 3:30 to pick up her friend in San Diego and drive to Anaheim . She called tonight and they had arrived OK in Anaheim. Karen called that she had arrived in Pismo Beach, and later Carla called to tell us she and Rex got home from Hawaii about 3a.m. this morning. I guess we can settle down now, and just confine our worries to ourselves. I'm done with one of the antibiotics, and now just have to take 3 a day of the other one. I should feel much better soon.

So, eveyrthing worked out well.

Last night when Chris had this coughing fit, the Lopez family, first the papa, who helped Chris to a chair on the front patio. Then the mama, daughter, and sister came over bringing herb tea, made of cinnamon bark and a mixture of honey and spices, including garlic. This tea worked wonders, and coughing stopped, along with a special menthol rub the mama put on his chest. She went home again, and made another quart of the tea and brought it over. They stayed a while, and she offered, through her husband, to massage my legs to take the swelling down. I declined, and I'll ask Dr. Donahoe first. Anyway, we slept well, and went to Sacrament Meeting this morning. I was tired, and my back hurt, so we went home after that, and had a snack and then I went back to bed. I slept until the Bishop called, and he came for his home teaching visit. He told a really interesting story of his conversion and baptism. Then we went to Karen's for dinner, and are home again. Eddy Lopez just came over to see how Chris is. l

We now have Mexican cough meds.

I took my 6 o'clock meds and then went back to sleep until 8 and took some more and went back to sleep until 9. And it was hard to get up then. We had our breakfast and then Chris drove me to get my hair set. It was done in an hour, so he didn't go home, but shopped at a new Dollar store in the same strip mall. We went home, had our lunch and then a nap. It seems I can't get by without that nap! Karen came over and brought us a main course for our dinner and some veggies. It really helps for her to do these things for us. And she's invited us to dinner at their house tomorrow. I'm hoping to be feeling well enough to go to Church tomorrow, but we'll have to see how things are in the morning. Right now Chris is having a coughing fit. The neighbors came to help.

A satisfactory visit With Dr. Donahoe

We did go to see Dr. Donahoe this morning, and he said Chris was doing very well, and didn't need any more medication. And he told me I was doing well, just keep up with my medications, which are really working for the first time today. He didn't comment on my swollen legs and feet, but I can live with them more easily when my diarrhea and bladder infections are gone. After our visit with the Dr. we drove down to Tamarack Beach and parked and watched the surfers ride the big waves for a while. Then we came home for lunch and a nap. Brittany and Eric came back, so Brittany could borrow a pair of old lady shoes. She picked out my SAS oxfords. I hope she brings them back. But I don't need anything now but a pair of strap sandals, with extra holes in the straps,because I can't get anything else on, besides flip-flops. Brittany and Eric left, and Brittany will be back on Monday.

A surprise arrival

I'm going to write this quickly, so I'll be sure to get it done. Last night about 10:p.m. Brittany arrived, several days before we expected her. She had with her Eric, the young man who draws the comics Brittany writes. They intended to stay at Travis' house, but they had other guests. so they came here. Of course we were glad to have them here, as they were on their way to the Comic Con in San Diego. We all went to bed early, because we were tired, and Brittany had just flown in from France, and Eric had driven all the way from Eugene, Ore. stopping only once to at a rest area, and to buy gas! I woke up at 1 a.m. to take my pill, and I had real trouble going to sleep again. I finally got up at 6 and took another pill, but didn't go back to sleep. Brittany made chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast, and I had one. I shouldn't have I guess. Anyway, I couldn't rest, so finally Brittany an Eric decided to go down to Travis' house, and go to the Comic Con from there. She will come back on Sunday. I did nap a while this afternoon, and I'm feeling a little better. Tomorrow we see Dr. Donahoe again.

That's another nice little movie of Caden! The only thing, we can't see what he is doing with his feet. Maybe the next one will show that. For some reason I'm not doing well with this blog. I guess that's because I didn't write one last night. I was too tired to do it. Today we went to the Oceanside Kaiser clinic where I picked up a new prescription to stop another infection, and I had a blood test. Tonight the doctor's office called and said I should double my potassium intake. I guess that's because I haven't taken any. Karen came over and brought our dinner to us, the same as they were eating at home. So I didn't feel quite as indebted to her. Later tonight my visiting teacher is coming by. I think I hear her now.

That is another cute picture of Caden. I'm really looking forward to seeing him in person in September when we come to Bandon! I'm trying hard to get entirely well by then. I have new medication that should help. I go back to the doctor next Friday, when Chris is going in, too. We want to whip this thing now, and be our old selves. This morning we drove to the Carlsbad Clinic to turn in some three days of samples and pick up the new prescription. It was a nice day, so we drove to Tamarack Beach and went for a very short walk. It was wonderful to be able to do it, and enjoy the beautiful views of the ocean. There is nice obituary ofAunt Margery on the internet. I hope all of you will be able to see it.

Tall Enough

Caden's grandma is posting this MOVIE to show he's tall enough already to jump up himself in his toy. He's doing everything himself and really likes it!

We didn't go to Church this morning, because I haven't yet put a stop to my diarrhea. I have one more day of checks on it, and then I hope things will be OK again. We had a nice breakfast of cereal, soy milk and fruit. It stayed down and was all right. We have spent a quiet day, watching BYU channel and reading the Sunday paper. It's huge, when you see all the ads, which we don't do! There's nothing I want to buy, and I seriously considered giving a lot of stuff to a yard sale, supporting one of the men who works with Terry on the parole board. But Karen said the things I had on my list were to expensive for a yard sale, but to just give a donation to the fund, for the cancer treatment for the man that the insurance won't pay for. We'll go call Carla now, and wish her a Happy Birthday. Kaye just reminded us.

This morning I was feeling better again, and I made scrambled eggs and toast for our breakfast. It was wonderful to be eating real food again! This new diet is called a soft diet, but it's fine with me. I can live with it easily while I'm taking my new medication. After breakfast Chris drove down to the local stores for two items, and I sat down in my recliner to read the paper. After Chris got home I kept on sitting, and I fell asleep and slept for two hours! I guess I'm just relaxed that I'm feeling better. I've managed to stay awake the rest of the day. We watched our usual Saturday shows, and Karen came over and brought our dinner, and it was very good. Carla called, and they got to Hawaii OK. Tom Christensen called, and he told us his mother, Aunt Margie, died this morning. She was 91. We called the rest of our family, and Uncle Al, and told them.

I didn't realize I had missed a day of blogging, I guess it was because I wasn't feeling too well. Now that I have been to see Dr. Donahoe, I'm feeling better about my condition. He proscribed a new medication and I feel better about things. I still must take some more tests, but I think it will all work out OK. Karen drove us to the Carlsbad Clinic, and we didn't get back home until noon, after the 9:3o appointment, but that was all right. I have a much more lenient diet, and I really like that. We had lunch and then a nap, and then saw a Netflix movie. It wasn't that good, so we are going to take a rest from them, and maybe get hooked up again, when they have better movies. We had dinner, and I'm afraid I ate too much, after practically starving myself for almost a week. My stomach should settle down soon, and I'll be able to sleep tonight.

Karen came over and brought soup for our lunch. She didn't stay long because she had forgotten she had a job to do at GIA. I guess she relaxed so much over the weekend that she plumb forgot. After she left I went back to bed, until Seluia, our Polynesian help with the laundry and things, arrived. I got up and went into the living room. Chris and I watched another "Miss Marple" mystery. Now I'm going back into the living room, and I'll rest through the news, and maybe read a while in the new short story book that has Patricia Briggs's story as the first one in it. I just talked to Kaye, and she has a new air conditioner in her bedroom, and hopefully that will make her sleeping better.

I didn't write last night, because I still didn't feel well. But tonight things are going better. we saw the pictures of Caden turning over, but I couldn't see an actual roll-over. I'll have to find out how to do that on the email. Karen and Terry got home last night, and she came over and brought us some fresh veggies and dinner. We were glad for that, and especially to see her. She said the wedding was a lot like the last Jewish one, but maybe not quite as lavish. But she said maybe she was not so surprised this time, and more or less knew what to expect. After she left I had a good rest and I feel better tonight. I think I'll call and find out if Dr. Donahoe is back from his vacation. I think I know why I've been ill; the aftereffects of taking a course of Amoxicillin before each of the two root canals. That killed all the good bacteria and left only the C. Difficile, which made me sick.

Since this is Sunday, we decided to go to at least the Sacrament Service. We saw friends, and that was nice. but we were both tired, so we came home afterwards. I wasn't feeling particularly well, so I didn't eat much lunch. Later I decided it was the fault of the cheese pizza I ate last night. I guess I'm really allergic to milk and milk products. And of course the old beans I ate later didn't help. This afternoon we watched a new version of "Phantom of the Opera". I didn't like it as well as earlier versions. The stage version Carla and I saw in London is the best, I think. Even better than the stage one Lenon Bezzant and I saw in Los Angeles. We talked to Kaye today, but not to the other daughters. I guess Karen and Terry are still at his nephew's wedding. We'll call Carla later.

We really enjoyed the little movie of Caden, our great grandchild. He is a cute baby, and "talked," too! Now I'll go on to our more mundane life. I had my hair done as usual on Saturday. While I was in the shop, Chris wandered around in a new Dollar Store in that little strip mall and bought a few things. We went home for lunch, then rested a while, and watched another "Miss Marple" episode. As long as I have my hearing aid attached, I can understand the British accents most of the time. We went for a short walk in the neighborhood. Today was cooler, and it was pleasant outside. I had hoped to go farther, but we both got tired. Then it was time for dinner, and also the Brit shows on TV.

Another movie

Caden's grandma is posting this one. It was actually taken on July 6 with the others, but I didn't think it was small enough to fit. Disclaimer is: my speakers are broken, so no guarantee to the sound, but the the visual is just too cute to pass up...

We stayed home this morning and had our leisurely breakfast. Then we went for a short walk along the street to the path to the college back of this street. We looked down at it and saw a round spot of bare ground, with a small fenced-off area in the middle. We couldn't think of any athletic thing they plan to do in it. Maybe it's to train horses, or something. Any ideas? We came home, in time to receive a call from Brittany and Bianca in Southern France! They were calling on the computer program that Brittany used to call us from Japan. Karen called, too, from New York. They will go to Long Island tomorrow, and the wedding will be on Sunday. (The Jewish Sabbath is Saturday, and ours should be also). Then they will come home on Monday. This afternoon we watched another "Miss Marple" episode. About half was through, we remembered seeing it with Elizabeth Taylor as the actress. This is another version.

We went to Right Aid this morning and returned some zories Chris bought, he can't get his feet into them. We also stopped at both banks, and by then it was noon, so we stopped at Taco Bell. This particular one gives free small drinks to seniors who come in for tacos or whatever. When we got home the sun had come out, so we moved the gardenia bush into the shade. It doesn't look very good out in the sun. And we put a little more water around. Back in the house we watched a movie that NetFlix sent, and it wasn't very good; so we watched an old Miss Marple episode. I liked it because it didn't have a lot background music, that makes it hard for me to hear the characters talking, even with a hearing aid. Tonight Chris is baking some brownies from a mix, because he says he knows I like them! How's that for a thoughtful husband?

Another trip to the dentist.

When we went to the dentist at 10 a.m. I didn't know if I wanted another root canal or have the tooth pulled. Well, I decided on the root canal. Chris went for a walk, then came back to the waiting room and had a little nap. We finally left there about noon. We came home, and I did manage to have lunch of a half a peanut butter sandwich, dipped a piece at a time, in cocoa. I had a rest in the recliner, and the afternoon just passed away in a short nap and half a movie. After dinner we watched the rest of the movie. Then my visiting teacher came by, with some watermelon and a pot with several baby succulents in it. I had intended to offer some of ours to her and her husband, but I couldn't very well do that! Karen called that they had arrived in New York, We talked to Kaye and Carla, too.

This morning we took our Transit ride to San Marcos Kaiser Clinic. The bus arrived here promptly and drove us and another woman to San Marcos. She went shopping there, and we went to the Clinic. Chris had his bone scan, and the report was osteoporosis, just like me. However, his hip joint has healed fine. But now he has more medications to take. When he was done, the bus was there promptly, and took us back home. It was an interesting experience! At home we had lunch, a rest, and then drove to the local Kaiser Pharmacy to fill the 4 prescriptions he needs. Karen came over, and brought a pack of soda pop for us. They leave in the morning for New York, and Terry's brother has made a reservation at a nice hotel near Central Park for them. They will visit museums the first day, and go to Long Island for the wedding the next day. I've finished reading Karen's book of "Jesus Christ and the World of the New Testament" and it's erudite and really fabulous.

Getting out and about a little.

We set the alarm and woke up at a reasonable time this morning. Roy came to do the house cleaning, and Chris and I watered and fertilized the orchids and the gardenia. The latter is covered with bugs, so we drove to Home Depot and got a spray for it. From there we drove to Rite Aid and bought a few things, and then drove to the Kaiser blo Pharmacy here in Oceanside and picked up a prescription. Chris also had Protime test. At home again, we had just sat down for a rest, when Karen arrived. So, she sat with us for a while. She had brought a spinach salad for our dinner, to go with what she had brought before. Then she went home to pack for their trip to New York and Long Island. We are looking forward to our transit system ride to San Marcos tomorrow. More about it later.

This is to go with the pictures of Caden in the jumper toy. I had no idea it would have all those gadgets on it. I'm glad he has it, that will keep him busy a long time. Carla told us she and Rex had a nice visit with Kaye, Kyle, Stellan, Sara and Caden. I'm glad they were able to stoop by on their way home. Carla just called us to say they were home again, and Brittany and Bianca met successfully in Paris today, but missed their train to coastal France. Karen came over and brought us our dinner again, and it was very nice of her. We will miss her and all her attention when they go to Long Island, N.Y. this next week. We slept in this morning and missed going to Church. We will just have to set an alarm after this, I don't know why we haven't done so since we moved back into the front bedroom. By the way, that reminds me, it's time to think about going to bed again.

New tech Jumping/twisting toy

Said toy that Karen and his great grandparents gave Caden. and... And another :-)

Wonderful trips for grandchildren.

I had a bad night with my leg. I decided to stop taking the antibiotic, but this morning Kaye talked me into going back to it. Also, I talked to Bianca who was in Chicago waiting for her flight to Paris, where she is to meet Brittany, who is coming from Sri Lanka. Isn't it wonderful these grandchildren can fly around like that! Think of all the things they will have to remember and treasure later in their lives. Then I talked to Carla and Rex, and they also gave me tips on how to manage my swollen legs and the burn I inflicted on myself by accident. Bianca had already told me to walk, so my muscles would constrict and help force the blood back up to my heart, so I wouldn't have more trouble from the plebitis. We had planned to go to the drugstore, but somehow we never did make it. Karen came over and brought dinner for us for tonight. Then we had a nap, and just stayed home.

The glorious 4th!

This will a short blog, because I have have been watching all the fireworks shows I can find. First there was the program from Washington DC, then what I think was one south at Leggoland, that we could see from the path to the college, then through the trees to the west, which was at Oceanside, and a few a little northeast of there. After that, we watched a show telling all about getting ready for the one at DC. It was a half hour show. So that gets me past my usual time for teeth brushing, etc. and getting ready for bed. But to go back to this morning. We went to Walmart for a new electric toothbrush and a bottle of Acidophilus pills to counteract the antibiotic that wipes out all the good bacteria with the bad ones. We also got a few groceries, and since it was time for lunch, we stopped at Taco Bell for that. This whole thing is backwards, but bear with me, I'm tired tonight.

Last night I had put a hot pad on my ankle where it was hurting. I was watching a movie and forgot about it. I actually burned myself without knowing it. Today it has been sore, so I haven't done much. Kaye says I should use cold packs, so I tried it, and it seems to help. We did go to Karen's for lunch, and we enjoyed it. she really likes lunch, more than the other meals, and she does a great job preparing and serving them. Uncle Al was there, and we were glad to talk to him, also. Karen is really doing well with her watercolors. I'm glad she had taken up this hobby. We tried to make an appointment with the "Lift" service that will take seniors and others needing help to their doctor's appointments, and bringing them home. They will call us back.

A stay-at -home day.

This is an edition to the picture of Caden that Kaye has already put on my blog. Isn't he a really cute baby? No wonder Kaye goes to see him every chance she gets. I hope our and Karen's gift will work as well for him. My ankles are swollen again, so I didn't do much today. I did separate the laundry, so Seluia will be able to get the washing done in the three hours she has to spend here. I guess our washer and dryer are sort of slow. But she does do other things, too. I helped Chris clean up the patio room, so we can use it now the warm weather has come. We had bought a small vacuum to clean up out there, but it just isn't good enough. So we used the regular vac out there. We put a slightly dark plastic sheeting up on the windows back of the plants, so they won't get too much sun. We hope Kaye and Carla will be able to get together while Carla will be in eastern Oregon.

Another Caden movie

This one was taken at his house, in his play yard (new marketing-speak for playpen...)

We have busy grandchildren.

We did call Carla this morning, and asked about Bianca. She said Bianca had a 9-hour exam, and part of it was exams she had already passed, as well as one she failed! That was a dirty trick by the college, I think. Anyway, Carla and Rex are leaving for their camping trip tomorrow, and then Bianca leaves for France on Saturday. What busy people. Logan and Maret are back from China, and Logan has already started college. Kaye had her shot today, so she wasn't going anywhere. I'm so sorry she has to do that, but I guess it's the best thing the medical system has come up with. I understand D'Ann is having trouble with her insurance. I hope they get it straightened out, so she can continue her treatments. I finally got caught up with the medical records I've been keeping all these years, but messed up all of the last six months. I'm glad that's done. We went to Home Depot to get things to repair a cabinet outside the kitchen window. It had been damaged by the years of weather.